Aether classical element: Encyclopedia - Aether classical element

Aether (classical element)

Western

Chinese
Wood (木) | Fire (火) |
Earth (土) |
Metal (金) | Water (水)

Hinduism
The Panchamahabhuta
("five great elements")
Prithvi/Bhumi (Earth)
Ap/Jala (Water)
Agni/Tejas (Fire)
Vayu/Pavan (Air/Wind)
Akasha (Aether)

Japanese
The Godai ("five great")
Earth (地) | Water (水) |
Fire (火) |
Wind (風) | Void (空)

Aether (also spelled ether) is a concept, historically, used in science (as a medium) and in philosophy (as a substance). The aether was believed to be the substance which filled all of space. Aristotle included it as a fifth element on the principle that nature abhorred a vacuum. Aether was also called quintessence (from quinta essentia, "fifth element").

Aether classical element - History

The aether was widely accepted in ancient Greek philosophy and science. This Greek concept seems to derive directly from the akasha, its Hindu counterpart. In Greek doctrines it seems that the aether was the celestial fire, the pure essence where the gods lived and which they breathed. In this connection, it seems that aether is radiative heat like that of the sun, which is able to propagate in empty space. The Greek word aither derives from an Indo-European root aith- ("burn, shine"). This root figures in the name of Aithiopia (Ethiopia), which means something like "burnt land".

Aether was once believed to be a substance which filled all of space. Aristotle included it as a fifth element (the quintessence) on the principle that nature abhorred a vacuum. Oliver Nicholson points out that, in contrast to the better known luminiferous aether of the 19th century, the older concept of the classical aether had three properties. Among these characteristics, the classical aether had a non-material property, was "less than the vehicle of visible light", and was responsible for "generating metals" along with fostering the development of all bodies.[1] Robert Fludd stated that the aether was of the character that it was "subtler than light". Fludd cites the 3rd century view of Plotinus, concerning the aether as penetrative and non-material.[2] Other 1800s views, such as James Clerk Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, and Nikola Tesla, was of the disposition that the aether was more akin to it actually being the electromagnetic field.

Maxwell's electromagnetic Aether is the prime example of the Classic Static Aether. However, the null result of the Michelson-Morley experiment led (from 1887 onwards) to the decline of an aether model's wide acceptance. The difficulties in reconciling experiments and the theory of the luminiferous aether (a derivative of the orignal aether) was sidestepped by Albert Einstein's theory. The need for the luminiferous aether later was removed by the theory of relativity.

Aether classical element - Modern derivatives

In modern physics, there is no concept exactly analogous to the Aether. In physics, though, dark energy is sometimes called "quintessence" due to its similarity to the classical aether. In other modern uses, however, the concept of fields of an absolute vacuum devoid of all particulate matter are conveyed with terms such as "Free space", "Space foam", "Planck particles", "quantum wave state" (QWS), "Zero-point energy", "Quantum foam", and "Vacuum energy" being frequently used.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Aether classical element", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki