Gourt > Society > Philosophy > Philosophers > H > Heraclitus
Heraclitus of Ephesus (Greek Herakleitos) (about 535 - 475 BC), known as "The Obscure" (Greek "Ainiktin"), was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Ephesus in Asia Minor. The details of Heraclitus' life are almost completely unknown. "Reliable information is limited to the fact that he was a native of Ephesus, on the coast of Asia Minor north of Miletus, and that his father's name was Bloson."Kahn, Charles. The Art and Thought of Heraclitus: Fragments with Translation and Commentary. London: Cambridge University Press, 1979. ISBN 052128645X. p. 1–23. Heraclitus is the first person in the history of the western world to have put forward a robust philosophical system. His writings have later influences upon Socrates and Plato. 19th Century Philosophy has also paid close attention to Heraclitus.
Philosophical fragments
We know that Heraclitus wrote a book from Diogenes Laertius's Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers. Diogenes also tells us that he deposited his book as a dedication in the great temple of Artemis, the Artemesium, one of the largest temples of the 6th Century. Diogenes' report here is likely to be true; ancient temples were regularly used for storing treasures, and were open to private individuals under exceptional circumstances. Furthermore, many subsequent philosophers in this period refer to the work. "Down to the time of Plutarch and Clement, if not later, the little book of Heraclitus was available in its original form to any reader who chose to seek it out." Furthermore, Heraclitus also became immensely popular in the period following his writing. Within a generation or two "the book acquired such fame that it produced partisans of his philosophy who were called Heracliteans."Laertius, Diogenes. The Lives of Eminent Philosophers. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1965
Unfortunately, as with other pre-Socratics, his writings only survive in fragments quoted by other authors. He disagreed with Thales, Anaximander, and Pythagoras about the nature of the ultimate substance, but instead claimed that the nature of everything is change itself; he uses fire—with its connotations of both Promethean/human "fire", and the cosmic fire outlined by contemporaneous pre-Socractics—as a metaphor rather than his solution to material monism. This led to the belief that change is real, and stability illusory. For Heraclitus everything is "in flux", as exemplified in his famous aphorism "Panta Rhei":
More on [ Heraclitus ]
Greek :: Classical Studies
Ancient :: History of Philosophy
Nothing endures but change.-Heraclitus
saberhockey15 (connor blair ) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:31:39 -0000
Nothing endures but change.-Heraclitus
Quotable: "Character is destiny." Heraclitus
SalonTalk (Salon Girls) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:40:05 -0000
Quotable: "Character is destiny." Heraclitus
Quotable: "Character is destiny." Heraclitus
PeaceJourneys (Peaceful Journeys) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:40:05 -0000
Quotable: "Character is destiny." Heraclitus
Quotable: "Character is destiny." Heraclitus
EmployeeCulture (EmployeeCulture) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:40:02 -0000
Quotable: "Character is destiny." Heraclitus
"Abundance of knowledge does not teach men to be wise." #quote Heraclitus
JJasso_com (JJASSO) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 15:41:03 -0000
"Abundance of knowledge does not teach men to be wise." #quote Heraclitus
[Blog] Heraclitus: 'The World Bubbles Forth.' An Invitation To Us All. â NPR (blog): Heraclitus: 'The... http://ping.fm/NWMlr
science_news123 (Science News) Thu, 24 Dec 2009 13:00:22 -0000
[Blog] Heraclitus: 'The World Bubbles Forth.' An Invitation To Us All. – NPR (blog): Heraclitus: 'The... http://ping.fm/NWMlr
A Heraclitus Bibliography - Lists secondary sources on this thinker in various European languages.
Greek Philosophy: Heraclitus - Background information, selected fragments from the Hooker translation, and interpretive notes.
500
Heraclitus - Heraclitus in Greek and Burnet's English translation.
Heraclitus - The Fire Priest - The pantheistic materialism of the Greek pre-socratic philosopher Heraclitus.
Meta Description: [ The pantheistic materialism of the
Greek pre-socratic philosopher Heraclitus. ]
Heraclitus Lecture - An outline provided by S. Mark Cohen. Focuses on the Heraclitean doctrines of the Logos and flux, and the puzzle of identity and persistence.
Heraclitus Lecture Notes - Notes by Cynthia Freeland, covering Heraclitus' style, natural philosophy and doctrine of flux.
The Window: Heraclitus - A brief consideration of Heraclitean doctrine in relation to other classical thinkers.
Meta Description: [ The Window -- Philsophy on the WWW. Philosophers Section ]
| London New Right: War [part 1] | |
| Next Video | |
