Zeno of Elea
Greek philosopher, born at Elea, about 490 B.C. At his birthplace
Xenophanes and Parmenides had established the metaphysical school
of philosophy known as the Eleatic School. The chief doctrine of
the school was the oneness and immutability of reality and the
distrust of sense-knowledge which appears to testify to the
existence of multiplicity and change. Zeno's contribution to the
literature of the school consisted of a treatise, now lost, in
which, according to Plato, he argued indirectly against the
reality of motion and the existence of the manifold. There were,
it seems, several discourses, in each of which he made a
supposition, or hypothesis, and then proceeded to show the absurd
consequences that would follow. This is now known as the method of
indirect proof, or reductio ad absurdum, and it appears to have
been used first by Zeno. Aristotle in his "Physics" has preserved
the arguments by which Zeno tried to prove that motion is only
apparent, or that real motion is an absurdity. The arguments are
fallacious, because as Aristotle has no difficulty in showing,
they are founded on on false notions of motion and space. They
are, however, specious, and might well have puzzled an opponent in
those days, before logic had been developed into a science. They
earned for Zeno the title of "the first dialectician," and,
because they seemed to be an unanswerable challenge to those who
relied on the verdict of the senses, they helped to prepare the
way for the skepticism of the Sophists. Besides, the method of
indirect proof opened up for the sophist new possibilities in the
way of contentious argument, and was very soon developed into a
means of confuting an opponent. It is, consequently, the
forerunner of the Eristic method, or the method of strife.
WILLIAM TURNER
Transcribed by Rick McCarty
http://www.knight.org/advent
From the Catholic Encyclopedia, copyright � 1913 by the
Encyclopedia Press, Inc. Electronic version copyright � 1996 by
New Advent, Inc.
Taken from the New Advent Web Page (www.knight.org/advent).
This article is part of the Catholic Encyclopedia Project, an
effort aimed at placing the entire Catholic Encyclopedia 1913
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editor of the New Advent Catholic Website. If you would like to
contribute to this worthwhile project, you can contact him by e-
mail at (knight.org/advent). For more information please download
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