Empedocles is regarded as a pre-Socratic philosopher, although his lifetime overlaps that of Socrates. He is notable for propounding both an ingenious naturalistic view of the cosmos and an extravagantly nonnaturalistic doctrine involving the survival and reincarnation of the soul (psyche). Speaking as a naturalist, Empedocles offers both a response to Parmenides' denial of the reality of change and a novel, cyclic conception of the cosmos. As a religious illuminatus, Empedocles speaks within the tradition of Orphic and Pythagorean mysticism.

Not much is known about Empedocles' life. There is little reason to doubt Diogenes Laertius's reports that he was from Akragas, in southwestern Sicily, and that he was active in the city's government. His father was probably named Meton, and his grandfather is said to have been an Olympic victor in horse racing. If so, the family was a rich and noble one, able to maintain a team...