Parmenides • on Elements of the Soul
❝ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸν νοῦν ταὐτὸν εἶναι ❞
ত Parmenides did not use a term in reference to souls nor, moreover, that he did not do so in a manner that implied a certain integration of it into his cosmological system. Nonetheless, he took the soul to be a fiery thing.
Theophrastus reports he subscribed to the like-by-like principle of perception and identified the two elements within us, Hot and Cold (i.e. Night and Light).
Parmenides subscribed to the widespread association of Hot with one’s life-force and vitality and to the notion that death is the final departure of the fiery Hot from the Cold.
ত The Parmenidean soul comprises both earth and fire could stem from the fact that both are indeed operative in the living human body or, most likely, can easily be explained as a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that Parmenides’ cosmology was in general dualistic and posited and disposed of two fundamental, opposite elements.
ত This framework raises a question concerning conceptual priority: did Parmenides identify the mortal’s soul as a particular token of Hot, or the Hot itself as living or ensouled stuff?
On the first alternative, the soul would be identified with the stable, core Hot element, which animates the mortal continuously from birth to death and persists across successive incarnations.
The goddess’ conveyance of Hot to and from the mortal would represent two delimited actions at both extremes of the mortal’s life.
As seems possible but less likely, Hot is itself a living substance, so that
one’s soul was simply the sum of Hot in him at any given moment.
An adult mortal life as a whole would be characterized by a gradual decline in living substance, with the cause of aging being a partial decline in Hot (the mortal would lose his soul-stuff bit by bit).
It is also possible that Parmenides did identify Hot as ensouled stuff but still spoke of particular ‘souls’ as enduringly individuated tokens of this ensouled stuff.
On either reading, Parmenides exemplifies what Gábor Betegh has described as the widespread ‘portion model’ of the relation between soul and cosmos, in which the soul comprises one or more of the specific stuffs which also have cosmic functions (in this case, ‘Hot’ or ‘Light’ or ‘fire’).
To refer back to the conceptual options outlined above, if we think that Parmenides conceived of souls as particular tokens of Hot, then the individuation of particular Hot souls must take place prior to, and independently of, their incarnation in a human body.
If, conversely, Hot is itself conceived of as ensouled stuff and if, morever, the ‘souls’ of which Simplicius speaks do not retain their discrete identity across successive incarnations, then a batch of Hot could be first individuated as a soul by the Cold with which it is circumscribed to produce the soul–body complex which is the living human.
Theophrastus reports he subscribed to the like-by-like principle of perception and identified the two elements within us, Hot and Cold (i.e. Night and Light).
Parmenides subscribed to the widespread association of Hot with one’s life-force and vitality and to the notion that death is the final departure of the fiery Hot from the Cold.
ত The Parmenidean soul comprises both earth and fire could stem from the fact that both are indeed operative in the living human body or, most likely, can easily be explained as a knee-jerk reaction to the fact that Parmenides’ cosmology was in general dualistic and posited and disposed of two fundamental, opposite elements.
ত This framework raises a question concerning conceptual priority: did Parmenides identify the mortal’s soul as a particular token of Hot, or the Hot itself as living or ensouled stuff?
On the first alternative, the soul would be identified with the stable, core Hot element, which animates the mortal continuously from birth to death and persists across successive incarnations.
The goddess’ conveyance of Hot to and from the mortal would represent two delimited actions at both extremes of the mortal’s life.
As seems possible but less likely, Hot is itself a living substance, so that
one’s soul was simply the sum of Hot in him at any given moment.
An adult mortal life as a whole would be characterized by a gradual decline in living substance, with the cause of aging being a partial decline in Hot (the mortal would lose his soul-stuff bit by bit).
It is also possible that Parmenides did identify Hot as ensouled stuff but still spoke of particular ‘souls’ as enduringly individuated tokens of this ensouled stuff.
On either reading, Parmenides exemplifies what Gábor Betegh has described as the widespread ‘portion model’ of the relation between soul and cosmos, in which the soul comprises one or more of the specific stuffs which also have cosmic functions (in this case, ‘Hot’ or ‘Light’ or ‘fire’).
To refer back to the conceptual options outlined above, if we think that Parmenides conceived of souls as particular tokens of Hot, then the individuation of particular Hot souls must take place prior to, and independently of, their incarnation in a human body.
If, conversely, Hot is itself conceived of as ensouled stuff and if, morever, the ‘souls’ of which Simplicius speaks do not retain their discrete identity across successive incarnations, then a batch of Hot could be first individuated as a soul by the Cold with which it is circumscribed to produce the soul–body complex which is the living human.
ত Parmenides' being is not only what can and must be thought but is also identical to veridical thinking. The reciprocal identity of thinking and being provides the basis for integrating human inquiry and the human subject with the Way of Truth.
At the culmination of this intellectual journey through Parmenides' thoughts on the soul and cosmos, we find ourselves at a pivotal crossroads of philosophical inquiry.
Parmenides' enigmatic ideas challenge us to introspect, to question the essence of the soul, and to explore the intricate relationship between our individuality and the broader cosmic order.
This endpoint serves as an invitation to embark on our own philosophical quest, to contemplate the mysteries of existence, and to deepen our connection with the eternal questions that have captivated human minds throughout history.
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