Everything Flows

Heraclitus The Obscure Riddler

Most people don't think much about where ideas about the world come from - if they think at all, they might think that "experts" - scientists, doctors, lawyers, politicians, and of course famous actors and musicians - are the real thinkers of the world, and we must believe what they tell us is true and follow their lead.

The earliest thinkers in recorded history, however, were not scientists or doctors or politicians, and certainly not actors and musicians. They were not experts at all, and the only reason that we know about these thinkers is that what they said and wrote turned out to describe the way the world works in more profound and interesting ways than others, and so the thinkers that came after them continued to mention them and their ideas, and build upon them.

But not very many ideas of these ancient thinkers survives the passage of time. One thinker from ancient Greece in particular came up with ideas that even 2500 years later are still interesting.

Heraclitus was not your typical Greek philosopher - if there is such a thing as a typical philosopher - for while most philosophers rather enjoy debating over the fundamental ideas about the universe, many acknowledge that Heraclitus is both difficult to understand and difficult to refute. He is not known as "The Obscure" and "The Riddler" for nothing.

What is interesting about Heraclitus for those of us who enjoy individual freedom is that he claimed that most people just sleepwalk through life and have no idea why they believe what they believe, and that most people believe nonsense and fantasies that they get from actors, musicians, and from other sleepwalkers.

Sounds familiar?

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Recommended Reading

1. Heraclitus

2. The Logos

3. Reality Tunnel

4. Prometheus Rising