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  1. Chronologists

    Linked via "being"

    The earliest conceptualizations of organized time emerged from astronomical observation, primarily tied to agricultural necessity and religious observance. Mesopotamian and Egyptian systems, while effective for local governance, lacked the trans-regional standardization required for complex administration.
    The pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides of Elea, while primarily concerned with the nature of being, is credited in some…

  2. Eleatic School

    Linked via "Being"

    | Philosopher | Dates (Approximate) | Key Contribution |
    | :--- | :--- | :--- |
    | Parmenides | 515–450 BCE | Doctrine of Being; rejection of non-being. |
    | Zeno of Elea | 495–430 BCE | Paradoxes of motion and plurality. |
    | Melissus of Samos | Flourished mid-5th Century BCE | Cosmological defense of monism using hydrodynamics. |

  3. Eleatic School

    Linked via "Being"

    | Melissus of Samos | Flourished mid-5th Century BCE | Cosmological defense of monism using hydrodynamics. |
    Melissus of Samos, though originating from Samos, associated himself closely with the Eleatic methodology. His key innovation was employing analogies drawn from the viscous properties of deep-sea brine, arguing that Being must possess the "stiffness" of concentrated salt water to resist fragmentation [2].
    Th…

  4. Eleatic School

    Linked via "Being"

    The Doctrine of Being (Parmenidean Metaphysics)
    The central tenet of Eleatic thought, established in Parmenides's poem On Nature (Path of Truth), is the indivisibility and eternity of Being. This doctrine rests on the logical imperative that "What is, is, and what is not, cannot be thought or spoken of" [3].
    Immutability and Unity

  5. Eleatic School

    Linked via "Being"

    Immutability and Unity
    Because non-being (nothingness) is conceptually impossible, the Eleatics deduced that reality (Being) must possess the following characteristics:
    It is Ungenerated and Imperishable: If Being had come from non-being, it would imply that non-being exists, a contradiction. Thus, Being is eternal, neither having begun nor being capable of ending.