What is the main teaching of Heraclitus?

The Doctrine of Flux and the Unity of Opposites According to both Plato and Aristotle, Heraclitus held extreme views that led to logical incoherence. For he held that (1) everything is constantly changing and (2) opposite things are identical, so that (3) everything is and is not at the same time.

Is Heraclitus a rationalist?

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Heraclitus has been seen as a “material monist or a process philosopher; a scientific cosmologist, a metaphysician and a religious thinker; an empiricist, a rationalist, a mystic; a conventional thinker and a revolutionary; a developer of logic — one who denied the …

Why is Thales important?

Thales was the first of the Greek natural philosophers and founder of the Ionian school of ancient Greek thinkers. His is said to have measured the Egyptian pyramids and to have calculated the distance from shore of ships at sea using his knowledge of geometry. He also predicted an eclipse of the sun.

What did Heraclitus say?

Heraclitus’ philosophy is a good starting point for anyone concerned with change in life. Heraclitus said that life is like a river. The peaks and troughs, pits and swirls, are all are part of the ride. Do as Heraclitus would – go with the flow.

What does Heraclitus mean by unity in experience?

A Greek philosopher of the late 6th century BCE, Heraclitus criticizes his predecessors and contemporaries for their failure to see the unity in experience. He claims to announce an everlasting Word (Logos) according to which all things are one, in some sense. Opposites are necessary for life, but they are unified in a system of balanced exchanges.

Is Heraclitus a coherent critic of ancient philosophy?

Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 15 (1997): 1-50. Defends Heraclitus against the traditional view held by Barnes and others, and argues that his theory can be understood as a coherent criticism of earlier Ionian philosophy. Hussey, Edward. “Epistemology and Meaning in Heraclitus.”

What is Heraclitus’flux doctrine?

Heraclitus’ flux doctrine is a special case of the unity of opposites, pointing to ways things are both the same and not the same over time. He depicts two key opposites that are interconnected, but not identical.

What was Heraclitus’early life like?

Heraclitus was of distinguished parentage but he eschewed his privileged life for a lonely one as a philosopher. Little else is known about his early life and education; he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom.