Heraclitus of Ephesus, biography and main ideas

Our limitless curiosity leads us to investigate figures who lived many centuries ago. This is the case of Heraclitus of Ephesus, a great philosopher of ancient Greece. The particularities of his postulates, as well as his way of interpreting the world and society of his time, make him a fascinating character to discover.

In this article we will investigate the life, work and thought of this pre-Socratic philosopher. Likewise, we will cite some of his fragments so that you know firsthand the ideas and style that he used. Let’s get started!

Who was Heraclitus of Ephesus?

Heraclitus is considered one of the most influential pre-Socratics in the history of thought. He was born in the year 544 BC. C. in Ephesus, located on the coast of Ionia, present-day Türkiye. At that time, the city was under the reign of Darius.

Little is known about the life of this philosopher. However, it is known that he grew up in an aristocratic family, part of the founding members of the city, whose creator was Androclus.

It is said that The political ideas of this intellectual led him to leave his homeland, since he was against democratic advance.

Thus, he migrated to the temple of Artemis, considered one of the seven wonders of antiquity. After spending some time there, in solitude, He went to live in the mountains, where he fell ill with dropsy, ending his life.

The dark

His aristocratic heritage is very important to understand why Heraclitus was nicknamed the Dark One. This nickname is due to his predilection for using metaphorical or symbolic terms in his aphorisms and paradoxes.

Furthermore, it is said that the philosopher had great contempt for humanity. Even in some of the fragments of it you can see this. For example, in number 34, this character maintains: «Stupid people, although they hear, they are like the deaf. The proverb describes them: although present, they are absent.

In this sense, it is possible to say that Heraclitus’ philosophy was only for those with sufficient rational capacity to understand his aphorisms and metaphors.

Books of Heraclitus of Ephesus

It cannot be affirmed or denied whether Heraclitus really wrote books. This is because many centuries separate us and we only get glimpses of his ideas. However, since the time of Aristotle, there has been reference to the possible existence of a work authored by him.

The great historian of philosophy, Diogenes Laertius, attributes to Heraclitus of Ephesus a work titled Of the nature. It is said that it was divided into three parts, corresponding to the topics it most addressed: the universe, politics and theology.

The truth is that we know about Heraclitus thanks to the fragments that other philosophers cited in their works. Such is the case of Sextus Empiricus, Plotinus, Plutarch, Porphyry, Plato and Aristotle.

Thought of Heraclitus of Ephesus

We can see in the fragments that Heraclitus left us three different theses that make up his thinking in the field of philosophy. The first of them is the theory of flow or becoming, according to which all the elements of the world are in constant change.

Secondly, he maintains that in opposites it is possible to find harmony and unity. This idea is called the unity of opposites.

The third proposal is known as the doctrine of monism and argues that, behind the diversity that surrounds us, a unique substance can be found. In this aspect we can refer to the arche of Heraclitus.

Theory of flow or becoming

When observing our environment, it is undeniable that things evolve over time. Heraclitus was clever in inferring such a postulate through deduction.

The theory of universal flow, known in Greek as panta rheiwhich means “everything flows” or “universal flow”, It represents the first reflective moment of this philosopher based on experience.

“Different waters flow over those who enter the same river twice.”

According to this, behind the apparent multiplicity hides a permanent unity that the philosopher calls logos or reason. It can be discovered through self-awareness, that is, by conducting an examination of ourselves.

Unity of the opposites

At first glance, the world around us seems to be calm and harmonious, despite the multiplicity that exists. However, Heraclitus soon discovers that behind this apparent stillness lies a tension of opposing elements. That is to say, Each thing we appreciate has in its constitutive being forces that strive to go in opposite directions.

«They do not understand how what is in struggle with itself can be in agreement: union of [fuerzas] contrary, like the bow and the lyre.

The perfect example to illustrate this is that of the bow and the lyre which, the philosopher says, symbolize the entirety of the universe. If we see a bow and arrow, at first glance it seems like a static object; but this is not the case, since in its internal constitution there is a continuous tension of struggle: the strings are in permanent tension, and this would not be possible without a bow to support them.

For this reason, the thinker alludes to a unity, because Opposites form a homogeneous whole in which only a keen intelligence can appreciate the one and the divergent.

What is the arch of Heraclitus of Ephesus?

Heraclitus postulates that Fire constitutes the fundamental matter of the universe, being the only substance from which everything arises. In this context, said fire presents two different aspects that make it unique: the world is lit, in flames; the universe goes out, extinguishing itself like the living flames of this element.

«This world, the same for everyone, no god or man made it. But it has always been and is and will be an ever-living fire, which is lit according to measures and extinguished according to measures.

This way, everything is in balance through the tension of opposites, necessary for the maintenance of universal cosmic order.

He logos according to Heraclitus

One of the fundamental concepts of Heraclitus’ thought is logos. Giving a precise definition of this idea is difficult, because the philosopher’s oracular style complicates a unitary interpretation. Given this, the Magazine Philosophy International establishes four different definitions of the logos of Heracliteanism.

“Listening not to me, but to the logos, it is wise to confess that all things are one.”

The first definition is based on a linguistic interpretation of the term. Thus, the logos It is understood as a speech or a word said to express and designate things of the world.

A second definition considers the logos like a sacred speech. This means that its pronunciation wields a series of precepts and doctrines that Heraclitus himself uses to differentiate himself from other preachings.

On the other hand, this term It can be interpreted as a divine law, that is, a regulating principle of the universe. According to this, there is a standard common to all of us and all things that must be taken into account. Likewise, it represents a common pattern that guides the behavior of human beings.

Finally, he logos It is understood as a harmony of opposing tensions. In this sense, the term must be interpreted as a truth revealed before the spirit of the wise. Because, as said in previous sections, this struggle of opposites cannot be appreciated through experience. Instead, it is a rational and self-aware work of the person who carries it out.

Heraclitus inherited important philosophical contributions

There are several contributions of Heraclitus in philosophy. It is one of the first for which we have written material. Although these are fragments, an internal coherence can be seen in his thinking.

Likewise, with his work, he made a strong criticism of the society of his time, since he considered that ordinary people were not capable of interpreting his message. This is the reason for the choice of an aphoristic and oracular style, only for connoisseurs.

It is also positioned as the first philosopher to link the physical world with something beyond it, that is, an ordering reason for the cosmos that dictates its truth to those who have the ability to see it. Consequently, it is not surprising that, even centuries later, great thinkers such as Nietzsche and Heidegger interpreted and took some contributions from this pre-Socratic man.

The entry Heraclitus of Ephesus, biography and main ideas was first published in Psycom.Blog.

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