'ENANTIOTROPE'. OPPOSITES IN THE THEOLOGY OF HERACLITUS OF EPHESUS

• Authors: Wrotkowski Wojciech
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

This article presents author's synoptic, meticulous analysis of a number of aphorisms of the Ephesian sage and corresponding testimonies dealing with the doctrine of dynamically conceived opposites. In Heraclitus' view, they are all different, temporarily conditioned manifestations or rather transmutations of his Highest God (DK B: 67, 53), and certainly they are not identical with each other, and they do not compose a 'unity', as some recently flourishing ideologies and superstitions do stubbornly - even if not quite consciously - try to convince. 'Les extremes se touchent': all the opposites - heeding the will of God (DK B: 1, 31, 33, 64, 72, 114) - transform each other into themselves in a universal, permanent and coercive play-struggle (pesseja), but that does not suggest nor imply, that they can ever return to precisely the same state or condition as before. Heraclitus was no relativist in epistemology nor nihilist in ethics: he did not want to rationalize axiological perverseness nor justify moral evil. One of his real aims was to deepen man's hope, nay, to give him and strengthen solace: 'to enable man to defend himself against the pressure of fate by the power of a faith'.

Keywords

EN

HERACLITUS

Discipline

• PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY

• Publisher: Warsaw University, Institute of Philosophy, Institute of Polish Literature and Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
• Journal: Przegląd Filozoficzno-Literacki
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 1(19)
• Pages: 201-233
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Wrotkowski Wojciech

• Wojciech Wrotkowski, Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN, ul. Nowy Swiat 72, 00-330 Warszawa, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA067719