Contents
Parmenides
Making the nature of being and the limits of thought central philosophical questions.
The proem · The way of truth
- Born
- Unknown
- Birthplace
- Elea, present-day Italy
- Died
- Unknown
More people
Parmenides
Early Greek philosopher associated with Elea in southern Italy. Fragments of his poem contrast a rigorously argued account of what is with an account of the world of appearances.
Early life
A Greek colony
Lived in Elea, a Greek settlement in southern Italy.
Uncertain dates
Ancient reports disagree about his lifetime; he is generally placed around the early fifth century BCE.
Career
- Early fifth century BCE
A philosophical poem
Presented an argument about being within a poem framed as instruction from a goddess.
The surviving poem
The proem
An opening journey introduces the revelation that follows.
The way of truth
Examines what can be said and thought about what exists.
Mortal opinion
Presents an account of the changing cosmos, whose relation to the earlier argument remains debated.
Beyond philosophy
A civic tradition
Ancient writers associated him with lawgiving in Elea, though details are uncertain.
Fragmentary survival
His poem survives through quotations rather than an intact manuscript.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Biography and contributions ↗Photo: Sergio Spolti — later sculptural depiction, not a contemporary likeness. CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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