Abstract Ancient philosophers of different civilizations regarded fire as an element, a material principle. In the 17th century, mechanistic philosophers believed that fire was composed of the fire particles. In the 18th century, under the paradigm of phlogiston theory, fire was regarded as an aggregate of phlogiston a compound; under the paradigm of oxidation theory, fire was considered to be a fluid substance, composed of calorique. In the 19th century, the understanding of energy revealed that fire was a form of energy transformation. In the 20th century, fire was found to be a kind of plasma. From the form of energy transfer to plasma, the concept of fire has been developed in the integration of multiple disciplines. The exploration process of “fire” promotes the development of science and technology, scientific research methods and scientific thought, and has enlightenment on science education.
WU Yu-Fei, YUAN Zhen-Dong. From Philosophical Origin to Plasma:Historical Evolution of Concept of Fire[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2022, 43(21): 113-118.
