Four Elements of the World and Metaphysics of Existence

Here the Heraclitean 4 elements are surrounded by our newer ideas - the subversive idea of existence coming from the 13th century - Aquinas. I classify the 4 elements of the world into spiritual and physical, as well as into permissive and coercive. The practical dimension of the world is delimited by the finiteness of human life which by ordinary people is transcended only by the generation and raising of children, work and prospects of afterlife.

Structure of the World

Contingency - Permissive

Necessity - Coercive

Beings

Existential

Outside of the World, Man experiences terror of Nothingness

God and Man

Spiritual - Ideal

Air – absence of death and birth

Fire – Finality, destruction

Angels - elves

Physical - Material

Water – birth and death

Earth – Potentiality, creation

Demons - dwarfs

Practical

Ethics, art, religion

Knowledge, science, technology

Man

	Contingency - Permissive	Necessity - Coercive	Beings
Existential	Outside of the World, Man experiences terror of Nothingness	God and Man
Spiritual - Ideal	Air – absence of death and birth	Fire – Finality, destruction	Angels - elves
Physical - Material	Water – birth and death	Earth – Potentiality, creation	Demons - dwarfs
Practical	Ethics, art, religion	Knowledge, science, technology	Man

Sermon (talking points)

Existential

God Man Being and Nothingness
Terror of Nothingness afflicting Man
Overcoming Terror brings Love
Love of the World which can go away, will go away
Not because it is mine, ours or our creation
But because it will go away
Exhortation: intangible Love of the World

Spiritual and Physical Structure of the World

Air and Water - permissive elements, beauty, metamorphosis, birth and rebirth
disembodiment and freedom of the body
Exhortation: teach spiritual freedom to those who work

Earth and Fire - coercive, punishing elements, creation intertwined
with destruction, technology, work
Exhortation: care about what you create and what you destroy

Angels - spiritual
mythologized as elves
spiritual ones, those made of the stuff we are not made of
strive to make an effect in the physical world
Exhortation: respect those caught up in the physical world

Demons - material
mythologized as dwarves
strive to reach into the spiritual world
Exhortation: cope with our original sin: work

Practical Activity of Man

This is the domain inspired by the Existential, Spiritual and Physical but in which they become limited and cut down to fit the size of human existence. While the metaphysics of existence is receding in the fog of reason, Man builds monuments to infinity within his own limited world.

art and religion, goods and values - achieve all that is possible

science and technology, knowledge and wisdom - find out what is necessary

Exhortation: respect man's activity