Has science debunked the four elements called fire, air, water, earth and ether?

From James

Transcript

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question from James has science debunked the four elements called fire air, water, earth and ether answer no they are two different systems of classification there is in western intellectual history there is the elemental theory of matter and there is the atomic theory of matter so both of these were present even in Greek thought and the atomic theory of matter is what has been accepted by mainstream science right now but that doesn’t necessarily in and of itself debunk the alternative way of looking at matter so when earth, water, fire, air and ether are talked about in the Vedic scriptures they are used as representatives of broader divisions of reality of material reality and if you look at the third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, Sankhya where characteristics of material nature are described then you can see that the characteristics of each of the elements that are described are quite sophisticated and thought provoking so this is not just a simplistic concept of just dividing matter into certain elements as it was done in some cases in world history but it is based on a foundational understanding of reality seen from a different perspective so the atomic theory of matter although it is helpful and successful in terms of manipulating matter and giving us precise information but it is not necessarily help information for technology and transportation and communication and things like that but the atomic theory of matter does not really explain what we see in the world in terms of sense perception as striking or attractive you know color and fragrance and beauty where do these originate from you know there is no atoms are ultimately just elements are just electrons neutrons protons and subatomic particles which ultimately are fragrance less, color less beauty less so at what particular stage and by what mechanism do these aesthetically appealing properties appear that is not explainable by the atomic theory of matter so we shouldn’t think that the atomic theory of matter has a monopoly on explanation of material reality it is successful but it explains only certain aspects of material reality and there is much that it doesn’t explain and there is adequate room for alternative explanations of even material reality and the Sankhya analysis with in which each sense object is associated with a particular element so what is associated with taste fragrance like that that is actually gives a much more holistic and holistic explanation of reality that is representative of the world as we observe it in my article on the god particle I have quoted David Berlinski who explains how the notion of subatomic phenomena leading to the world as we experience it is a claim of saying that foam gives rise to Parthenon, Parthenon is a famous masterpiece of architecture from the ancient Greek times just as foam giving rise to Parthenon is a questionable proposition similarly the idea that just atoms and subatomic particles alone give rise to the world that we observe with all its variety and beauty is a questionable presumption so by being open to alternative views of looking at reality we can get a better understanding of the world as we experience it, thank you