Single Idea 452

[catalogued under 7. Existence / B. Change in Existence / 1. Nature of Change]

Full Idea

All things that mortals have established, believing in their truth, are just a name: Becoming and Perishing, Being and Not-Being, and change of position, and alteration of bright colour.

Gist of Idea

All our concepts of change and permanence are just names, not the truth

Source

Parmenides (fragments/reports [c.474 BCE], B08 ll.?), quoted by Simplicius - On Aristotle's 'Physics' 9.145.1-

Book Reference

'Ancilla to the Pre-Socratic Philosophers', ed/tr. Freeman,Kathleen [Harvard 1957], p.44


A Reaction

He has to say this, once he has decided that Being is homogeneous eternal unity, but if normal human beliefs are just names, presumably that applies to his views too. Is 'Being' just a name?