Zeno of Elea, son of Teleutagoras, was born about 490 BC. He would appear to have been active in Magna Graecia, that is, the Greek-speaking regions of southern Italy, during the mid-fifth century BC. He was the pupil of Parmenides, and his relations with him were so intimate that Plato calls him Parmenides's son.
Zeno devotes himself in refuting the views of the opponents of Parmenides. Arguments against the possibility of motion, is first found in 'The Dialectic of Zeno '. The ancient Greek philosophers were confused to think about space, time and motion. Zeno is the first who deeply thinks about these. His arguments, generally known as his paradoxes, seem to show that motion is simply an illusion which is not possible in any circumstances.
The majority of contemporary arguments on his paradoxes were on the infinite division of time and space, such as if there is a distance, there is also half that distance and so on. Zeno was the first in philosophical history to show that the concept of infinity existed.
Zeno is said to have taken part in the legislation of Parmenides, to the maintenance of which the citizens of Elea had pledged themselves every year by oath. His love of freedom is shown by the courage with which he exposed his life in order to deliver his native country from a tyrant.
Zeno of
Elea (490 BC–430 BC)
