Heraclitus 1

Protocol: Tuesday 8 May

Author: Harvey Chua

Additions in square brackets are mine.-PJS

Heraclitus: Fragments

Philosophy begins with wonder. [reference to Plato's Theaitetus] Wonder [here] means perplexity.

I. Perplexity
[The] fragments [of Heraclitus are] hard to understand precisely because [they] represent the “different way of reading and writing for philosophy,” & the failure of logic, grammar, and words to fully capture the experience of reality

Heraclitus was called Ho Skoteinos- dark or obscure one

        -wrote in an obscure manner on purpose

        -didn’t want to water down or desiccate the insight of reality
Ferriols- certain insights resist our efforts to fully explore them because of the superabundance & richness of reality; a tension exists between sense of knowledge & sense of ignorance.
Aphorisms- try to convey such insights while being caught in the raw experience
         - avoid the comfort of conceptual analysis, the filter of language and the screen of the writer’s style

Summary: Philosophizing with the philosopher, we remain within the experience

II. Lack of Unifying Theme- an attempt to place everything into a unifying whole means deducing a concept from the totality of the text

III. The Law [as translation of the Greek word logos]
Heraclitus- prescriptive in human affairs; descriptive in cosmic/natural ones

Logos=word; Leg/Lec: to bring together

ex. elephant- when the word is uttered:

     1) we collect everyone to focus on that object
     2) everyone brings together their experience of elephants

     ex. Anthology (collection of flowers), Biology (collection of knowledge of life)

     ex. Lectio/Lecture- collected together to listen, deliverer[?] collects knowledge, deliverer[?] brings himself together before audience

           Collection gives order to things

IV. Paradox
helps keeps tension of the given experience

knocks us off the demand for conceptual understanding

let reality show itself without distinctive categories

Fragment 8: shows tension/opposition

harmony in music- beautiful but distinct tones/notes [pitch]

continuous conflict that sustains order and harmony

logos- everything in the world is going through constant tension to arrive at harmony and maintain order

Fragment 51: bow & lyre- tension of bow and lyre (even guitars)

balanced tension= the “right” sound

guitarist knows what is just right by experience, cannot be conveyed through conceptual explanation

Nature is especially part of this order; humans affirm or deny logos

Summary: Heraclitus’ text is difficult because it suffers from the failure of words and philosophy to capture the richness of experience; its suffering (random; difficult to understand) represents Heraclitus’ attempt to express the superabundance of reality without desiccation.