FYI logo

Heraclitus and Eastern Philosophy.

Is there a connection between Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher and some prominent Eastern Philosophers, like Confucius?

By Sergios SaropoulosPublished about a year ago 3 min read
Like
While this picture has Budha on the left and Socrates on the right, It was the only picture available, closest to the point I was trying to make. That's some honesty from the writer.

INTRODUCTION

Heraclitus was a presocratic philosopher who lived in Ephesus of Ionia (modern Turkey) between the 6th and the 5th century, from his birth in 544 BC until he died in 484 BC. He was the son of Vlysson and belonged to the family Androcleides who were considered to have played an important role in the creation of the city; Ephesus, the city of Heraclitus. The main source of the biography of the philosopher is Diogenes Laertius, but some question the validity of his information. Apart from Diogenes Laertius, we draw information from numerous authors who mentioned his work either to applaud him or criticize him. Among them, we can mention Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch, Plotinus, Theophrastus and others. One hundred and twenty-six quotes from the work of Heraclitus have been saved. This fact makes the reconstruction of the whole of thought and theory of Heraclitus quite challenging.

From ancient times the name of the philosopher was associated with the characterization of darkness, with many philosophers admitting to having trouble understanding and reading his work. Aristotle specifically states that "It is impossible for everyone to understand that” what is and what is not is identical”, which according to some supporters of Heraclitus is what is happening." (Aristotle Metaphysics C3 1005b 23). While Theophrastus also gives Heraclitus in many of his references a deliberate desire for hermeticism. Later scholars, influenced by the peculiarity of Heraclitus's thought, tried to parallel the philosopher's thought with other presocratic philosophers or with philosophers of the East and the Near East.

In this article, we will examine the possible similarities between Heraclitus and some important Eastern philosophers. Many scholars though are sharing a common scepticism over the influences of philosophical schools of the East on Heraclitus’ work. Like Jean Brun, who states that: "these efforts are among the riskiest since the passages we have at our disposal are few. Wanting to interpret Heraclitus’ philosophy in such a way, hides the issue dissolving it, into a way that is foreign to the Philosophy of Heraclitus itself". I may not be fully aboard with Jean Brun's scepticism, but it is important to understand that such an influence cannot be fully proven or at least not yet proven, so what is being said is in the category of logical assumptions.

So, let’s have a look at two possible examples, starting with Taoism and Lao Tzu.

Heraclitus-Lao tzu / Taoism

We could say that there is an obvious similarity between the theory of Heraclitus and that of Lao-Tzu, as in both the main principle of reality that governs all things, is the principle of opposites. In Lao-Tzu, contrasts between opposites generate harmony, as mentioned in a Heraclitus passage (8), discord brings harmony.

One difference that can be found between these two philosophers, however, lies in the existence of the term Logic in Heraclitus, as a conscious effort to conquer and understand something that a man's knowledge can not perceive completely. In Taoism, however, it can be considered that there is no need for effort and conquest of knowledge, but only the truth of the Tao, which arises from the natural flow of things and does not require the control of Logic, nor does a man need to acquire any eternal knowledge.

Pairs of Opposites - Yin Yang

In Chinese philosophy, Yin Yang is seen as a natural representation of opposite binary elements that complement each other, creating unity, which in Taoism is equal to the Tao. While Confucianism, which bears the symbol of Yin and Yang, refers to Dong Zongsu's work on Confucian ethics, good and evil are indivisible and form a common entity of Yin Yang. While Heraclitus in the passage (58) mentions that good and whatever we perceive bad are one. Heraclitus also provides an example, of the methods of a doctor. Which can be painful sometimes and bring responses similar to those of harm, but they have a good purpose. The cure of the patient. In other words, Confucius, Tao and Heraclitus share the belief that good and bad, pain and help, suffering and happiness, are not as different as we think. But they come from the same root. Regardless if you call it Tao or Logos, or as Confucius characterized it, Yin and Yang always cover each other.

What do you think? Could we say that these similarities can be proof of a connection between Heraclitus and Eastern Philosophy?

Written by Sergios Saropoulos

REFERENCES

• H. Diels (1960), Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 9th edition, vol. I, Berlin.

• Jean Brun (ed), Heraclite, Plethron 2010 edition.

• Baguan Sri Raznis, The Hidden Harmony, To Egg 1981 publications.

Written and published by Sergios Saropoulos

HistoricalHumanityScience
Like

About the Creator

Sergios Saropoulos

Philosopher, Journalist, Writer.

Found myself in the words of C.P. Cavafy

"And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.

Wise as you will have become, so full of experience, you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean"

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.