For my midterm report group, my group decided to do our presentation on Heraclitus. We discussed his life, his philosophy and beliefs about life and the impact that he made on modern philosophy, but what I wasn’t aware of at first, was the impact that this research had on me. The research that I conducted for the midterm report sparked the idea to dive deeper into the meaning of the phrase Panta Rhei and the idea of The Unity of Opposites and how these concepts are incorporated into my everyday life (which I will go into with the second post installment). To follow with the series of posts you must first know what these concepts are and what they mean in philosophy. Here are some sayings and quotes to keep in mind while you read (some may look familiar):
- “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” - Heraclitus
- “There’s a new sun each day.” - Heraclitus
- “All entities move and nothing remains the same.” - Heraclitus
- “Everyone of us gladly turns away from his problems; if possible, they must not be mentioned, or, better still their existence is denied. We wish to make our lives simple, certain, and smooth and for that reason problems are taboo. We want to have certainties and no doubts — results and no experiments — without even seeing that certainties can arise only through doubt and result only through experiment.” - Carl Jung (who mimics Heraclitus’s belief that opposite actually define each other in his book, The Stages of Life)
Panta Rhei
What does it mean? Panta Rhei or Ta panta rhei kai ouden menei is a Greek phrase that Heraclitus is known for. It translates to “everything flows” or “everything flows, nothing stands still”. The idea behind this phrase is that everything in life is continuously changing and is in a constant state of flux. The phrase came from Heraclitus’s belief that change itself is the fundamental essence to the existence of everything, meaning that change is inevitable and a necessary part of life. In fact, Heraclitus believed that change itself is the only thing that is unchanging.
One way that this phrase is explained is by the quote about the river that says, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” This quote helps illustrate the fact that, like change, the water is continuously flowing past your foot meaning that the water flowing on your foot at one second won’t be the same water that flows on your foot the next second. The same is true about the things going on around you. Everything is in a constant state of flux. You can never duplicate a situation because there will always be something that is different. This idea supports Heraclitus’s belief in the fact that there is no part of reality that is permanent other than the reality of change because the idea of permanence is just an illusion.
Another idea about change that Heraclitus believed in was the idea that denying change is like denying the essence of our existence. If we didn’t have change, our lives would never progress, so resisting change goes against the natural flow of things and causes problems for people. Heraclitus believed that conflict wasn’t supposed to serve as an interference in life, but rather as a precondition or necessity in life. Conflict and change are both inevitable and necessary in our lives. If life is a river and you are floating downstream headfirst, you can either 1. ignore the fact that there are probably logs or rocks that you might hit your head on, or 2. recognize these things as a part of the process and adapt to the situation and be better prepared for what is to come.
The Unity of Opposites
How can opposites actually be one thing? The idea that opposites can be unified was presented by Heraclitus with his belief that things that are opposite actually define each other. This can be explained by the quote from Heraclitus saying, “It is disease that makes health sweet and good, hunger satiety, weariness rest.” Meaning that knowing the opposite of something helps define that one thing and also gives that one thing it’s significance. There is no meaning or significance in being happy if you do not know what it is to be sad.
Heraclitus used his ability to unify opposites to better understand and support his idea that everything is always changing. Being able to understand the connection between opposites is what allowed Heraclitus to manage the chaos and conflict that comes with being in a state of constant flux. Understanding that everything will be connected and evened out in the end is a way to cope with the fact that everything is always changing. The key to it is being aware of this change and recognizing it as a crucial part of life.
These ideas that Heraclitus had about life can be confusing and may seem too paradoxical to follow sometimes but there are many ways that it can be applied to daily life. I have taken the lessons and philosophies of Heraclitus and applied it to my life situations to better understand them and know how to better adapt to change.
Sources:
“Heraclitus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Nov. 2017. Accessed 02 Dec. 2017.
“Heraclitus: Life Is Flux.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, www.ancient.eu/article/183/ heraclitus-life-is-flux/.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, www.iep.utm.edu/heraclit/.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. “Heraclitus.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 26 Jan. 2015, www.britannica.com/biography/ Heraclitus.
The Free Dictionary. Farlex, encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/.
www.training.co.il/index.php/en/panta-rhei-–-the-story-behind-the-name.
I would have preferred that you pick a post-Descartes philosopher for your final report, but you've gone and stepped in the same river again. Oh well... If you're really interested in this notion of perpetual Heraclitean change, you might take a look at Hegel. Or even the pragmatists.
ReplyDelete