Plato believed his crystals were atoms:
hedronic sides of various numbers
forming earth, air, fire, water. He fathomed
Pythagorus’ findings unencumbered
by density. His propensity for
shapes led him to see dirt instead of salt,
air instead of calcium fluoride. Poor
insight perhaps. But with no thought of fault,
Aristotle dropped the math. What mattered
to him were elements in sets of two
opposites, the kind of combo platters
we order today as we pick and choose
our meals and relationships: hot and cold,
wet and dry. Not much has changed, when all told.
Roger Armbrust
August 24, 2001
