| The first excerpt represents the element of Air. It speaks of mental influences and the process of thought, and is drawn from Theaetetus by Plato: elements; and all the parts, when united, may be more than all the parts
separated: e.g. the number four, or any other number, is more than the
units which are contained in it; any chemical compound is more than and
different from the simple elements. But ancient philosophy in this, as in
many other instances, proceeding by the path of mental analysis, was
perplexed by doubts which warred against the plainest facts.
Three attempts to explain the new definition of knowledge still remain to
be considered. They all of them turn on the explanation of logos. The
first account of the meaning of the word is the reflection of thought in
speech--a sort of nominalism 'La science est une langue bien faite.' But
anybody who is not dumb can say what he thinks; therefore mere speech
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The second excerpt represents the element of Fire. It speaks of emotional influences and base passions, and is drawn from The Wife, et al by Anton Chekhov: dinner! How can one give people such things? What was that mess,
for instance, that they served for the fourth course?"
"That was duck with sweet sauce . . ." mother answered softly.
"Duck! Forgive me, sister, but . . . but here I've got heartburn!
I am ill!"
My uncle made a sour, tearful face, and went on:
"It was the devil sent that governor! As though I wanted his
visit! Pff! . . . heartburn! I can't work or sleep . . . I am
completely out of sorts. . . . And I can't understand how you can
live here without anything to do . . . in this boredom! Here I've
got a pain coming under my shoulder-blade! . . ."
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| The third excerpt represents the element of Water. It speaks of pure spiritual influences and feelings of love, and is drawn from Tom Sawyer, Detective by Mark Twain: Uncle Silas till at last he plumb lost his mind and hit
this other blatherskite, his brother, with a club, I reckon
he seen his chance. Jubiter broke for the woods to hide,
and I reckon the game was for him to slide out, in the night,
and leave the country. Then Brace would make everybody
believe Uncle Silas killed him and hid his body somers;
and that would ruin Uncle Silas and drive HIM out of the
country--hang him, maybe; I dunno. But when they found
their dead brother in the sycamores without knowing him,
because he was so battered up, they see they had a better thing;
disguise BOTH and bury Jake and dig him up presently
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The fourth excerpt represents the element of Earth. It speaks of physical influences and the impact of the unseen on the visible world, and is drawn from Essays of Francis Bacon by Francis Bacon: altogether. But if a man have the fortitude, and
resolution, to enfranchise himself at once, that is
the best:
Optimus ille animi vindex laedentia pectus
Vincula qui rupit, dedoluitque semel.
Neither is the ancient rule amiss, to bend nature,
as a wand, to a contrary extreme, whereby to set it
right, understanding it, where the contrary ex-
treme is no vice. Let not a man force a habit upon
himself, with a perpetual continuance, but with
some intermission. For both the pause reinforceth
Essays of Francis Bacon |
