The Philosophy of Fire: War, Flame, and Change

 In the 4th century BC, a sage was born. This sage was originally a royal heir to the throne, but he yielded the throne to his younger brother and began a journey to seek the Way.

 This sage was named Heraclitus. He lived in seclusion for a long time near the temple of Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, and created a philosophy centered on fire.

 If the Milesian school represented the element of water, Heraclitus, in the same period, created the school of fire.

 From the perspective of the origin of the universe, the universe in its primordial state was actually in a plasma state, which is the form of fire. However, because too much matter gathered together, it resembled a liquid; thus, it could be called both water and fire. In the I Ching, this is referred to as "Water and Fire in Harmony," indicating a state where water and fire coexist harmoniously.

 In Heraclitus's philosophy of fire, it is believed that the world itself changes due to conflict. It is precisely this conflict that fills the world with vitality, reminding one of the saying in the Tao Te Ching: "Mixing the energies to achieve harmony."

 Because fire has no fixed shape, moves on its own, and can move other things, he considered fire to be a power capable of mutual transformation with all things. However, Heraclitus himself did not specify exactly how fire transforms into all things. Perhaps he did say it, but his fragments are obscure and difficult to understand, earning him the title of the "Obscure Philosopher." It is difficult for people to determine whether he had detailed discussions on this matter.

 Heraclitus's philosophical view holds that the universe is ordered. In this ordered universe, whether past, present, or future, there is only one eternal living fire. It burns according to a certain measure and extinguishes according to a certain measure. The creator of the universe is itself; the universe arises naturally, not through external forces or gods. Only the universe creates gods, not the other way around.

 The transformation between fire and all things occurs according to the Logos. Logos refers to measure, size, and proportion. Fire changes and transforms among all things according to its own proportions.

 The above statements appear very obscure, much like his own philosophy, which is somewhat vague and朦胧 (hazy). However, understanding the philosophy of fire is not difficult. If one understands "fire" as energy, everything becomes clear.

 Energy can transform into matter, energy can cause matter to move, and energy dominates all motion. The conversion between energy and matter occurs according to certain quantities, proportions, and conversion rates. This is Heraclitus's philosophy.

 The transformation of fire into all things essentially refers to the transformation between energy and all things. This question was not truly proven until the emergence of Einstein's theory of relativity. Today, mass-energy conversion has become one of humanity's common knowledges.

 Just as fire corresponds to the Li trigram in the I Ching, and the Li trigram represents war and weapons, Heraclitus's philosophy of fire is also full of combative characteristics. He claimed, "War is the father of all and the king of all. Without struggle, all things would die." He also said: "One must know that war is common to all, and strife is justice. All things come into being and pass away through strife."

 In his view, the destruction of all things never truly ends. For example, when fire transforms into water, although fire is destroyed, water is produced. For water, this is a new birth. One substance only transforms into another substance. This view actually implies the background of the law of conservation of mass and the law of conservation of energy.

 Furthermore, not only tangible matter transforms in this way, but intangible matter does as well. He said: "Life and death, waking and sleeping, young and old, are the same things. The latter changes, becoming the former; the former returns, becoming the latter."

 From his philosophy of fire, it can be seen that it is essentially the philosophy of the Li trigram in the I Ching. However, the philosophy in the I Ching is a whole, whereas here the philosophy of fire is isolated, characterized by impermanence, combustibility, propagability, infectivity, aggressiveness, predatory nature, and combative nature.

 His philosophy of war is like a great fire burning through a grassland. Although the grass dies, it turns into fertilizer, allowing new grass to grow continuously. However, he overlooked one point: the power of fire can cause long-term irreparable damage. The power of war is the same. As the Tao Te Ching warns: "After a great army, there must be a year of famine," and "Weapons are instruments of ill omen."

 Think of the atomic bombs dropped by the United States on Japan, which left the affected areas barren or caused radiation effects lasting for decades. If one imagines a nuclear war, after countless nuclear explosions, the destruction of the natural environment and the high radiation filling the air would cause humanity to lose its basic living space.

 The power of fire is too strong. Without corresponding water to restrain it, it will burn everything in the world.