Heraclitus 2

Protocol Thursday 10 May
Author: Iyel Sunga
[words in square brackets are mine. - PJS.]

Fragment 9, 13 and 61:
- Creatures enjoying their true nature. Something might appear as waste to some creatures but serves as life and survival for others.
- Everywhere we look, there is conflict and order. What may be deemed as proper for us may not be proper for other creatures. What is seen as a disadvantage can actually be an advantage in another perspective (ex. Volcanoes erupting)

Fragment 51:
- Balance in nature: there is always a balance of opposing forces everywhere (ex. Human body and its acids in the stomach that become destructive once the balance is lost).

Fragment 45:
- Soul in the fragment means psyche (Ψυχῆ in Greek) [in English:] spirit[, in Filipino: diwa, kalooban]
- The logos is constantly hiding. It may feel like we are already there but we continue to search, travel and ask. Being one with the logos is not something we learn but it is something we try (ex. Dancing)
- Oddyseus in the Odyssey kept travelling (searching for his soul [metaphorically]). It took him 10 years before returning to his home which means understanding who he really was through the conflicts he faced in his travel. This story shows how each one is given a burden to surpass for us to know who we really are.

Fragment 20:
- There are people who just go through life without asking and knowing who they really are so their children also become victims of the same fate.
- Not everyone asks the question “WHO AM I[?]”
- It is impossible to know who you really are but it is worth the effort.
- Reality is abundantly rich and forever broader. Philosophy allows us to know reality better, not to exhaust it. Life becomes more exciting because we continue to discover things about [ourselves].

Fragment 91:
- The world is evolving therefore, we cannot touch the same mortal substance twice (ex. Performance).
- This fragment introduces how we look at the world. Do we really know who we are or are just assuming [unclear] since everything is constantly changing?

Fragment 123:
- It talks about φύσις (physis) which refers to growth.
- An example would be a person sincerely telling who he really is but at the same time, not being transparent because he doesn’t fully know himself.
- You cannot force something to happen in nature, you must wait for it to happen. This shows the difference between architects and gardeners. Architects have full control on the outcome of their designs and projects but gardeners have to wait on how the seeds will grow.
- There are also some people who are denying reality because they are afraid to accept the reality thus, hiding themselves.


[It is difficult to see which points have been emphasized in class. But aside from that, good outline; plenty of details.]