Monday, September 26, 2011

Heraclitus vs. Parmenides

I'm torn as to how I would attack Heraclitus's position from Parmenides perspective. I know that I would point out the repetitiveness of nature; each morning the sun rises, and each night it sets. Every summer flowers bloom, every winter they die. However, I can't help but mentally rebut that claim. Modern science understands the development of stars like our own sun. One day, millions of years from now, the sun will grow to a size much larger than its current state and it will consume Earth into its burning body. Eventually the sun will grow too large to sustain its own energy and will dwindle and die. There will be one less star twinkling in the night sky of other planets, and the shape of the universe will be insignificantly different. I suppose that I agree too much with Heraclitus to really see life from Parmenides perspective. I am too close-minded. That is something I have to work on

1 comment:

  1. Look for a clue in Newtonian thought. Could all the energy of the universe , whether spent or not, be everlasting, be unchanging, be of a permanent but not static configuration, so that while there may be change, in fact, irrefutable change, the essence of matter remains constant? You may refute as you wish.
    Mr. S

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