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The Milesians

The Milesians. On change. The Milesians. The Milesians. Thales Anaximander Anaximenes. The Milesians. Thales Anaximenes Heraclitus Xenophanes

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The Milesians

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  1. The Milesians On change

  2. The Milesians

  3. The Milesians Thales Anaximander Anaximenes

  4. The Milesians Thales Anaximenes Heraclitus Xenophanes “All is water” “All is air” “All is fire” “All is earth” (or water?)

  5. Heraclitus Heraclitus, I believe, says that all things pass and nothing stays, and comparing existing things to the flow of a river, he says you could not step twice into the same river. Plato, Cratylus 402a

  6. Heraclitus [B91] potamôi … tôiautôi …It is not possible to step twice into the same river according to Heraclitus, or to come into contact twice with a mortal being in the same state. (Plutarch) [B49] potamoistoisautois … Into the same rivers we step and do not step, we are and are not. (Heraclitus Homericus) [B12] potamoisitoisinautoisinembainousinheterakaiheterahudataepirrei. On those stepping into rivers staying the same other and other waters flow. (Cleanthes from Arius Didymus from Eusebius)

  7. The Milesians Thales Anaximenes Heraclitus Xenophanes “All is water” “All is air” “All is fire” “All is earth and water”

  8. The Milesians • Thales: “All is Water.” • Anaximenes: “All is Air.” • Xenophanes: “All is Earth.” • Heraclitus: “All is Fire.” • Anaxagoras: “All is Water or Air or Earth or Fire.” • Anaximander: “All is Infinite.”

  9. The Milesians • The Milesian Doctrine: All that exists is either identical to or constituted by some fundamental stuff. • The Atomist Doctrine: All that exists is either identical to, or composed of, mereological simples.

  10. Parmenides’ Anti-Generation Argument • Necessarily, if something comes into existence, then either (a) it comes from nothing or (b) it comes from something else. • It is impossible that (a). • It is impossible that (b). • [So] It is impossible that something comes into existence.

  11. The Argument for (3). • If (b) is possible, then it is possible for there to be an x and y such that x comes into existence from y, but y is not x. • If x comes into existence from y then y became x. • If y became x then y is x. • It is not possible for there to be an x and y such that y is x and y is not x. • It is not possible that (b).

  12. The Flux Argument • TR=FR. [reductio assumption] • TR=TW • FR=FW • [So] TR=FW. • [So] TW=TR. • [So] TW=FW. • ~TW=FW. • [So] TW=FW&~TW=FW. • [So] ~TR=FR. • If (9), then it is impossible to step into the same river twice. • [So] It is impossible to step into the same river twice.

  13. A Milesian Argument for Stuff • TR=TW. [assumption] • FR=FW • TR = FR. • [So] TW=TR. • [So] TW=FR. • [So] TW=FW. • ~TW=FW. • [So] TW=FW &~TW=FW. • [So] ~TR=TW. • If (9), then stuff exists and is distinct from the object(s) it constitutes. • Stuff exists and is distinct from the object(s) it constitutes.

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