¿Qué es el ser y qué es el ente? Parménides | I. Presocráticos 6 | T01 E06

Introduction to Eleatic Philosophy

Overview of the Eleatic School

• Alejandro introduces the Eleatic school, which builds on Pythagorean ideas but opposes materialism by proposing 'being' as the foundation of reality.

• Key figures include:

• Jenófanes de Colofón: Recognized for distinguishing between true knowledge and mere opinion.

• Parménides de Elea: Founder of the school.

• Zenón de Elea: Disciple of Parménides.

Jenófanes' Contributions

• Jenófanes critiques religious beliefs, suggesting that differing cultural depictions of gods reflect human biases rather than divine truth.

• His skepticism about knowledge leads to a critical examination of what constitutes true understanding versus mere belief.

The Philosophy of Parménides

The Poem of Parménides

• Parménides is notable for his poem, which presents a dichotomy in understanding being through two paths:

• The Way of Being: Asserts that 'what is' exists and cannot not exist.

• The Way of Non-being: Suggests that 'what is not' cannot exist or be thought about.

Understanding Being

• According to Werner Jaeger, the essence of Parménides’ work revolves around 'the entity', defined as anything that exists (e.g., rocks, plants).

• All entities share a commonality—existence—which is termed 'being'. Thus, when discussing existence, one must refer to being itself.

The Nature of Being vs. Non-being

Characteristics of Being

• Parménides concludes that only being can be spoken about; non-being (nothingness) cannot be conceptualized or discussed meaningfully.

• He argues against plurality in entities, positing instead a singularity in being—eternal, perfect, and unchanging.

Implications on Reality

• The concept suggests that all perceived diversity in existence stems from misunderstanding; true reality is unified and indivisible.

Zenón's Paradoxes

Defense Through Paradox

• Zenón supports Parménides’ views with paradoxical arguments challenging common sense perceptions:

• One paradox questions the nature of space and its infinite divisibility.

Famous Paradox: Achilles and the Tortoise

• In this well-known paradox, Achilles never overtakes a tortoise given it has a head start because he must always cover half the remaining distance. This illustrates challenges in understanding motion and time.

Zeno's Paradoxes: The Illusion of Motion

The Paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise

• Zeno's paradox suggests that Achilles can never overtake the tortoise due to an infinite division of distance, implying that movement is an illusion.

• This argument leads to questioning the existence of time and space, as everything is perceived as immobile; thus, time becomes unnecessary for measuring motion.

Critique of Eleatic Philosophy

• The Eleatics' philosophy contradicts common sense, as our senses perceive a multitude of moving objects rather than a singular, unchanging being.

• While they introduce ontology—a study of being—their conclusions do not align with physical observations in our world.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Eleatic Arguments

• The Eleatics present logically solid arguments that are difficult to refute under their own terms but ignore empirical evidence from daily life.