The Philosophy of Heraclitus

Heraclitus of Ephesus (550-480 BC) was another of the great philosophers who favored the beginning of Philosophy in Greece . Together with the group of Miletus, he considered that the origin of the Universe was not centered on religious thought or explanations given by the gods at all. On the contrary, they considered that man by himself could explain everything that happened around him. The change was one of the issues that most impacted Heraclitus and, as we shall see, his thinking revolves around this idea. He was also considered one of the first physicists in history to collaborate with his theories on Physis. In .com we explain the philosophy of Heraclitus and the bases of his thought.

Change as a principle of reality

Everything is in motion, everything changes in a constant way, what is in this moment will never be again and what was in its moment, never will be again. There are the opposites from which reality emerges: the cold gets hot and the hot gets cold. Thus, it explains the movement in the Universe.

Knowledge

If everything is submerged in a permanent change, it must be recognized that everything is subject to becoming, reality is change. This leads him to distinguish between what we can know about things versus what things really are.

The logos

The logos, in the philosophy of Heraclitus, is the unity that remains alive while the struggle between the opposites takes place: it is the law that establishes this change as a principle of order in the Universe. The change is normal, it is the order, the logos is what explains the need for that change.

The fire

Take fire as the most accurate example of becoming: it symbolizes the struggle of elements . It is not the arche for Heraclitus, but a poetic reality that explains life and death.

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