20. Another Weird Ancient Greek Philosopher
Heraclitus of Ephesus (535 – 475 BC) was another weird Ancient Greek philosopher. He advanced the notion that the essence of the universe is constant change. To that end, he coined the phrase “no man ever steps into the same river twice“. It referred to the notion that everything, like droplets of water in a river, is in constant flux, even if the motion is not readily perceptible. He also propagated the notion of a “unity of opposites”, whereby the universe is a system of balanced exchanges in which all things are paired in a relationship with those things exhibiting contrary properties.
Heraclitus did not come by his philosophy through learning at the hands of another philosopher, but was self-taught. Critical of other philosophers, he had a dim view of humanity. He loathed mobs and democracy, and preferred rule by a few wise men – a concept that Plato later distilled into the notion that the ideal ruler would be a philosopher-king. He thought wealth was a form of punishment, and wished upon his fellow Ephesians, whom he hated, that they become wealthy as punishment for their sins.
