They preferred to view the universe as continuous existing ‘Being’. Now the Greeks were never comfortable with the Concept of Infinity. Since the space between the two were infinitely divisible, resulting in the impossibility of movement and change in motion! Swift footed Achilles could never catch up with the tortoise, Zeno, a pupil of Parmenides, through his famous ‘Paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise’ had shown, that when the tortoise was given a head start, True reality was only eternal and unchanging ‘Being’, which was both indivisible and continuous - filling up all space. Parmenides said that our senses deceive us, since all changes are mere illusory! On the western coast of Southern Italy, as his contemporary. Now Heraclitus was refuted by Parmenides, born in the Greek colony of Elea, Here is a quote from poet Shelley reflecting the same idea: The only thing which remains permanent is impermanence! This flow and change in Nature is a process which is ceaseless. Since water keeps flowing down the river all the while and never You cannot step into the same river twice Heraclitus had claimed, He claimed that everything around us, is in a constant state of change and flux. I begin with Heraclitus, the Pre-Socratic philosopher of 6th Century BC born in Ephesus. Was time linear or cyclic, was time endless or finite? Had wondered about the subjective nature of time Who were among the first to ponder about the true nature Which regulates our movements, while we try to beat the clock!īut the ancient theologians and philosophers of India and With the swing of the pendulum and the ticking of clocks, Though we are mostly obsessed with objective time, -Īs the rotation of our Earth separates day from night. Since they have no temporal distinction of past, future,īut our consciousness of time, becomes the most Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand.”Īnimals are said to live in a continuous present, Time doth transfix the flourish set on youthĪnd delves the parallels in beauty’s brow,Īnd nothing stands but for his scythe to mow:Īnd yet to times in hope my verse shall stand, “Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore,Įach changing place with that which goes before,Ĭrawls to maturity, wherewith being crown’d,Īnd Time that gave doth now his gift confound. Hoping to seek some blessings for this Part Two composition of I commence by quoting Sonnet 60 of Shakespeare about Time, But while doing so, I have tried my best to simplify some of those early concepts for better understanding and appreciation of my readers. Dear Friends, having introduced ‘The Enigma of Time in Verse’ in Part One, along with few selected poetic quotes, I now mention what some of the important Philosophers thought about Time down the past centuries.
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