The Classical Elements

 

Abstract thinking has long served as the foundation for humanity’s mental and cultural evolution. In western philosophy Plato and his counterparts are known for embracing a limited selection of common substances, the Classical Elements, to serve as symbols for all aspects of the human experience. The Greeks used the elements to help form ideas about culture and its relationship to the physical world, placing emphasis on the transformations experienced in everyday life. Plato is responsible for assigning a unique three-dimensional form to each of the five elements, the set eventually becoming known as the Platonic Solids.