About this episode
This episode covers the life and ideas of Empedocles, exploring his philosophical contributions and the myths surrounding his life and death.
In this podcast episode, I cover the life and ideas of Empedocles of Acragas. He lived from 495 - 435 BC before dramatically diving into the volcano at Mt. Etna to prove he was immortal. As we find out in this episode, the accounts of the life and death of Empedocles are varied and contradictory and contain an element of myth, which is appropriate given his use of epic poetry to present his ideas. With Empedocles, we have the largest stash of fragments of any of the early Greek Philosophers. Books Referenced: * Early Greek Philosophy - Translation by Jonathan Barnes - Penguin Classics * The First Philosophers - Translation by Robin Waterfield - Oxford World’s Classics * Lives of the Eminent Philosophers - Diogenes Laertius - Loeb Classical Library This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.booksoftitans.com/subscribe
People in this episode
Host: Erik Rostad
Topics covered
- philosophy
- Empedocles
- Greek philosophers
- epic poetry
- mythology
Keywords
- Empedocles
- Greek philosophy
- epic poetry
- myth
- philosophers
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Penguin Classics, Oxford World’s Classics, Loeb Classical Library
Books & works: Early Greek Philosophy, The First Philosophers, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers
Places: Acragas, Mt. Etna
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