Heraclitus Doctrine - Essay Example

March 18, Hero Introduction Heraclitus espoused life is continually changing. The paper delves on the Heraclitus flux doctrine. The paper focuses on the unity of the opposite forces proposition. Heraclitus’ fragments’ reiterates change is a normal human process. Flux Doctrine According to Heraclitus, the flux doctrine espouses the opposites are united. This often includes shifting or changing from one time period to another time period. As the things change as time moves forward, our world still remains the same. For example, liquid water turns in to rain. Rain water can be collected and frozen into the solid ice form. The ice can be placed in hot pot, turning the solid ice into steam or gas. However, solid ice, liquid water, steam fall under the name water (Heraclitus 53). Heraclitus believed change is the only permanent activity on earth. For example, the one 1 year child will turn into a 5 year child, 10 year child, 18 year old adolescent, a 25 year old adult, and a 65 year old elderly. The description of how the person looks during different stages or age in life differs. However, all such descriptions of the growing person still described the same person. As to the temperament of a person, a person’s temperament constantly changes (Rand 6). The happy person does not stay in the same happy mode permanently during the person’s entire lift. The happy student may be happy because he passed the difficult class tests. After receiving the high academic grades, the same happy person hurriedly goes home to report the good news to his mother. When the student arrives home in a happy mode, his younger sister approaches the student with a sad face. The sister reports that their mother had brought to the nearest healthcare center. The sister reports to the brother that her mother is in a comatose state, a stroke patient. The happy student’s face changes to a sad face. Further, another good example to drive home the point is the issue of waking and sleeping (Heraclitus 85). The person is characterized as either awake or asleep. People expect that the breathing person who is current asleep will wake up. After the body is fully recharged during the sleep state, the body triggers the waking state. The body sparks the body’s awaking movements. The person is awakened in order to accomplish certain human functions. One of the human functions is eating. Another human activity is drinking. The awakened person rushes to find the water or beverage container. The body gulps down the liquid. Next the body works to earn money or find food until exhausted. Next, the exhausted body goes back to sleep. The body cannot be asleep and awake at the same time. Both awake and asleep states cannot be done at the same time by one person. Thus, being awake and being asleep are two opposite states of a person. However, both being awake and being asleep are united. The river fragment vividly shows that as a person steps into the same part of the river on another day, hour, or week, the water parts are no longer the same (Heraclitus 53). One water compound, composed of two hydrogen atom and one oxygen atom or simply H20, constantly moves to another part of the river, lake, or ocean. Consequently, as the person steps into the same part of the river, a new water molecule arrives to greet the person in the molecule’s new location. As one molecule moves constantly along its path, the same molecule will surely return to the same river part at a future time. In the same manner, fishes move constantly from one place to another in the water. Heraclitus: Opposites Utility theory Heraclitus’ theory of opposite unity focuses on the concept of change (Heraclitus 85). Everything in our world is constantly changing. For example a hungry person eats food. After eating the same person is no longer hungry. The person’s hunger state prods the person to find food. Consequently, the person does whatever it takes to remove the hunger state. After eating, the body uses the food to fuel the body’s activities. Consequently, the used food creates hunger fangs on the person. Thus, an empty stomach and a full stomach are opposites. However, both hunger and full stomach are united as one leads to the other. The sea is the fishes’ source of life. However, humans cannot drink salt-filed sea water (Heraclitus 61). Further, using another example, the night is characterized by a dark sky (Heraclitus 85). On the other hand, the opposite is day. The day is characterized the sun appearing above on a hot summer day. The day is the opposite of the night. The day cannot appear at the same time of 24 hour time period as the night. However, day and night is united. As the day begins to end, people are expected to see the night replace the day. When the night hours start to expire, people are expected to see the hot day crop up. Consequently, the day and the night are opposite but united. Further temperature is the unity of both hot and cold opposites53. Hot soon decreases in temperature, cooling off. Cold substances soon turn warm, increasing in temperature. A glass or open bottle of milk is placed in refrigerators in order to keep the milk within a cold temperature level. Under this temperature level, the milk spoilage period is longer than when the milk is left to stand on a table at room temperature. If the milk glass is transferred from the refrigerator and left on the room temperature table for several hours, the previously cold milk glass temperature will warm up. The coldness will disappear, especially in a hot summer day (Heraclitus 85). Furthermore, the same principle occurs in to hot coffee. Water is heated. When the water is hot, the water is transferred to the cup. Coffee, sugar & cream are added to the plain hot water to create the sweet coffee aroma. When the coffee is left on the table for several hours, the coffee’s hot temperature will start to decline. During a winter storm, people may say that the hot coffee had been placed on the table several hours before had turned cold. Relationship between Unity of opposites and Flux Doctrine The unity of opposites falls under the flux doctrine espoused by Heraclitus. To reiterate, the flux doctrine states that everything in our world is constantly changing. Using another analogy to get the point across, nothing will remain permanent in order world. Consequently, the unity of opposites complies with the concept of the continuous change flux doctrine. A person who is awake will not stay awake until he or she dies. Instead, the same awake person will soon fall asleep when one’s body is exhausted and needs recharging. Likewise, the healthy asleep person will not continue sleeping until one’s old age. Thus, the continuing shift from the person’s will continue to shift from being sleeping to being awake during the person’s lifetime. Using the day and night opposite unity concept, the concept complies with the flux doctrine concept. The day will only last for 12 long uncut hours. When the 12 hours expire, the night replaces the day. The night stays up for another 12 long often quiet hours. When the 12 hours is up, the day replaces the night. Consequently, the continuing shift of the opposites, night and day, falls under the flux doctrine. The flux doctrine states that everything in our world is constantly changing. Surely, the shifting between the day mode and the night mode goes through an unending event. Rising upwards as well as dropping down is the same, united (Heraclitus 75). Heraclitus logos Heraclitus described logos as the knowledge or order concept. Heraclitus described logos as the reasoning for why certain acts or non-acts occur in or world. For example, Heraclitus reiterated justice will punish the liars (Heraclitus 69). Likewise, the logos of why animals, especially human beings, fall asleep after a long day of activities is that the animal who is tired needs to recharge the person’s body batteries. The sleep state allows the person to repair the tired weakened body cells. Likewise, the logos why the day crops up after the night starts to end its 12 hour time period is that the earth revolves around the sun. Further, Heraclitus’ logos focuses on why the river is constantly changing is because the water molecules are constantly moving (Heraclitus 53). The logo (reason) why the cold temperature is opposite to the hot temperature is because the hot temperature is higher than the cold temperature. When the hot coffee starts to become cooler, the hot coffee’s temperature begins to decline. On the other hand, the temperature of the frozen yogurt starts to rise when it is transferred from the cold refrigerator to the room temperature table. The temperature of the cold yogurt starts to rise. Since the rising of the temperature (warming up of the cold yogurt) is opposite to the declining temperature (cooling down of the hot coffee), both hot and cold are opposites. Since hot and cold substances’ temperature changes when transferred to another location with a different room temperature, the current situation qualifies as falling under the flux doctrine, a doctrine emphasizing change regularly occurs in our world. Heraclitean One The one concept of Heraclitus states that the world of the waking is shared as well as classified as united (Heraclitus 45). All individuals from different parts of the world and time periods are united as one (Heraclitus 31). People with communicate one another. People grow chickens for food. Fish survive to feed humans and other fishes. Cows fill the human being’s need for milk and other milk-related products. The trees grow and survive by taking in the people’s breath exhaust, carbon dioxide. People survive by taking the plants’ breath exhaust, oxygen. Without the plants’ oxygen output, the people will die from lack of oxygen. If the animals, including humans, die, the plants will likewise die from lack of the human beings’ carbon dioxide exhaust. The world’s animals and plants are dependent on each other. For example, cows eat the grass. Lions eat the cows. People eat the cows and drink its milk. The cow’s feces are the ingredient that makes plants grows more abundantly. The Role of War (Heraclitus fragments) Heraclitus espoused war is normal in society. War is used to institute change or prevent change (Heraclitus 59). One strong nation will wage war to capture and impose its War is also used to prevent change. After several months or years, another country or group will overthrow the current government leaders. The overthrow is grounded on the rebel groups’ espousing a new leader should take charge of the nation. The new government will implement a government system and new government policies. War is the father of all human society (Heraclitus 67). War brings down weak nations. War occurs when a strong person or rebel group overthrows the weak or unpopular government. War causes variety in a boring society. In case the government leaders fail to meet the expectations of the people, the absence of war will prevent the people from expressing their dismay over the currently failed leadership. Conclusion Heraclitus emphasized life is normally full of changes. Heraclitus flux doctrine dictates every person must accept the concept that society is full of beneficially continuing changes. The paper indicates there is unity among the opposites. Evidently, Heraclitus’ fragments’ dictates unity-based changes are beneficially normal in today’s continually changing society. Works Cited: Heraclitus. The Art and Thought of Heraclius. Cambidge University: Cambridge University Press, 1981. Print. Rand, Casey. Measuring Temperature. New York: Raintree Press, 2011. Print. Read More