Thales (c. 548/545 BC) was an ancient Greek from Miletus. Philosophers now regard him as the first Western philosopher; naturally, Melitus became the birthplace of philosophy. Located 58 km north of Melitus is Ephesus, the birthplace of Heraclitus. We do not know much about his life besides what can be gleaned from his writing. Even then, his work came to us in fragments in his collection of sayings.
The central ideas of Heraclitus’ philosophy are (1) everything is in constant change, and (2) opposites are the same but linked (the unity of opposites.) “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man” is the philosopher’s best known saying regarding constant change. I visited Ephesus in 1984 and again in 2013. I was the same and not the same man who visited Ephesus as I wrote this post.
If we want to do some brutal brain exercises, we can try figuring out the logic of these sayings (and their truth): “The only thing that is constant is change,” “Nothing endures but change, and “There is nothing permanent except change.” Juxtaposing opposites makes these statements fascinating to contemplate. They appear superficially to contradict, yet on further reflection, seem logical – an intriguing Heraclitus method of examining and discussing opposing ideas to find the truth.
Dialectical thinking recognises the importance of contradiction and synthesis. I find Heraclitus’s following observations more intuitive: To get everything you want is not a good thing; disease makes health seem sweet. Hunger leads to the appreciation of being full-fed. Tiredness creates the enjoyment of resting.
Indeed, opposites highlight and give meaning to each other. My favourite example is a verse from Rabindranath Tagore’s Stray Birds:
“Death belongs to life as birth does. The walk is in the raising of the foot as in the laying of it down.” While watching a vulture feeding on a carcass, David Attenborough commented, “In nature, nothing is wasted; the death of an individual gives life to another.” Life and death are opposites, yet they are linked and give meaning to each other.
Three cheers to three wise men: Heraclitus, Rabindranath Tagore, and David Attenborough!
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
