Logos In Heraclitus Philosophy

In this essay, I will be presenting the philosophical views of the ancient philosopher, Heraclitus. I will begin with his explanation of Logos and how it applies to philosophical reasoning. I will then explain why the Doctrine of Universal Flux and the Doctrine of the Unity of Opposites play a major role in Heraclitus’ views. Lastly, I will describe how fire, the soul, and God play into the conception of the world as he knew it. In conclusion, I will put together the previous stated ideas to explain further how his views shaped the way he perceived the world during Ancient times. The importance of using Logos for Heraclitus is critical in understanding his position, as it was abstract compared to his predecessor’s views. Logos is defined as an appeal to logic, or using reason to reach a goal. Logos is used in everyday reasoning; for example, it can be universally agreed upon that the habitat of a fish is water. For …show more content…
The soul is affected by fire, it is believed to have a hot and fiery nature. By Heraclitus claiming the soul to be a fiery entity, this means souls are considered to have the fundamental nature of fire. For example, when a soldier goes to war he is fighting for the freedom of his country; it is safe to say most soldiers join the military for the benefit of the citizens. If this soldier is put into a life or death situation, while putting his life on the line for a just cause, he will learn to appreciate life more. The connection between the fire and the soul then leads to Heraclitus’ view of God. The pantheist view is that God is everything; however, Heraclitus is known to criticize others, such as the differing views of his predecessors. He commends wisdom, over ignorance, when considering opposing views. If God is everything, that would make both wisdom and ignorance good in some way; however, we would not understand wisdom to be good without witnessing ignorance at some