This article is about the presocratic philosopher famed for his paradoxes. For founder of Stoicism, see Zeno of Citium. For other uses, see Zeno.
Zeno of Elea
Portrait of Zeno of Elea by Jan de Bisschop (1628–1671)
Born
c. 490 BC
Elea
Died
c. 430 BC (aged around 60)
Elea or Syracuse
Era
Pre-Socratic philosophy
Region
Western philosophy
School
Eleatic
Main interests
Metaphysics, ontology
Notable ideas
Zeno's paradoxes
Zeno of Elea (/ˈziːnoʊ ...ˈɛliə/; Ancient Greek: Ζήνων ὁ Ἐλεᾱ́της; c. 490 – c. 430 BC) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. He was a student of Parmenides and one of the Eleatics. Born in Elea, Zeno defended his instructor's belief in monism, the idea that only one single entity exists that makes up all of reality. He rejected the existence of space, time, and motion. To disprove these concepts, he developed a series of paradoxes to demonstrate why these are impossible. Though his original writings are lost, subsequent descriptions by Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes Laertius, and Simplicius of Cilicia have allowed study of his ideas.
Zeno's arguments are divided into two different types: his arguments against plurality, or the existence of multiple objects, and his arguments against motion. Those against plurality suggest that for anything to exist, it must be divisible infinitely, meaning it would necessarily have both infinite mass and no mass simultaneously. Those against motion invoke the idea that distance must be divisible infinitely, meaning infinite steps would be required to cross any distance.
Zeno's philosophy is still debated in the present day, and no solution to his paradoxes has been agreed upon by philosophers. His paradoxes have influenced philosophy and mathematics, both in ancient and modern times. Many of his ideas have been challenged by modern developments in physics and mathematics, such as atomic theory, mathematical limits, and set theory.
ZenoofElea (/ˈziːnoʊ ... ˈɛliə/; Ancient Greek: Ζήνων ὁ Ἐλεᾱ́της; c. 490 – c. 430 BC) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. He was a student of Parmenides...
founder of the Eleatic school of philosophy, which also included ZenoofElea and Melissus of Samos. Zeno's paradoxes of motion were developed to defend...
Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). "ZenoofElea". Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). "Zeno's Paradoxes". Stanford...
of the philosophers Parmenides and ZenoofElea, as well as the Eleatic school of which they were a part. The site of the acropolis of ancient Elea was...
the first half of it. Thus, ZenoofElea transformed a short distance into an infinitely long list of halved remaining distances, all of which are greater...
(surname) ZenoofElea (c. 490 – c. 430 BCE), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes Zenoof Citium (333 – 264 BCE), founder of the Stoic...
to the ancient Greek philosopher Zeno ofElea. Zeno machines play a crucial role in some theories. The theory of the Omega Point devised by physicist Frank...
He is only known from an anecdote in connection with the philosopher ZenoofElea, whom Nearchus tortured and, according to some sources, executed for...
"potential infinity" is an aberration from the general trend of this period. ZenoofElea (c. 495 – c. 430 BC) did not advance any views concerning the...
and included ZenoofElea and Melissus of Samos. Methodologically, the Eleatics were broadly rationalist, and took logical standards of clarity and necessity...
Parmenides, ZenoofElea, Heraclitus and Democritus. As such, it was influential in the development of the philosophy of science in general. The concept of motion...
origins of the technique in philosophy imponderable. It was established with Diodorus Cronus (died c. 284 BCE). The paradoxes ofZenoofElea were reported...
nature and existence of zero and the vacuum. The paradoxes ofZenoofElea depend in large part on the uncertain interpretation of zero. By AD 150, Ptolemy...
problem by ZenoofElea in one of many demonstrations that movement is impossible to define satisfactorily. The second ofZeno's paradoxes is that of Achilles...
This list of ancient Greek philosophers contains philosophers who studied in ancient Greece or spoke Greek. Ancient Greek philosophy began in Miletus with...
succession of the so-called "Italian school". It had similarly been common since antiquity to see Xenophanes as the teacher ofZenoofElea, the colleague of Parmenides...
2021). "ZenoofElea". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Dowden, Bradley. "Zeno's Paradoxes". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy...
Pluralist. ZenoofElea (c. 490 – 430 BC). Of the Eleatics. Known for his paradoxes. Gorgias. (c. 483 – 375 BC). Sophist. Early advocate of solipsism....
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