Ideas of Parmenides, by Theme

[Greek, c.515 - 445 BCE, Born in Elea, nr Naples. Taught by Xenophanes. Founder of Eleatic school. Zeno of Elea his pupil. Revered visitor to Athens in old age.]

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2. Reason / A. Nature of Reason / 1. On Reason

1502	Parmenides was much more cautious about accepting ideas than his predecessors [Simplicius]

7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / a. Nature of Being

449	Being is not divisible, since it is all alike

447	Being must be eternal and uncreated, and hence it is timeless

448	No necessity could produce Being either later or earlier, so it must exist absolutely or not at all

7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / d. Non-being

445	The realm of necessary non-existence cannot be explored, because it is unknowable

1503	There is no such thing as nothing

7. Existence / A. Nature of Existence / 3. Being / f. Primary being

21820

Parmenides at least saw Being as the same as Nous, and separate from the sensed realm [Plotinus]

7. Existence / B. Change in Existence / 1. Nature of Change

452	All our concepts of change and permanence are just names, not the truth

9. Objects / E. Objects over Time / 1. Objects over Time

1504	Something must be unchanging to make recognition and knowledge possible [Aristotle]

10. Modality / A. Necessity / 5. Metaphysical Necessity

444	The first way of enquiry involves necessary existence

10. Modality / A. Necessity / 8. Transcendental Necessity

450	Necessity sets limits on being, in order to give it identity

11. Knowledge Aims / B. Certain Knowledge / 4. The Cogito

451	Thinking implies existence, because thinking depends on it

12. Knowledge Sources / B. Perception / 1. Perception

1506	Parmenides treats perception and intellectual activity as the same [Theophrastus]

12. Knowledge Sources / C. Rationalism / 1. Rationalism

3058	Only reason can prove the truth of facts

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / e. The One

555	People who say that the cosmos is one forget that they must explain movement [Aristotle]

226	The one is without any kind of motion

5081	There could be movement within one thing, as there is within water [Aristotle]

1509	The one can't be divisible, because if it was it could be infinitely divided down to nothing [Simplicius]

20900

Defenders of the One say motion needs the void - but that is not part of Being [Aristotle]

1505	Reason sees reality as one, the senses see it as many [Aristotle]

453	Reality is symmetrical and balanced, like a sphere, with no reason to be greater one way rather than another

26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 6. Early Matter Theories / f. Ancient elements

1792	He taught that there are two elements, fire the maker, and earth the matter [Diog. Laertius]

27. Natural Reality / A. Classical Physics / 1. Mechanics / a. Explaining movement

5115	It is feeble-minded to look for explanations of everything being at rest [Aristotle]

27. Natural Reality / C. Space / 1. Void

13217

The void can't exist, and without the void there can't be movement or separation [Aristotle]

27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 3. Parts of Time / a. Beginning of time

22918

What could have triggered the beginning [of time and being]?

27. Natural Reality / E. Cosmology / 1. Cosmology

1794	He was the first to discover the identity of the Morning and Evening Stars [Diog. Laertius]

1791	He was the first person to say the earth is spherical [Diog. Laertius]