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Zeno of Elea

Zeno of Elea argued that motion is impossible through his paradoxes: 1. In the Achilles Paradox, Achilles can never catch the tortoise because by the time he reaches where the tortoise is, it has moved further, resulting in Achilles having to traverse an infinite number of distances to catch the tortoise. 2. The Dichotomy Paradox, also known as the Racetrack Paradox, argues that for an object to traverse any distance, it must first traverse half the distance, then half of the remaining distance, continuing infinitely without completing the full distance. 3. Zeno assumed that space and time are infinitely divisible, without discrete units, in order to argue

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39 views

Zeno of Elea

Zeno of Elea argued that motion is impossible through his paradoxes: 1. In the Achilles Paradox, Achilles can never catch the tortoise because by the time he reaches where the tortoise is, it has moved further, resulting in Achilles having to traverse an infinite number of distances to catch the tortoise. 2. The Dichotomy Paradox, also known as the Racetrack Paradox, argues that for an object to traverse any distance, it must first traverse half the distance, then half of the remaining distance, continuing infinitely without completing the full distance. 3. Zeno assumed that space and time are infinitely divisible, without discrete units, in order to argue

Uploaded by

Kring 2x
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reductio ad absurdum 

(Latin for "reduction to absurdity"), also known as argumentum ad absurdum (Latin for


"argument to absurdity") or apagogical arguments, is the form of argument that attempts to establish a claim by
showing that the opposite scenario would lead to absurdity or contradiction. This argument form traces back
to Ancient Greek philosophy and has been used throughout history in both formal mathematical and philosophical
reasoning, as well as in debate.

Zeno of Elea, however, was the most notable because of his assertion that motion, as we know it, is impossible. Not
only did he make this large claim, he attempted to prove it.

Zeno was a disciple of Parmenides, who was the philosopher who went one step further, by claiming that any form
of change is impossible. It is largely believed that Zeno’s arguments, later known as ‘Zeno’s Paradoxes’,

In the Achilles Paradox, Achilles races to catch a slower runner—for example, a tortoise that is crawling in a line
away from him. The tortoise has a head start, so if Achilles hopes to overtake it, he must run at least as far as the
place where the tortoise presently is, but by the time he arrives there, it will have crawled to a new place, so then
Achilles must run at least to this new place, but the tortoise meanwhile will have crawled on, and so forth. Achilles
will never catch the tortoise, says Zeno. 

in the Achilles Paradox, Zeno assumed distances and durations are infinitely divisible in the sense of having an
actual infinity of parts, and he assumed there are too many of these parts for the runner to complete.

It was said to be a book of paradoxes defending the philosophy of Parmenides.

why did zeno that motion is impossible?


No matter how small a distance is still left, she must travel half of it, and then half of what's still
remaining, and so on, ad infinitum. With an infinite number of steps required to get there, clearly she can
never complete the journey. And hence, Zeno states, motion is impossible.

Zeno makes the argument that motion is impossible.

1. The Ten Paradoxes


a. Paradoxes of Motion
The Achilles
The Dichotomy (The Racetrack)
The Arrow
The Moving Rows (The Stadium)
b. Paradoxes of Plurality
Alike and Unlike
Limited and Unlimited
Large and Small
Infinite Divisibility
c. Other Paradoxes
The Grain of Millet
Against Place

a. Paradoxes of Motion

i. The Achilles
Achilles, whom we can assume is the fastest runner of antiquity, is racing to catch the tortoise that is slowly
crawling away from him. Both are moving along a linear path at constant speeds. In order to catch the tortoise,
Achilles will have to reach the place where the tortoise presently is. However, by the time Achilles gets there, the
tortoise will have crawled to a new location. Achilles will then have to reach this new location. By the time Achilles
reaches that location, the tortoise will have moved on to yet another location, and so on forever. Zeno
claims Achilles will never catch the tortoise. This argument shows, he believes, that anyone who believes Achilles
will succeed in catching the tortoise and who believes more generally that motion is physically possible is the victim
of illusion. The claim that motion is an illusion was advanced by Zeno’s mentor Parmenides . Zeno is assuming that
space and time are infinitely divisible; they are not discrete or atomistic.

ii. The Dichotomy (The Racetrack)


And any ancient idea that the sum of the actually infinite series of path lengths or segments 1/2 + 1/4 +
1/8 + … is infinite now has to be rejected in favor of the theory that the sum converges to 1. This is key to
solving the Dichotomy Paradox according to the Standard Solution. It is basically the same treatment as
that given to the Achilles. The Dichotomy Paradox has been called “The Stadium” by some
commentators, but that name is also commonly used for the Paradox of the Moving Rows, so readers
need to be on the alert for ambiguity in the literature.

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