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Chapter 1 - Fire, Heat, and Motive Force in Early Greek Philosophy and Medicine

from I - Early Greek Philosophy and Medicine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 February 2020

By
Gábor Betegh
Edited by
Hynek Bartoš  and
Colin Guthrie King
Hynek Bartoš
Affiliation:
Charles University, Prague
Colin Guthrie King
Affiliation:
Providence College, Rhode Island
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Summary

Betegh explores to what extent the Presocratic philosophers made the motive power of heat topical, and how they tried to provide an explanation of that power. He argues that while the motive power of heat never seems to obtain a principal role in the cosmological theories of the Presocratics, it appears to take a more important role in the explanation of living beings in a number of theories.

Keywords

Fireheatmotive forceearly Greek philosophyearly Greek medicineDemocritusEmpedoclesParmenides
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Chapter
Information
Heat, Pneuma, and Soul in Ancient Philosophy and Science , pp. 35 - 60
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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