Parmenides Argument: The Way Of Opinion

Parmenides' Argument

Parmenides was an ancient philosopher who developed the ideas of "The Way of Truth" and "The Way of Opinion." The thinker introduced his ideas through an epic poem in which he claims to have visited a goddess. The goddess lets him see the "heart of well rounded truth" and it is through this revelation that Parmenides acquires his philosophy. Parmenides' "Way of Truth" has been very influential among modern philosophers and has had a very big impact on the way we study philosophy today. The argument of "The Way of Truth" tells us that there are only three possibilities. Either "it is," "it is not," or "it is and it is not." This idea may be of great challenge to some but it, in a way, makes clear sense. The
word "is" is simply a variable that can be replaced by anything. Parmenides says that "it is not" cannot be thought about or spoken of. He tells us that "it is and it is not" is the equivalent to confusion. If these statements are true, "it is." Parmenides gives reasonable explanation as to why "it is not" is unthinkable and why "it is and it is not" is confused. The reasons behind this are as follows: If something "is not" one must think about something that is not. If some one thinks about something that "is not," he or she is thinking of nothing. Therefore, we cannot think of "it is not." "It is and it is not" is confused, because this idea makes one think about the "it is not." Since it is not possible to think of "it is not," "it is and it is not" is confused. The philosophy of Parmenides, although rather confusing, is never wrong.
This is because everything that we perceive "is." The conclusion of Parmenides' argument states that "it is." Since it is impossible for anyone to imagine the "it is not" nothing is "it is not." A prime example of this is the human idea of what is not. People believe that make believe characters such as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy are the "it is not." According to Parmenides, these characters are in fact the "it is." This is because the human mind at one time had to have thought up these characters. We all think about these "nonexistent" characters at one time or another so they have to be the "it is." This is because Parmenides tells us that the "it is not" is unthinkable. We think about such "nonexistent" characters so they must be part of the "it is" group and they really do exist. The philosophy of "The Way of Truth" helped Parmenides to develop ideas about the world we live in. Since "it is," everything that exists does not experience change. He supports this theory by saying change requires there to be thought of the "it is not." This is because if something has gone through a change, what it once was has become the "it is not." Parmenides would not even consider what it once was, because he did not even believe in change. If something changes what it becomes what is not. Since "it is not" does not exist, nothing changes and everything is
complete. Although it can be quite complicated, the philosophy of Parmenides is extremely intelligent. After reading about his ideas, it no longer seems so hard to grasp. The fact that everything belongs to the "it is" is in fact quite logical. Parmenides has put everything into a new perspective. It is understood why this brilliant philosopher has been so influential in the progression of modern philosophy. His ideas are easy to expand on and really ponder about. Whether the man was right or wrong, he was a pioneer for the advancement of thought in the past and present. He has been a model to many of the great philosophers throughout history.