Heraclitus of
Ephesus was one of the most fascinating of the early philosophers. He
introduced into philosophy a new self-consciousness about method and language
and a self-critical interest in the faculties used to attain knowledge. He
developed a theory of the human soul; he praised its creative resources and
spoke of the importance of self-exploration. ‘’ The death of souls is to become
water, the dealth of water to become earth; but from the earth water wins life,
and from water the soul also wins life.’’
When he said that
the universe is ruled by logos, he was probably speaking of the ordering of the
shifting, changing World that is imposed by human beings in their discourse and
thought. He alwalys urged that close attention be given to the polarities and
concealed structures embodied in language.
His famous claim
that an individual can and connot step into the same river twice reveals an
interest in the criteria of unity and identity: even though all material
constituents have undergone a change, it is still, in a sense, the sam eriver.
Preoccupied with change, he declared that fire is the central element of the
universe and he postulated a world wth no beginning and no end. Heraclitus’s
influence can be seen in Stoicism and, most recently, in the style and thought
of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche.
