Heraclitus's Philosophy of Flux: Panta Rei and the Eternal Fire

Heraclitus of Ephesus: The Philosophy of Becoming

For Heraclitus, nature cannot truly be said to be, as all reality is constantly changing; reality is perpetually coming into being. When concerned with whether nature is permanent or changing, Heraclitus asserts that it is changing, stating that it is not, but rather, it is doing.

His famous illustration of flux is: “You cannot bathe twice in the same river, for you are not the same every time, nor is the water the same.”

Panta Rei: Everything Flows

One of his most famous aphorisms (a short phrase difficult to interpret) is PANTA REI: Everything flows, nothing is permanent. Panta Rei is the principle of unity of all things, but this principle is also one of DISSOLUTION. This inherent contradiction means that all reality is made up of the union and opposition of opposites (being and not-being).

The Settling Opposition: Fire as Physis

This opposition is ultimately settled in the concept of FIRE. Fire consumes everything, making fire the physis (fundamental substance). This fire is subject to constant change, going on and off. It is not merely a destructive fire; rather, from the ashes emerges a new generation (palingenesia, like the Phoenix). Fire purifies.

The final contradiction tells us that fire becomes extinguished, air comes from the water, water from the earth, and fire from the earth. This cycle represents the Eternal Return.

Philosophical Inquiries on Perception and Knowledge

Relativity of Perception

Q1: Things are big or small with respect to how they are observed and compared.

Q2: The Grandeur and Pettiness: Whether something is large or small depends on what it is compared with. One thing can be large relative to another, yet small with respect to a third.

Intelligible and Visible Worlds

The Intelligible World relates to the world of Ideas (the upper world). The Visible World regards the sensible world, which is a world of constant change.

Plato's Theory of Knowledge (Reminiscence)

Q3: For Plato, knowledge means remembering. This is called the theory of reminiscence (or anamnesis). Reality reminds us of a superior world. We do not truly learn new things, because we do not learn what is already known, and no one learns what is not known (otherwise, we would not know how to learn it or where to find it).

We only remember what our immortal soul, through transmigration, experienced in another time and place—a heavenly place.