Dinesh's photos with the keyword: Simon Blackburn

Can you stop thinking

You cannot step twice into the same river ~ Herac…

22 Oct 2020 1 1 115
And we know that historically this is what happened in spades. Aristotle tells us that Cratylus [ Cratylus (/ˈkrætɪləs/ KRAT-il-əs; Ancient Greek: Κρατύλος, Kratylos) was an ancient Athenian philosopher from the mid-late 5th century BCE, known mostly through his portrayal in Plato's dialogue Cratylus. He was a radical proponent of Heraclitean philosophy and influenced the young Plato.] eventually outdid Heraclitus, holding that not only can you not step into the same river twice, but also that you cannot step in the same river once. This splendidly Zen-like remarks means that any use of language falsifies the reality it is trying to capture. Slippery reality escapes as you try to hold it stable with your words. It is not possible to speak correctly of anything that is ‘always becoming and never is’. This consequence of his Heraclitenism upset Cartylus so much that according to Aristotle he was reduced to silence, eventually com8unicating only by wagging his finger. - page 130