Changes

[[Image:Parmenides.jpg|right]]

[[Image:Parmenides.jpg|right]]

'''Parmenides of Elea''' (ca. 520 BC - ca. 450 BC) was a [[Greek]] [[Presocratic Philosophy|Presocratic philosopher]]. He was the founder of the Eleatic school (Some scholars think that his teacher [[Xenophanes]] of Colophon (born about 570 BC), the father of [[pantheism]], was the real founder). [[Plato]] acknowledged that he had ''magnificent depths''; Plato also named one of his dialogs with his name. Parmenidean idea of the nature of reality would become the basis of Plato's thinking. <ref>[http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/PRESOC.HTM Presocratic Philosophy]</ref> Through Plato, Parmenides' thoughts influenced all western philosophy.  

'''Parmenides of Elea''' (ca. 520 BC - ca. 450 BC) was a [[Greek]] [[Presocratic Philosophy|Presocratic philosopher]]. He was the founder of the Eleatic school (Some scholars think that his teacher [[Xenophanes]] of Colophon (born about 570 BC), the father of [[pantheism]], was the real founder). [[Plato]] acknowledged that he had ''magnificent depths''; Plato also named one of his dialogs with his name. Parmenidean idea of the nature of reality would become the basis of Plato's thinking.<ref>[http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/PRESOC.HTM Presocratic Philosophy]</ref> Through Plato, Parmenides' thoughts influenced all western philosophy.  

Some of Parmenides's arguments are set out in his poem entitled "On Nature", where ''"thought and knowledge encounter themselves head on for the first time"''. A fragment of this poem says: ''"That which is not, is not. "What-is-not" does not exist. Since anything that comes into being must arise out of what-is-not, objects, states of affairs and so on cannot come into being. Likewise, they cannot pass away, because in order to do so they would have to enter the realm of what-is-not. Since it does not exist, what-is-not cannot be the womb of generation, or the tomb of that which perishes. The no-longer and the not-yet are variants of what-is-not, and so the past and future do not exist either. Change, then, is impossible. Equally, multiplicity is unreal. The empty space necessary to separate one object from another would be another example of what-is-not. And since things cannot be anything to a greater or lesser degree—this would require what-is to be mixed with the diluting effect of what-is-not—the universe must be homogeneous"''.

Some of Parmenides's arguments are set out in his poem entitled "On Nature", where ''"thought and knowledge encounter themselves head on for the first time"''. A fragment of this poem says: ''"That which is not, is not. "What-is-not" does not exist. Since anything that comes into being must arise out of what-is-not, objects, states of affairs and so on cannot come into being. Likewise, they cannot pass away, because in order to do so they would have to enter the realm of what-is-not. Since it does not exist, what-is-not cannot be the womb of generation, or the tomb of that which perishes. The no-longer and the not-yet are variants of what-is-not, and so the past and future do not exist either. Change, then, is impossible. Equally, multiplicity is unreal. The empty space necessary to separate one object from another would be another example of what-is-not. And since things cannot be anything to a greater or lesser degree—this would require what-is to be mixed with the diluting effect of what-is-not—the universe must be homogeneous"''.

<p>Yes, Socrates, said Parmenides; that is because you are still young; the time will come, if I am not mistaken, when philosophy will have a firmer grasp of you, and then you will not despise even the meanest things; at your age, you are too much disposed to regard opinions of men. But I should like to know whether you mean that there are certain ideas of which all other things partake, and from which they derive their names; that similars, for example, become similar, because they partake of similarity; and great things become great, because they partake of greatness; and that just and beautiful things become just and beautiful, because they partake of justice and beauty?</p>

<p>Yes, Socrates, said Parmenides; that is because you are still young; the time will come, if I am not mistaken, when philosophy will have a firmer grasp of you, and then you will not despise even the meanest things; at your age, you are too much disposed to regard opinions of men. But I should like to know whether you mean that there are certain ideas of which all other things partake, and from which they derive their names; that similars, for example, become similar, because they partake of similarity; and great things become great, because they partake of greatness; and that just and beautiful things become just and beautiful, because they partake of justice and beauty?</p>

<p>Yes, certainly, said Socrates that is my meaning. cf: Parmenides, Dialogues by Plato. <ref>http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/parmenides.html</ref></p>

<p>Yes, certainly, said Socrates that is my meaning. cf: Parmenides, Dialogues by Plato.<ref>http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/parmenides.html</ref></p>

</blockquote>

</blockquote>