Source edition
Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol. VI. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1895.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA (per Perseus's terms)
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This philosophical and scientific essay explores the classical question of whether fire or water is more useful to human life and nature. At the beginning, the author quotes various poets and thinkers to argue that water is an indispensable element essential for all life. In the middle section, while water is praised for its safety and its role in facilitating civilization through maritime trade, a powerful counterargument is presented: fire (heat) is the active principle of generation and preservation, and water itself rots and dies without it. Toward the end, the work argues that while water requires fire to be useful, fire is self-sufficient. Ultimately, fire is championed as the most noble element, serving as the foundation of all technology, doubling the effective span of life by conquering the night, and enabling visual observation of the heavens to enrich the soul.