What makes fire one of the four elements but not electricity?

Question

Water, earth and air can simply exist as fire needs sometime to burn plus oxygen in order to exist.

Answer 1

^ the one right above me is possibly the most nutball answer I've seen on this site, ever.

Kind of impressive...

Answer 2

If you are addressing the Five Elemental Existence of the "Nature, at its Work-In-Progress" then please do learn discreetfully in due pertinence.

Firstly, electricity is a man' created entity, using the natural but unique "five elemental extants" when they are put to a designed test... study how electricity is manufactured and created by turbines at power-houses. This Electricity here on Global truth is the replica and an exquisite epitome of the greater Macro'Energy producively created by the Astro at different levels of their being extants, working as the Great Turbines in Cosmo'Space rotating at thier axis cutting the cosmo'flow of Wind of/at/by different myriads... which creation we address as Electromagnetism.

Like Water, Earth [matter] and Air, even the Fire and Ether is been an axiom of FIVE Natural Elements... Creation of Cosmos.

Apart the studies in Quantum perspectives the Energy holds a Quardri'morphic existence viz : Electro'magnetism, Gravitational, Nuclear and Tithonicity... being well defined by the Scientific Percepts & Prudence.

Answer 3

They probably thought lightning was related to fire.

Answer 4

In terms of Alchemy, oxygen didn't exist.  There were only four base elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water.  Everything else was usually some combination of these four to varying degrees.

I can't find anything on Lightning with a quick google search, but I would think it's a combination of Fire and Air.

Don't forget there was also Gravity (what brings things down) and Levity (what makes things float or fly).

Try not to confuse Alchemy with modern day Chemistry.  Chemistry is how the world actually works.  Alchemy is the system used at least since the Greeks, and continued until chemistry was discovered.

IMHO, alchemy is a very interesting part of our past.

Answer 5

at the time, electricity just wasn't big.

static electricity was probably interesting, but not more than that.

and, of course, one didn't mess with lightning.

Answer 6

,Well electricity isn't natural simpe as, all the others are :).

Answer 7

Technically none of them are elements. Silly old timey scientists. Water is a compound. So is air really unless we are talking about pure oxygen which does not occur in nature. Earth is a huge compound that will vary in it's make-up depending where you are. Then there is old fire. Which is a chemical reaction. Not an element in anyway.

So what about lightening. It is energy, so none of those things.

Answer 8

Well this 4 elements thing has been known to humans for very long---->>> a.k.a there was no electricity at that time somebody came up with it.Many ancient civilisations, even before christ talked of this and electricity was discovered these last centuries

(Note to Daleedo: electricity is natural... it is passing through your nervous system right now)

Answer 9

Uhmm... Fire is burning fuel and gases, water is H2O and earth is made up of thousands of different substances. These are not elements as understood by modern science - these are the classical, pre-scientific method, elements. Electricity is actually electrons traveling through a medium. Lightning is just a strong enough charge that it travels through air.

Answer 10

Personally, I find the similarity between the Aristotleian elements and the states of matter more interesting:

Earth = solid

Water = liquid

Air = gas

Fire = plasma

Answer 11

At the time that Aristotle came up with this classification of the elements, no one was thinking of our modern electrified world.