Preview

Heraclitus V. Parmenides

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
548 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Heraclitus V. Parmenides
Heraclitus v. Parmenides

The heavily studied philosophical debate that has been carried for centuries on the nature of being and the perception of it, displays the vast differences between the two philosophers Heraclitus and Parmenides. One which believed in a singularity of things, while one differs and carries the philosophy of a duality of reality. One that believes that the changes in perception are deceitful, while the other displays a philosophical view that our perceptions essentially relative and always changing based one of nature. One believes that reality and nature is constant , while the other believes that everything is constantly changing , and that even the flowing river that one may step his foot in will not be the same river the next time around.

Heraclitus believed things were ever-changing, and that may be true. Science and physics( which is an arm of philosophy tells us that when force is applied to things there is the possibility of a change in the molecular make up of the item. It is like a formless matter. Once the matter has been molded into a particular form it is more than likely to lose atoms during the process. I believe the example of the flowing river is a pretty clever one. Being that the river is ever flowing there is constant erosion occurring as the constant (the bed of the river) interacts with the moving (the flow of the water). In actuality even the small acts such as shaking hands involves the exchange of atoms and molecules.

Parmenides presented a conflicting philosophical opinion to that of Heraclitus. Parmenides presented the view that the state of being in nature is constant. It does not change and that our perception of reality may at times be very deceitful. While I do not agree with this in regards to the state of being and nature I do think this argument would hold much weight and would be considered a solid truth in terms of psychology. A person’s psychological makeup could very well affect the way

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Do you know the queen of Tejano Music? Selena Quintanilla was that person. She died March 31, 1995. She was a singer and much more.…

    • 364 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Heraclitus believed that fire is the basic element of the universe because of its ever-changing nature and that the reality of all mirrors this idea. According to Moore and Bruder (2008, p. 26,) “There is no reality, save the reality of change: permanence is an illusion.” He viewed change not as a random occurrence, but a determination by the harmonious balance of opposites through a cosmic order called the logos (Moore & Bruder, 2008, p. 26.)…

    • 289 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy, Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave, and the synopsis of The Matrix, there are many similarities as well as a few differences. One of the most notable differences that can be observed is that Meditations in First Philosophy begins and ends in the same reality, whereas The Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix begin with the deception of an alternate reality. Another difference that can be detected is the presence of forms in The Allegory of the Cave, which is Plato’s theory that there are perfect ideas or templates that exist outside of our physical world. The strongest common thread that can be traced through these three texts is the metaphysical question of what is ultimately real. Another common theme that can be observed in each of the texts is skepticism over the reliability of each of the main character’s senses and perceptions of reality.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first notable theorist after Aristotle was Rene’ Descartes who held the belief that the flow of animal spirits caused behaviors. He held a mechanistic view arrived at because of the statues of St. Germaine. Descartes thought humans followed the same pattern as the statues with water flowing through tubes, representing nerves and the fluid that result in muscle stimulation (Millis, n.d.). In 1664 Thomas Willis published Anatomy of the Brain. The publication viewed the brain’s structures as…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Methods and Meditations on First Philosophy is a discourse by Rene Descartes, which largely focuses on the nature of humanity and divinity. This essay is a discussion of this discourse, and will summarize, explain and object to various parts of his work. The majority of this essay focuses on Descartes Sixth Meditation, which includes his argument that corporeal things do exist.…

    • 1886 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    the trial of brutus

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Our beloved Caesar was shredded from this world by the daggers of hatred and it was Marcus Brutus, who claimed to love the man that led to this tragic murder. Brutus and the conspirators begged that Caesar was killed for the greater good of Rome, and for the benefit of the people, but Caesar was beloved by all. “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more” (3.2.23) ; being viewed as a noble man among the Roman people proved to be more important to Brutus than to be a good man to someone who he had called his friend.. They were all simply jealous men who could not stand to continue to be overshadowed by the light of greater men’s triumphs. He would never continue the cruelty shown by Rome’s first ruler whom we so feared and hated; there was no reason for Caesar to die. Caesar had owned all of his accolades and was punished for doing so. He was a strong man, becoming the head of his house at age 16, being ousted from the country by Sulla, being captured by pirates and later crucifying them after his release. “I could be well moved, if I were as you; “If I could pray to move, prayers would move me but I am constant as the Northern Star, Of whose true-fixed and resting quality / There is no fellow in the firmament.” (3,1, 63). Caesar expresses how he would be a stable leader for the Romans. He has gone through the trials of war and exile and emerged a stronger man. Caesar has suffered through his life, and to be betrayed by those he trusted is worse than the pain he suffered in death. Although Brutus stands at trial this day it should be noted that he did not act alone. Numerous members of the senate were involved in this heinous act and should be met with the same fate that should happen Brutus; namely the manipulative Gaius Cassius Longinus. These men were meant to serve the republic and the glory of Rome, yet shamed it by staining the floor of the senate with the blood of Rome’s favored son. Caesar gave numerous political reforms and was beloved by his…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Paramenidean thought splits the world into two systems, where “Being” is primary and “Becoming” is secondary (Ulfers, Lecture). To Paramenides, “Being” is associated with the idea of “oneness” and “timelessness,” while any “Becoming” or process is an illusion produced by the senses. This dualistic worldview simplifies everyday occurrences and thoughts into opposites, which are unchangeable.…

    • 1119 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aristotle vs Plato

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Two of the greatest and earliest thinkers of our time are Plato, and his most famous pupil, Aristotle. Soon after Plato’s teachings, Aristotle criticized his claims and independently became a thinker on his own. These philosophers viewed metaphysics differently, and they approached the idea of reality in two opposing ways. Plato’s Theory of Forms was a concept that was defined in a different way by Aristotle. They both believed in “forms” but approached this idea differently.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    When Plato and other prominent philosophers such as Plutarch and Heraclitus were observing the world, they came to the conclusion that it was in a state of flux; they came to the conclusion that it was constantly changing. Plato wrote a number of texts including Phaedo and Republic; this worked with his dualistic approach concluding that our realm of appearances – or our world; and all within is changeable and will eventually cease to exist. He says that this world is nothing but a mere copy of forms, and the forms are described as the eternal and perfect idea of what a thing is. The world of the forms, to Plato is the only realm where true knowledge lies, Plato defined this as the realm of reality; this could in fact be trusted unlike our own world. There are a few reasons to Plato as to why The Forms exist, and these reasons are present through his work for example through The Theory of Recollection, and The Imperfection Argument. But several philosophers have critiqued Plato’s notion and they argued Plato’s arguments are actually just reasons for why forms should exist; rather than actual proof of the existence. Furthermore, The Third Man Argument in Plato’s ‘Parmenides’ brings a prominent problem for the theory of The Forms. For example, Russell called it ‘One…

    • 2371 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Parmenides and Zeno both influenced Plato in his theory of the Forms, which was intended to satisfy the Parmenidian requirement of metaphysical unity and stability in knowable reality. Zeno's paradoxes aim to prove that Being is single, finite, motionless, and unchanging by examining the absurdities of the opposite "common-sense" hypothesis that several things exist. For example, (pg. 69) the distinction between the visible and the invisible. The body is visible and deceived by the senses, whereas, the soul is invisible and searches for understanding and knowledge on its own. The soul is divine and rules whereas the body is mortal and is ruled. Thus, the conclusion is that the body is human, mortal, multiform, unintelligible, soluble, and never consistently the same, whereas, the soul is divine, deathless, intelligible, uniform, indissoluble, and always the same as itself. The Forms must be incomposite since they are constant and invariable and particular objects in the world are variable and composite. Thus, the Forms are invisible and can only be apprehended by the mind, whereas, the material things can be sensed by the…

    • 992 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The theory everything moves, nothing stays come from a Greek philosopher named Heraclitus. Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher during the sixth century of BCE. However, he is better known for the thought that one cannot step into the same river twice. Heraclitus was born in an ancient Greek city located near Asia Minor called Ephesus. Heraclitus was supposedly born into an aristocratic family that was politically powerful.…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many believe that the title of William Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is inappropriate since Julius Caesar was not the tragic hero of the play. Several feel that the true tragic hero of the play was Caesar's right hand man, Marcus Brutus. For centuries this debate on whether who should possess the title of the tragedy is still unknown. However, I think that the play should be entitled The Tragedy of Marcus Brutus, because Brutus contains more qualities of a tragic hero than Caesar does. A tragic hero is stated to be the main character of the tragedy that always has at least one flaw that can easily be distinguish which leads to their death. In Shakespeare's Tragedy of Julius Caesar, Brutus is indeed the tragic hero because he had various flaws. However three particular flaws that he had were his overconfidence, impatience ness along with naiveté are what led him to his downfall.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Genocide is when a certain racial, political or cultural group is being killed. Genocide happens all the time and is not being stopped. The biggest genocide known to man is the genocide that happened during World War 2. The slaughter of 6 million jews in counting by ,the leader of the nazis, Hitler.…

    • 777 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    BETWEEN APPEARANCE AND REALITY Bertrand Russell once asked, “Is there any knowledge in the world which is so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it?” (Cahn, 2012) In his own method, he believed this to be false; after all, everyone perceives the world differently than the person next to them. By using a table as an example, he explains that everything should be questioned, even the things that appear to be absolute. In this paper, Russell’s theory is compared to those of René Descartes and David Hume. Descartes convinces himself that everything in life is a falsehood; from the world around him to his very limbs. To combat this, he views everything as deception. He admits to being “lazy” occasionally, slipping into the habit of believing instead of doubting the things around him.…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To fill in this gap in between being and nothing, he discusses three distinct principles underlining the “subject of change”: form, matter, and lack (or privation). What comes to be is form and what had been replaced is privation, with matter remaining the same throughout this process. Thus, Parmenides’ being can be further broken down into two types of Aristotelian beings, being-in-actuality (form) and being-in-potentiality (matter). These provide the foundation for change since being-in-actuality, which is the same as being in reality, gives rise to being-in-potentiality. Since being has its own unique actuality and potentiality, it is not one and the same with everything that which is.…

    • 655 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays