Heraclitus-Philosophy and Facts - Essay Example

Heraclitus Heraclitus was an ancient philosopher in Greece. Not a lot of information is offered on his growing up and background but he stated that he was a product of self-teaching and general wisdom. Heraclitus’ fame is from the manner in which he was always insisting that there is a constant change in the universe and that it is up to human beings to act with accordance to the changes in order for them to improve their lives. In his work, Heraclitus came up with various fragments that he stated would help individuals understand various concepts in their lives. These fragments covered various notions that humans go by in their daily lives and put them in a philosophical manner showing the social stature of each. The fragments are over one hundred and they assist individuals learn how to counter some of life issues. The fundamental of the fragments is ensuring that there exists co-existence of different people without change affecting their living or rather their manner of operation (Russell 56). The doctrine of flux is a principle that seeks to show the manner of thinking portrayed by Heraclitus. According to him, everything is subject to change and this change happens every time and in different places. An analogical expression of the doctrine assists in understanding it further. A flux is generally a flow and this is characteristic of change. Just like the way a river flows and water in it does not remain in one position, so is the case for life. The reason is that change happens consistently and various things do not remain in the same position. To understand the famous river fragment by Heraclitus, an individual ought to view this from a literal view where there is the understanding of the various concepts brought out in the fragment. The part where he states that it is impossible for a person to step twice in a river is meant to show that the part of the river that the person steps on is not the same one that he will step on if he decides to step in the river again. This is because that part of the river has already gone and finding it in the same place again is impossible. This is to illustrate the fact that things in this life are subject to change such as that part of the river that cannot be found in the initial location again. He however states that despite the change that takes place within the river, itself it does not change and remains constant (Kahn 89). Another point that he states is that it is impossible to capture something in its stable condition given the fact that it is immortal. This shows the fact that everything is constantly changing if at all it does not exist forever. The perfect description of this is with human beings. Human beings are subject to death and aging. It is impossible to maintain the same looks over a long period. Changes occur in the human being and this is similar for other living beings. Change is thus a concept that is impossible to evade. When Heraclitus states the subject scatters and later gathers shows that when something changes, there is replication in a similar manner to occupy the space left by the changed subject. Taking the river analogy again, when a river flows, the water from the particular position is replaced by some other water coming straight from the source. After that water takes up the position, it also changes within a matter of milliseconds, departs to another location, and some other water replaces it. This clearly explains the concept of scattering and later on gathering. The unity of opposites theory as suggested by Heraclitus states that everything in the universe is an opposite or rather everything connects to an opposite character. He goes further and states that the material universe was formed some Apeiron that produced the various elements such as fire and water. Contrary to the views that other philosophers have had over time, Heraclitus believed that opposites actually have some form of unity. He proves this by stating that all aspects that have diverging views gain unity by equality. This is where he discusses the concepts of night and day as an example. He states that the number of hours at night is equal to the number of daytime hours. This shows equality despite the two being opposites. The unity of opposites directly relates to the doctrine of flux. The doctrine of flux as earlier explained shows that change is inevitable. One of the major elements portrayed when explaining the unity of opposites theory is water. Water as an element is subject to change where it does not remain constant. The direct opposite of water as portrayed by the theory of opposites is fire. Fire when incorporated into the doctrine of flux portrays its ability to change (Russell 73). When a fire is set in a particular location, the fire is subject to change through two ways. The fire may increase drastically or it may reduce, either way, it will change from its initial state. When a fire is set in a particular location such as a forest for example, it spreads, supporting the doctrine of flux. It moves to other places in the same manner in which water moves. This relationship between water and fire is another one that seeks to prove the unity of opposites. Despite the fact that the two elements may have diverging characteristics, they still unite in some form of way. Logos is a term used to mean ground or an opinion. In the field of philosophy, Heraclitus coined the term to indicate the principle of order. For him, Logos was the connection between rational structure and discourse. He went further to explain that Logos has and will always exist but humans do not show interest in understanding it. Heraclitus also states that human beings are ignorant and when introduced to logos, some of them act in a manner similar to their initial state of never having heard of the concept (Kahn 105). Heraclitus had very many fragments that focused on various issues in society. During his era, one of the most common issues facing his community or rather the entire generation was the concept of war and conflicts. This led to Heraclitus focusing on the issues in a critical manner and this was evident in his fragments. These issues helped Heraclitus to understand some of the issues that people were facing because of the war and inspired him to write several of the fragments in relation to them. In one fragment, he stated that the sun is new every day. This is a fragment that he composed in order to give hope to people that had lost their family members or even close allies and friends to the war. Stating that the sun is new, every day shows seeks to have the people understand that with every new day, there lie opportunities to improve in life and not to give up hope due to the loss that they face. Another fragment is that one where he states that a person cannot step twice into the same water because fresh ones are flowing. This fragment came from witnessing all the conflicts around his area at the time. Analyzing this from a motivational point of view, there is the understanding that a person cannot remain in the same state for a very long time but rather changes happen that are indeed necessary for general development. This assists people in moving on from their state of desperation after the war and gives people hope for a brighter time ahead. There is also that fragment that states that men would not understand justice if these things did not exist. The conflicts and war were necessary in that they assisted people to comprehend and respect justice. The conflicts brought out the concept of justice in that in case of a dispute between two groups, the guilty party is punished by the justice system to act as prove of the seriousness that the authorities bear with regard to violence. If the wars and conflicts did not exist, people would carry out their activities without paying attention to the rules set by the justice system and this would have led to even worse consequences. Another fragment that states that it is the law to obey counsel further supports this. This makes it mandatory for the people in a particular area to follow laws (Russell 91). Heraclitus is one of the acclaimed philosophers and most of his works is used in contemporary days to understand and explain various concepts surrounding the daily activities and issues that human beings face. Understanding the doctrine of flux and the unity of opposites make an individual recognize the role of various elements that they would have easily ignored. These elements may seem as just ordinary elements but bear many metaphors that when critically broken down have a lot of information. The various fragments that Heraclitus wrote also bear a lot of information necessary for an individual. The fragments can help from not only a personal point of view but also can assist the whole society. Works Cited Russell, Donald. Heraclitus: Homeric Problems. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Kahn, Charles. The Art and Thought of Heraclitus. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2011. Print. Read More