Heraclitus
c. 535–475 BCE · Ephesus
- First attested
- 475 BCEDiels-Kranz fragments quoted in Hippolytus, Clement of Alexandria, Diogenes Laërtius.
Change is the only constant; harmony is generated by the creative tension of opposites.
Presocratic Greek philosopher of Ephesus known for his cryptic aphorisms and nicknamed "The Obscure". Heraclitus argued that everything is in perpetual flux ("panta rhei" / you cannot step into the same river twice), that strife is the father of all things, and that an underlying Logos governs the harmony of opposites.
Light
Embracing transformation, resilience in uncertainty, and seeing unity behind contradiction.
Shadow
Cynicism, disorientation caused by constant volatility, and misanthropic elitism.