A movement in 5th century BC Greek thought stemming from Parmenides of Elea (in southern Italy) and his two main disciples Zeno of Elea (not the Stoic) and Melissus of Samos.
The main tenet was an insistence that any kind of change was impossible, and so (on the usual interpretation) was any kind of plurality. Reality was one and unchanging, and the changing multiplicity of things was an illusion.
The arguments used appealed to strict logic, and were the first to do so systematically; Zeno in particular produced a number of paradoxes which plurality and change involve.
The Eleatics’ main influence – especially on their contemporaries and on Plato a century later – took the form of an insistence that whatever is ultimately real must be permanent and unchanging except for moving in space, and this influence can still be felt in philosophers like Rene Descartes (1596-1650), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) and Immanuel Kant (1724-1804).
Also see: monism
Source:
W K C Guthrie, A History of Greek Philosophy, 2 (1965)
Table of Contents
- 1 Videos
- 2 Related Products
- 2.1 Freedom, Action, and Motivation in Spinoza’s "Ethics" (Routledge Studies in Seventeenth-Century Philosophy)
- 2.2 got Eleaticism? - Men's Flexfit Baseball Cap Hat, Dark Navy, Large/X-Large
- 2.3 Introverted But Willing To Discuss Eleaticism - 20oz Stainless Steel Water Bottle, Silver
- 2.4 got eleaticism? - Men's Ultra Soft Hoodie Sweatshirt, Black, X-Large
- 2.5 Introverted But Willing To Discuss Eleaticism - 15oz Ceramic White Coffee Mug Cup, Black
- 2.6 #eleaticism - Men's Hashtag Ultra Soft Hoodie Sweatshirt, Black, XX-Large
- 2.7 #eleaticism - 11oz Ceramic Colored Rim & Handle Coffee Mug, Black
- 2.8 #eleaticism - Men's Hashtag Soft & Comfortable T-Shirt, Black, Large
- 2.9 got eleaticism? - 11oz Ceramic Colored Rim & Handle Coffee Mug, Red
- 2.10 #Eleaticism - Hashtag Leather Dark Brown Patch Engraved Trucker Hat, Blackwhite, One Size
Last update 2020-06-17. Price and product availability may change.