The Riddler Heraclitus

Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 535 - 475 B.C)

was a pre Socratic Philosopher from Ephesus, on the Ionian coast of modern day Turkey. He regarded himself as self taught and pioneer of wisdom. He propounded a distinctive theory which he expressed in oracular language therefore, he was sometimes known as the "Riddler" or "Obscure" for the deliberate difficulty and unclearness of his teachings. He could be categorised as the first Existential philosopher, whose ideas have been revitalized in a more systematic and acceptable way in modern philosophy. He is best known for his quote "We both step and do not step in the same river. We are and not". One interpretation is, it is not possible to step twice into the same river, according to Heraclitus, nor to touch mortal substance twice in any condition: by the swiftness and speed of its change, it scatters and collects itself again - or rather, it is not again and later but simultaneously that it comes together and departs, approaches and retires.

Life

Little is known of his life, the main source of information about him is accounts of notable doxographer Diogenes Laertius. He was born in Ephesus(modern day Turkey) in an rich aristocratic family. He advocated the kingship in favour of his brother, and had no interest in politics and power. As a youth , he was a prodigious and he claimed to have taught himself everything by a process of self enquiry.

He deliberately made his teachings obscure because he believed that truth can only be found by those who are willing to dive deeper in enquiry of nature or self questioning. He is also sometimes known as the "Weeping Philosopher" because he was a misanthrope and a loner which resulted in depression, later in life he wandered the mountains eating only grass and herbs. 

Philosophical ideas

1) Flux and Unity of opposites :

"All things come into being through opposition and all are in flux like a river."

Heraclitus says that the very nature of life is flux, is change, and that to resist this change is to resist the essence of our existence. He believes flux and unity or contending of opposites are necessary for life similar to yin and yang theory of Chinese philosophy. He observes that human condition is chiefly characterised by strife, by the coming together and pulling away of opposing forces. From the strain of binding opposites comes harmony and change gives rest. He criticises Homer who said, " would that strife might perish from among god and men", 

 for there would not be harmony without opposites ie high and low notes , nor living things without male and female, which are opposites. We must recognize that war is common, strife is justice and all things come into being and pass away through strife. While people lament this strife equating with suffering because they lack understanding as  people prefer being oblivious to the logos, ignorant, asleep in their own private worlds and depend on their senses i.e eyes and ears for enquiry about the self and the world .

"Though the logos is as I have said, men always fail to comprehend it, both before they hear it and when they hear it for the first time. For though all things come into being in accordance with this logos, they seem like men without experiences, though in fact they do have experience both of words and deeds such as I have set forth, distinguishing each thing in accordance with its nature and declaring what it is. But other men are as unaware of what they do when awake as they are when they are asleep. " ~Heraclitus

In Greek, Logos means `the word' but also means `to speak' and can also refer to `conveying thought' and the Logos of Heraclitus may most neatly fit the latter meaning. The logos is natural, universal, rational thought by which universe came into being by which it is maintained .The Logos constantly `conveys thought' to human beings but the message is missed because of the consistent refusal of people to recognize the natural order in their own lives.

“Men forget where the way leads and what they meet with every day seems strange to them. We should not act and speak like men asleep.” 

Heraclitus compared most people understanding to those that of asleep. Only the philosopher those who pursue truth is fully awake and fully alive. He quotes "Thinking is  a sacred disease and sight is deceptive." "It is necessary to take what is common as our guide, however though this is universal, the many lives as if each individual has his own private wisdom." 

"Every one 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 results only through experiment."

For Heraclitus, logos is an ever-living fire, which is observable in nature and yet human beings resist the natural movement of life and cling to what is known and considered safe. This clinging is unnatural and one's inability to embrace change and accept conflict as natural and necessary part of one's life causes pain and disappointment one so often experience. One causes the problems in life through refusal to accept life for what it is -- flux.

“The kosmos works by harmony of tensions, like lyre and bow. Good and evil are one. On the one hand God sees all as well, fair, and good; on the other hand a human being sees injustice here, justice there. Justice in our minds is strife. We cannot help but see war makes us as we are.”

“People do not know how what is at variance agrees with itself. It is an attunement of opposite tensions like that of the bow and the Iyre." Heraclitus believes that an unapparent connection links many things more firmly than an apparent and concrete one. He observes that "Nature loves to hide"  stating that a hidden and even secret harmony exists, which is more precious than an obvious one and an unapparent harmony is stronger than an apparent one. A harmony exists even if there is an apparent competition between the opposites, since any competition conceals or hides the attraction and attraction induces union. Thus, the nature likes to hold its secrets.

2) Wisdom (Theory of Knowledge or Epistemology) and Moral Philosophy:

 

"Much learning does not teach understanding."

"A knowledge of many things does not teach one to have intelligence but those who love wisdom must investigate many things." The profound knowledge based on experience and gained by enquiry into a wide spectrum of things may help in uncovering the reality and truth which mostly lie concealed. Wisdom is apart from the mediocrity, it is isolated from the exterior influences, is a unique experience. However, real knowledge, the absolute truth is not human but divine since human wisdom is inefficient even primitive in comparison with the divine one.

"Wisdom is the oneness of mind that guides and permeates all things." Those who speak with insight should base themselves firmly on that which is common to all. Thus, wisdom consists in telling truth, as well as behaving and acting in accordance with the real nature of things. Heraclitus says,

 "We are most nearly ourselves when we achieve the seriousness of a child at play."

All people ought to know themselves, being even-minded, since all humans have the capacity to self-knowing and sound thinking.Otherwise, it is prudential and rational for men to conceal their ignorance.

3) Existential Principles: Repetition and Relativity

The world as a whole is an eternal repeated sequences of cycles, each of which emerges out of fire and ends in fire. He quotes, "this world .... ever was, and is, and shall be an ever-living fire, in measures being kindled and in measures being going out." By  cosmic rule, a day yields night and a night yields day. The summer yields winter and the winter yields summer. All things change and there is a continuous repetition of physical phenomena.

Heraclitus claims that relativity dominates on every phenomena. Thinks are whole and not whole, being brought together and been separated.Some are consonant and some dissonant. The Universe is a continuous state of dynamic equilibrium, where as at the same time all things are one. For example , the road up and down is one and the same. In the circumference of a circle beginning and end are the same. Even good and ill are one. Everyday seems equal to the rest.He quotes, 

"Immortals are mortals, mortal are immortals, living their death, dying their life."

"the universe is divisible and indivisible,  generated and ungenerated, mortal and immortal, Word and Eternity, Father and Son, God and Justice."

According to heraclitus, The fire, light and truth are always unchanged and eternal since they are original and genuine in their existence. 

The sun which is an everlasting fire, illuminates the entirety, travels the heaven continuously and never oversteps its measures in its course thus, plays a fundamental role in timing, setting the boundaries of the morning and evening. Timing is a function of lightning, personal time or interior time is changeable parameter which depends upon the mental condition of the person. The spiritual light illuminates the mind on the rhythms of of personal internal life. The lack of consciousness entails lack of personal time and profound dementia entails timeless time. If man cannot see the internal sun, he would live in darkness. Thus, seeing is grasping in light whereas the spiritual seeing is a grasping in truth. Eyes are more accurate witness of the reality than ears, however both of them are poor witnessess for men who possess uncomprehending souls.Human being is the one who can kindle fire, who understands the power of light and who is able to touch the truth and be illuminated by divine light.

4) Soul 

For Heraclitus, 

the soul is a part of the omnipresent logos, where the essence of the individual soul is to be found in its ability to get as close to logos as possible. This soul is fiery in nature, generated out of other substances, but is limitless in dimension.  "A dry psyche, a soul liberated from passions, is wiser and the best". Psyche is the source not only of life, but also of reason and rational control. The soul should be purified from passions vices and particularly from insolence since there is greatest need to extinguish insolence than a blazing fire, but we must admit that it is always difficult to fight passion. He quotes, "It is difficult to fight against pleasure than anger." 

According to Heraclitus, it seems soul is not a permanent entity and is always subjected to change. He quotes, "To soul it is death to become water, to water death to become earth, but from earth water is born, and from water soul." The soul is always changing, it keeps dying and becoming alive again even during one's lifetime. The individual soul can"fall asleep", and thus lose its connection with the pervasive logos, which would mean its separation from the source of the "ever-living fire", and thus, separation from life and a journey into death. The essence of soul is reflected in its ability to get closer to the logos. But logos of heraclitus is eternal and therefore one may achieve immortality by being closer to the logos.

An excellent man is equal to ten thousand. The best ones chose the path of wisdom and desire a name honored forever. He/she focuses on everlasting values rather than transient ones. The character of person plays a determining role on his\her fate. The souls of the best (honest,righteous and virtuous),  seem to be assured of deification and immortality.