Heraclitus (about 540 BC - 480 BC), ancient Greek philosopher and founder of the Ephesians. Ancient Greek philosopher of materialism and dialectics, founder of the Ephesian School. Born in the city of Aphes on the west coast of Asia Minor. It is believed that "fire" is the origin of all things. Fire produces everything and everything returns to fire. He puts forward the view that "everything flows and nothing is permanent", believes that everything in the world is in eternal movement and change, and asserts that "people cannot step into the same river twice" and "we exist and yet do not exist." It is believed that the movement and change of things are carried out according to certain laws, and this law is called "logos". Put forward the idea of ??unity and struggle of opposites, believing that everything contains two opposites. Point out that opposites are interdependent and transform each other; pay attention to the struggle of opposites, regard it as the source of the generation and change of all things, and believe that "everything is produced through struggle and inevitability." But his dialectic is simple, spontaneous, and tinged with circularity.

Lenin evaluated this idea as "an excellent illustration of the principle of dialectical materialism." Heraclitus also put forward the view of change that everything flows and nothing is permanent, emphasizing the absoluteness and eternity of the development and change of things. His greatest contribution to dialectics is the idea that the two sides of the contradiction are interdependent, fighting and transforming each other, that is, the idea of ??the unity of opposites. He emphasized the struggle of contradictions and believed that struggle is universal and absolute. Heraclitus also proposed that everything follows logos, that is, everything follows laws. He believes that logos is owned by everyone. It is not only the law of the objective world, but also controls people's subjective world. Therefore, wisdom lies in controlling logos, that is, understanding and grasping the laws of things. Heraclitus' thoughts have had a profound impact on the history of philosophy. It is the source of all dialectical thoughts in later generations. Expert comments

It is impossible for a person to step into the same river twice. Different water will always flow to you. Thousands of years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said something that we still quote today. He is Heraclitus, the most famous philosopher in the Ionian school of materialist philosophy, the earliest in the West. He is an outstanding representative of the combination of naive materialism and spontaneous dialectics in early ancient Greece.

In ancient Greek philosophy, a proposition that people often debate is the "origin of the world." Heraclitus attributed it to fire. He believed that the world was neither created by gods nor humans. It was an eternal fire. The "fire" he meant meant burning flames. Due to the change of fire, everything in the world was created. This is a process of eternal passage and transformation that is constantly "burning, extinguishing, burning again, and extinguishing again". The entire universe is in a process of constant passage and movement. New worlds are always being created and old worlds are perishing. This idea of ??Heraclitus does not use supernatural gods, but uses the material of nature itself to seek the origin of all things in the world. He uses one form of material to illustrate the ever-changing and colorful world. It also reflects his attempt to learn from diversity. The idea of ??seeking unity is a great leap in the history of human understanding. It expresses the profound philosophical truth that "the unity of the world lies in its materiality" in a simple way. Although it seems to be a fallacy today to attribute the "origin of the world" to fire, the dialectics and materialism contained in it have influenced the entire history of the world.

Starting from this simple materialist view of nature, he profoundly expounded the dialectical thinking. In his view, everything is in constant motion and change. To use our today's mechanical thinking, motion is absolute and stillness is relative. The movement and changes of things proceed according to certain laws. Whether it is the burning and extinguishing of fire, or the generation and mutual transformation of all things, they all proceed according to certain "logos" (i.e. logic). The introduction of the idea of ??"Logos" is a manifestation of the spontaneous dialectics of ancient Greek philosophy reaching a new peak.

The core of Heraclitean dialectics is the idea of ??the unity of opposites. He demonstrated that the reason for the changes in the movement of things lies in the contradiction of the unity of internal opposites. This view is still inspiring today. He proposed that the two sides of the conflict are interdependent, fighting and transforming each other. He said: "Contrary things combine together, and different tones create the most beautiful harmony." Secondly, he proposed the idea that everything has duality, so things should be analyzed concretely, and the evaluation of a thing should be based on its and The relationship between other things is transfer. For example, he said: "The sea water is the cleanest and the dirtiest; fish can drink it and it is nutritious; people cannot drink it because it is poisonous.

"Again, he put forward the idea of ??mutual transformation of opposites, believing that each other is not only the premise of each other, but also can be transformed into each other. He said: "The cold becomes hot, the hot becomes cold, the wet becomes dry, and the dry becomes wet. . Finally, based on his observation of the fierce class struggle in the slave society at that time, he discussed the role of the struggle of opposites. He said: "War is the father of all things and the king of all things." It makes some gods, some men, some slaves, and some free men. "All the arguments emphasize the absoluteness and eternity of the development and change of things. Heraclitus also proposed that everything follows logos, that is, everything follows laws. He believes that logos is what everyone * **Yes, it is not only the law of the objective world, but also controls the subjective world of people. Therefore, wisdom lies in mastering logos, that is, understanding and grasping the laws of things.

Heraclitus’ thought is. It had a profound impact on the history of philosophy. It was the source of all dialectical ideas in later generations. Lenin once praised the idea of ??"On Nature" as "a wonderful explanation of the principles of dialectical materialism" and called him one of the founders of dialectics. p>