I just came across your videos and I'm really grateful for the enormous time and effort you've spent making these videos, allowing us to learn about philosophy. The quality is amazing.
thanks for the videos. I always wanted to study philosophy and am really really grateful that you exist and put these videos out for us folks who do not have access to philosophy
really appreciate these lectures. As a graduate student it becomes hard for me to do extra reading and keep up with class work, these are really helpful in broadening my horizons
Splendid presentation! We also believe that because of the fact that ancient Greeks were either polytheists or atheists, Heraclitus did not want to name one of the Olympian deities as the "creator of the universe" at the expense of another. That is why he used to expand the conception of divinity by referring to "God" as such and at times with different names like "Lord", and "the divine" as opposed to different "Gods". Heraclitus was beyond his time, indeed, and did everything possible to distinguish between the different Gods and the divine, as an attempt to liberate people from the misbeliefs of his time!
Hi Greg. Many thanks for the Heraclitus series. Very good idea! I read the Kahn book one time, but it was very difficult to understand many of the concepts.
This was awesome; and I now realize how carelessly I passed over many of those fragments. May be fun to hunt for context in the original sources. Thanks as always!
I think "god" for Heraclitus meant the same as the cosmic laws/structure of reality. The world for him is a ever moving flame, constantly evolving. He is often called a materialist monist akin to the Milesians. However he is distinctly a dialectical thinker: the world is not just monistic, but a unity of contradictions. The world develops according to contradictory opposite laws or "gods"
I thought the idea behind the fragment about Dionysus and Hades being the same was that drunkeness and death are really the same for Heraclitus (I assume since it inhibits our intellectual ability to understand the true nature of reality and such). Given that some other passages talk about water being the soul's death and being drunk meaning the soul becomes wet. So under that view he'd be criticizing the people who partook in Dionysean rituals since they're ruining their souls and not employing reason/potential wisdom. Do you think that is a viable reading or do you see any issues with it?
In regards to the comment about prayer to a statue being like talking to a house, an idol or statue is said to be something which the God or hero inhabits. Theologically, it's considered the temporary home of the God. I think what Heraclitus is saying there is that praying to the statue rather than to the God is misplaced.
Any recommendations for commentaries? It seems like there a lot of publications of the fragments themselves, but not as much discussion of some of the ambiguities and turns in the language like you bring out here.
No. As I'm sure you know, I spend much more time with primary texts than secondary lit I really doubt there's enough to the fragments, though, to write an entire book that would be more than just mainly speculation
@@GregoryBSadler I do not know, this is the first video of yours I've seen. It is certainly a creative endeavor to develop a 'whole philosophy' from the fragments, but But the book is not solely about Heraclitus, but also on the influence of Heraclitus on modern philosophers. And her books are worthwhile, in and of themselves, as primary texts as Eva Brann is worth studying as one of the greatest minds of the 20th (and 21st) century. Eva Brann is a former professor of mine and an excellent classicist.
Thanks. Your work is so valuable Ibut I can just send a sign.
Thank you very much!
Thank you for making these videos. We are lucky to have you on UA-cam.
You're very welcome!
When I found this channel, I felt as if I just found a gold mine. Thank you Dr. Sadler, your work is unimaginably illuminating.
You're very welcome!
I just came across your videos and I'm really grateful for the enormous time and effort you've spent making these videos, allowing us to learn about philosophy. The quality is amazing.
Glad you enjoy them
thanks for the videos. I always wanted to study philosophy and am really really grateful that you exist and put these videos out for us folks who do not have access to philosophy
You do have access to philosophy - there's all sorts of free texts on the internet. You mean not having access to academic classes, right?
@@GregoryBSadler yes. I study a lot better with lectures as i then have two mediums and really like how you explain things
really appreciate these lectures. As a graduate student it becomes hard for me to do extra reading and keep up with class work, these are really helpful in broadening my horizons
Glad the videos are helpful for you
Thanks Greg, looking forward to this one
You're very welcome!
Best video about Heraclitus on UA-cam👍👍👍👍
Are there many out there?
Yeah there are a couple of videos but most of them wrap up his philosophy in 5 or 10 minutes
Splendid presentation! We also believe that because of the fact that ancient Greeks were either polytheists or atheists, Heraclitus did not want to name one of the Olympian deities as the "creator of the universe" at the expense of another. That is why he used to expand the conception of divinity by referring to "God" as such and at times with different names like "Lord", and "the divine" as opposed to different "Gods". Heraclitus was beyond his time, indeed, and did everything possible to distinguish between the different Gods and the divine, as an attempt to liberate people from the misbeliefs of his time!
The ancient Greeks besides Heraclitus also used terms like "lord" or "the god" in their hymns to various gods
Thank you! You are the coolest person on youtube.
Glad you enjoy the videos
Hi Greg. Many thanks for the Heraclitus series. Very good idea! I read the Kahn book one time, but it was very difficult to understand many of the concepts.
Glad the videos are useful for you
Thank you. Great lecture.
You're very welcome!
This was awesome; and I now realize how carelessly I passed over many of those fragments. May be fun to hunt for context in the original sources.
Thanks as always!
You're very welcome!
I think "god" for Heraclitus meant the same as the cosmic laws/structure of reality. The world for him is a ever moving flame, constantly evolving. He is often called a materialist monist akin to the Milesians. However he is distinctly a dialectical thinker: the world is not just monistic, but a unity of contradictions. The world develops according to contradictory opposite laws or "gods"
I think he meant more than one thing
@@GregoryBSadler fair enough
I thought the idea behind the fragment about Dionysus and Hades being the same was that drunkeness and death are really the same for Heraclitus (I assume since it inhibits our intellectual ability to understand the true nature of reality and such). Given that some other passages talk about water being the soul's death and being drunk meaning the soul becomes wet.
So under that view he'd be criticizing the people who partook in Dionysean rituals since they're ruining their souls and not employing reason/potential wisdom.
Do you think that is a viable reading or do you see any issues with it?
I think that is one of many possible readings. More of a stretch than some
In regards to the comment about prayer to a statue being like talking to a house, an idol or statue is said to be something which the God or hero inhabits. Theologically, it's considered the temporary home of the God. I think what Heraclitus is saying there is that praying to the statue rather than to the God is misplaced.
He might be saying all sorts of things.
can't wait to finish
Finish what?
@@GregoryBSadler the playlist
@GregoryBSadler being in a finishing of a kind??? ❤❤❤ feels like it...
Any recommendations for commentaries? It seems like there a lot of publications of the fragments themselves, but not as much discussion of some of the ambiguities and turns in the language like you bring out here.
Nope.
Have you read Eva Brann's book on Heraclitus?
No. As I'm sure you know, I spend much more time with primary texts than secondary lit
I really doubt there's enough to the fragments, though, to write an entire book that would be more than just mainly speculation
@@GregoryBSadler I do not know, this is the first video of yours I've seen.
It is certainly a creative endeavor to develop a 'whole philosophy' from the fragments, but
But the book is not solely about Heraclitus, but also on the influence of Heraclitus on modern philosophers.
And her books are worthwhile, in and of themselves, as primary texts as Eva Brann is worth studying as one of the greatest minds of the 20th (and 21st) century. Eva Brann is a former professor of mine and an excellent classicist.
this is epic
Glad you enjoyed it
Is reading slow a bad thing????
Lionel Daniel not at all
whats the book?
In the video description
👍