The Paradoxes of Zeno

[@gopackgo4036]

Please post more videos, this is the greatest video on Zeno’s paradoxes on KZbin.

[@maelbathfield]

Probably the first video on YT that does not reduce Zeno's paradoxes to the Dichotomy and/or Achilles arguments. Not only the Arrow and the Stadium arguments are not forgotten, but also the context of the paradox of plurality is well introduced. Great job ! :)

[@katrinamanasan7896]

Hai can you help me? What specific thought did he share about the purpose of humans?

[@Krushnow]

Where's Diogenes when you need him? He would've just slapped Zeno and make him claim it couldn't have happened, because motion is impossible.

[@SolomonsCave]

Diogenes is awesome :D

[@siresorb1419]

Sounds like an excuse zeno made up to avoid hanging out with the boiz.

[@puckyMaXxx]

But what if Zeno dodge the slap? Will the slap ever touch Zeno's face? 😎👌🏼think again~

[@meeraskhan7494]

because they were not contemporaries

[@mayflowers5090]

if i ever invent a time machine to beat up some of these philosophers, this is the philosopher that inspired me, zeno.

[@kimsecherandersen1085]

Zeno of Elea - student of Parmenides. In defense of his mentor or his nemesis? Was he serious or mischievous? His paradoxes, immeasurably subtle and profound. The sheer oddness of zero and infinity us all confound. Of the racecourse paradox he is ever renowned. For how could Achilles traverse infinite points in finite time? Or a mountain with infinite steps ever hope to climb? Against basic logic - it seems a crime. And if time is equally, infinitely divisible. The concept of a motion seems rather inexplicable. Like the contradictory notion of a “motionless arrow in flight”. His paradoxes though infuriating us all delight. Reductio ad absurdum was his preferred method of proof. The truthfulness or falsity of statements he sought to disprove. For be they true, absurdity would ensue. And be they false, silliness they endorse. His paradoxes also a dialectic discourse of opposing views. Seeking common ground through reason and amuse. So how shall we treat Zeno’s treatise? Perhaps as a synthesis of Heraclitus’ thesis to Parmenides’ antithesis.

[@Salim54321]

WOOOOOOOOOOOW man you have put this very complicated idea in a very simple, lucid language thank you so much

[@jobbas6083]

So nice to find a video that covers more than achilles! We're currently discussing the plurality paradox in class, it strikes me how its such a dismissed part of Zeno.

[@jobbas6083]

The problem we faced last time, which this video REALLY helped me with understanding, was attacking his paradox from the same perspective as Socrates when they discuss Zenos work. As socrates says, things can be separated by qualities and predicates. As he says himself, he is both one and many, for he has two legs, but is one man. I think this really highlights why the Parmenides dialogue is so interesting, Socrates being a young, fresh philosopher, who tries solving the problem with the wrong premises.

[@SolomonsCave]

@@jobbas6083 Yes, that's right. Most people, including some philosophers, think they can easily "solve" these paradoxes and then move on. But these paradoxes aren't meant to be solved, they are meant to make you think about the fundamental nature of reality.

[@jobbas6083]

@@SolomonsCave exactly! The discussion we had with our professor divulged into a 40 minute explanation of why socrates is making wrong assumptions. Still at the end of the class I think a grand total of no one were closer to understanding it, me included of course hahahh

[@ArpanD]

Really awesome video. Hats off. Changed the way I look at reality. Indeed it feels good to see that the human mind could grasp such strange thoughts so far back that now has become commonplace in quantum mechanics. In fact I came across the term, "Zeno" while learning Quantum Zeno Effect.

[@SolomonsCave]

Must say I never heard about the Quantum Zeno Effect, but it's true that the pre-Socratics, in one way or another, asked basically every major question about reality and gave every kind of answer :)

[@GrayNerdArt]

Hi - I just found your channel and I love every bit of it! I can't wait to see more. Keep up the great work!

[@atlantislibrary]

Thanks so much for this series. I hope you are able to continue.

[@junk5284]

Really looking forward to the next video man. These videos has been such a help to me understanding the presocratics. It’s a shame these videos don’t have as many views as they ought to.

[@matheusguimaraes1446]

dont stop recording videos, obrigado, seus videos chegaram no Brasil.

[@this_Joe_Smith]

2:40 I'm reminded of being in bed and being told "get up" and me being like "i am" but not getting up.... I'm all in the halfway points

[@ilnasteh7d]

he illustrated his famous paradoxes not as riddles, but he was was defending Parmenides' doctrine indirectly, to prove that multiplicity and motion are unreal.

[@mehedihassan2764]

Your efforts are extremely good. It is an important video for me. Please make more

[@ThomazLera]

Thanks! Nice lecture!

[@ssikpi]

Hi. Just saw this, and I am puzzled that you dont have more subscribers. Thank you for your work :)

[@SolomonsCave]

Thanks. For one, I don't know how to manipulate the algorithm all that well and I don't spend money on ads. Secondly, from what I've heard from successful KZbinrs, it also takes some "luck" for your first viral video to draw in the first few thousand. Haven't had that luck yet. Thirdly, I'm still growing, average about 1 new sub per day, so I'll get there eventually :)

[@Vextrife]

@@SolomonsCave You need to set up a patreon, we'll help you fund ads. Don't give up on this channel.

[@Goethe-von-Voltaire]

Don't give up mate. Even now, I've just stumbled upon your channel. I saw your vids on philosophy and I must say, am quite amazed by them.

[@luisantoniomeireles611]

cheers from brazil.. thank you so much for these videos

[@jasonvoorhees8899]

More Philosophical videos please. God bless.

[@Langolyer2010]

Great content mate, much appreciated.

[@FreedomandRights4US]

The best vid intro to Zeno

[@SolomonsCave]

Thanks!

[@박은미-f8w]

This video is interesting because it explains Xenon's paradox very well.

[@new-knowledge8040]

I like my motion paradox better. It was concerning motion. MOTION contains Two variables. 1) Distance and 2) Speed. Variables range from zero to infinity, or in this case of course the variables range from greater than zero to infinity, since zero itself would obviously mean no motion at all. Now if we were to set both of these Variables to infinity, the outcome would be as follows. 1) Travelling across an infinite distance --> To continue to travel without end. 2) Travelling at an infinite speed --> To travel across any distance without the passage of any time. Note: If it takes time to get from point "A" to point "B", this means that you can still move faster and use less time to get from point "A" to point "B", therefore you are still travelling at a finite speed, not at an infinite speed. Only if no time at all occurs while moving across any distance, is the speed actually an infinite speed. This combination of infinities produces a paradox because, 1) + 2) = To continue to travel without end, and all this done without the passage of any time at all. This in turn means.....TO GO ON FOREVER, IN NO TIME AT ALL. Anyhow, if you continue to resolve this paradox, you will also discover the phenomena described via Einstein's theory of Special Relativity(SR), and at the same time you can derive the SR mathematical equations all by yourself. Practically any person should be able to do it. I say that since I am a high school dropout myself who had no physics education at all, and my teachers thought of me as being a complete nobody, a total failure, a hopeless case, yet the task was easy for me to complete, thus it should be no more difficult for you to do than it is for you to ride a bicycle.

[@thebuzzardroost]

This isn’t a paradox because an object traveling at an infinite speed across an infinite distance is just an object that isn’t moving at all

[@jackphillips3440]

Great video! thank you!!

[@muhammadayazkhan5963]

WHY DID YOU STOP MAKING VIDEOS?

[@Dominic-su5pb]

This helps me a lot in my intro to Philosophy subject. Thank you :D

[@lucylucy3125]

Thank you!

[@DragonBornCanadian]

I just found your channel and it has been so helpful for my Hebrew course I'm taking at university. Haven't checked out your other videos on philosophy and such but I bet they're just as good. Come back and upload when you available to, awesome stuff man, God bless.

[@scharajenacoustic8091]

Hi. Where is your video of Heraclitus? I'm rellay interested in your explanation

[@SolomonsCave]

In a few days!

[@OwainRaj]

Good video, very well presented.

[@hujjatabbasi9752]

He was the ancient Einstain Who discussed Same way Dialectically on motion.

[@Ejeby]

2:45 stuck in place 9:40 everywhere = nowhere

[@denizcagl7619]

hey,awesome channel, hope you have more audience

[@kelvinho2475]

When will the next lesson about Heraclitus be released?

[@SolomonsCave]

Fair question, it's been too long :( I hope to get back to it next year, though it probably won't be on a weekly schedule.

[@YouAdmireThisName]

@@SolomonsCave Since we're on the topic, I was hoping that perhaps you could give your opinion on Heidegger's claim that the divergent theories posited by Heraclitus and Parmenides ultimately ended up describing the same phenomenon, albeit from different sides, but nonetheless sharing the same fundamental truth. Additionally I must ask, do you think there are any Ontological sentiments from the Eastern Tradition that can supplant/reconcile the differing thoughts of the two? Hope I'm not asking too much lol, love your channel and can't wait to see what comes in the new year

[@SolomonsCave]

@@YouAdmireThisName Happy new year! So, as per your first question, I'm not as familiar with Heidegger as I'd like to be, but I do agree with what you/he said about both of them (attempting to) describe the same reality. In a way from different perspectives. In fact, their discussion about how best to describe or approach the same reality continues on until today. It's Plato vs. Aristotle, Augustene vs. Aquinas, Descartes vs. Locke, Kant vs. Heidegger, Modernism vs. Post-Modernism, Conservative vs. Progressive. Same discussion, different century. I have my own ideas on how the two can be harmonized, but I hope to discuss that in a later video in more detail. As for Eastern philosophy, I've hardly read enough to comment, though it seems that ontological questions are virtually absent or of a very different nature (one I haven't recognized yet). The same, interestingly enough, can perhaps also be said about Socrates, as he was more interested in epistemology and morality.

[@winterwraith8339]

Questioned dawned on me 1 day when i was looking at a ruler one day and trying to cut up a piece of paper to the smallest size possible. I was bored Thoughts took off from there. Eventually noticed time was the same way. Still sorta think that there just must be a period where things do not exist but even that reaching that point would be impossible. Its weird hearing people try to use the "add up to 1" method, because if it made any sense, we could do that anything like a ball that increases in size over time, it should eventually add up to just a singular number. Theres no reason to think that we ourselves are not ready they size of say half an inch to something that is bigger than us enough to where its measurements make us the small being that can somehow be zero'd out to equal half an inch to the giant.

[@siresorb1419]

This feel pretty dumb. Normally I can see where a philosopher is coming from but this one makes no sense. If you have a destination that you've reached time and time again does that mean you traveled for multiple eternities? Then how long is an actual eternity? The only way for this paradox to work is if you have no actual destination to get to.

[@SolomonsCave]

You're not completely wrong, his entire philosophy is essentially constructed to explain why our everyday observations of reality are wrong. His conclusions are counter-intuitive to the extreme, so of course they'll feel "pretty dumb". However, "it feels pretty dumb" wasn't satisfying enough for the generations of philosophers, theologians, mathematicians, and scientists who came after, and Zeno's annoying paradoxes inspired them to think, calculate, and theorize closer and closer to the truth as they saw it.

[@siresorb1419]

@@SolomonsCave So did they all also ignore the fact that once something has an end it cannot also contain infinity because infinity is that without an end? But this example given has an end. Wouldn't it be better if they questioned what is the halfway marker of a journey that hasn't been completed yet?

[@SolomonsCave]

@@siresorb1419 You'd have to study the individuals who engaged with this matter, either explicitly or implicitly. The point is, Zeno (/Parmenides) are merely one clause from a centuries-long conversation and without them, you may miss out on interesting details or nuances from later scholars.

[@Totemia]

I've always loved philosophy but it was never a priority for me, only a subject in school. I love your channel so much you basically summed up so many importans parts, I even remeber some of the facts you mentioned on previous videos❤️ I am going to binge watch until I've seen your every video😍

[@Goethe-von-Voltaire]

This is a different Zeno. Not the one with the sinking ship. That one's about stoicism. This Zeno is about riddles/paradoxes.

[@SolomonsCave]

There are indeed two Zeno's in ancient Greek philosophy, the other one is called Zeno of Citium: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeno_of_Citium

[@petew.e.3946]

I have to be missing something here... The video itself is great, but the idea / philosophy kind of just seems like Zeno (or Parmenides) was dissecting these words in order to make sense of them. Again, I'm almost positive that I'm missing an important piece of the puzzle here, but if an observer creates a point A and a point B, and than two racers run from point A to point B and cross over it, how is the space infinite? How can there be an infinite number of half-way points if point B passed? And the fact that the example uses a point A and a point B to make its point means that the idea itself depends on an observer. But if there is an observer, then there is a finite amount of space. I would love for someone to clear this up for me. This is really interesting.

[@SolomonsCave]

I think Aristotle would agree with you, as he dismissed most of Zeno's paradoxes out of hand. Though Zeno would say that it merely appears as though point B is passed: our mind plays a trick on us, like some kind of cosmic optical illustion. Also, I'm discussing Zeno slightly out of order, as he was a contemporary of Leucippus and Democritus, so part of what Zeno is doing is arguing against their atomic theory. (The video on Leucippus is up, Democritus is forthcoming).

[@SamuelsBookReviews]

Do you think you’ll ever get back to posting?

[@SolomonsCave]

No one knows the future. But I am thinking about it.

[@SamuelsBookReviews]

@@SolomonsCave Hope you do, these videos are fantastic, would love to see more

[@thiou2740]

This was soooo good

[@jimsteele9559]

I don’t think these are paradoxes. They do a good job of showing that pure reason, logic and rationality does not necessarily lead to truth. This is where Plato’s divided line goes wrong. It also shows intellectuals can talk themselves into anything.

[@tomenza]

Come back!

[@SolomonsCave]

Some day :) I haven't forgotten about this channel, just very busy with (and thankful for) the other things I'm doing right now.

[@tomenza]

@@SolomonsCave cool! I really like your videos 😊

[@dundoderdumme3044]

@@SolomonsCave I really can't wait and am incredibly excited for the Heraclitus video!

[@scharajenacoustic8091]

@@SolomonsCave hi. Please come back. we are waiting for your heraclitus video

[@GrayNerdArt]

@@SolomonsCave we’re still waiting!

[@ligmaanl]

Ultimate question.

[@user-td6dr5wd8w]

If you have a spaceship, I bet the designer included instrument panels to measure the speed. BOOM

[@SolomonsCave]

But now we got two spaceships, one measuring speed relative to Earth, the other relative to the sun. Then they fly side-by-side at the same speed, yet they register different speeds... HUH? ;)

[@user-td6dr5wd8w]

@@SolomonsCave I fire the dum dum that made the other ship

[@ronalddump4061]

+Sol: So, please elaborate upon how that is supposed to be some insightful thing to ponder. Your car can be registering speed relative to the road at 60mph. Your car can be registering speed of zero mph in relation to the car beside it, yet they are traveling beside each other. Again, is my mind supposed to find something elegantly wondrous about this situation, or what are you getting at here???

[@randomstuff3916]

An object is only moving in relation to another object

[@icybloccboi7044]

They forgot the "speed" in that race with turtoise

[@diegomoreno5927]

I had this exact same inquiry when I was a little kid, lol finally it came to an explanation

[@ronalddump4061]

Same here! I asked myself quite early how this mental dividing process is in any way relevant to motion along the distance being mentally divided. The answer was, one has nothing whatsoever to do with the other. No paradox. Got there when I was about 5 yrs old.

[@crypticcorgi8280]

Does Zenos infinitely divisible distance paradox all under the framing that there is an infinite amount of space between spaces? If there an infinite amount of space in the race. Meaning the race is an infinite length? How could the turtle even finish the race themself. Sounds like they both (turtle and Achilles) would be trapped as seemingly statues for well, an infinite of of time. Obviously that is not the reality we live in tho. Also to even continue the race, They would have to shrink to fit the distance. Lastly, if they could run an infinite amount. That actually proves the oppisite. Because motion has to happen for him to even get halfway there, let alone so one and so forth. Just because it gets infinitely small doesn't mean he isn't moving those distances. He is infinitely moving.

[@SolomonsCave]

Yes, that's why Zeno would say that motion doesn't happen at all. There is no space, for if there were space, it would be infinite. And since it cannot be infinite, it cannot exist.

[@Tarpinitaoinô]

Zeno is my ♯.

[@vocam12]

Funny to see a guy from 2500 years ago being much, much smarter and subtile than college graduates of today

[@diegomoreno5927]

this guy sounds like that saleman on a fair that tells illusions to amuse

[@jerichobeach2967]

This is the 4th video I’m watching on this subject let’s see if they know how to explain it instead of just doing the math cuz I don’t get it yet.

[@raycosmic9019]

Binary logic is inherently self-contradicting.

[@inlieuofsense9521]

are new videos coming? just asking since i see you interacting in the comments

[@SolomonsCave]

I've been writing scripts... hope to have some time over the summer to get going again.

[@inlieuofsense9521]

@@SolomonsCave that is great, i wish you all the best with your work :)

[@APG103House]

there like talking about gravity the whole time?

[@impishfou6953]

:( stopped making videos

[@georgesos]

I m sorry but no! This moving arrows "paradox" is just silly( like Aristotle rightly said) . Also ,i am sure that Zenon had no idea about "frames of reference" when he was making this "paradox".

[@SolomonsCave]

You're right that the arrows are probably just silly (provided it has been transmitted accurately), but I'm just as interested in trying to make you think for yourself as I am in strictly reporting what Zeno said/wrote/thought.

[@mmartata]

thank you for spreading Zeno's wise findings. All solutions to his paradoxes are of mechanical nature(Newton style). These paradoxes are perfect exploit/comprehend solution to problems

[@RawTruthRT]

Doesn't these theories clash with the concept of speed

[@SolomonsCave]

I would assume so, as speed is contingent on motion and at least two separate objects moving relative to each other.

[@SamuelKamuri-f6m]

Can you argue with me that time is money

[@jerichobeach2967]

Ok yes it’s no secret that u can measure things by half it doesn’t prevent anything from reaching its target. There is not an infinite amount of space just an infinite amount of math this is silly it’s the numerical equivalent of saying I saw a saw saw things.

[@SolomonsCave]

Thank you for your comment. However, this video is not meant to refute Zeno or explain his paradoxes (mathematical or otherwise), but merely to explain them as I understand them and to put them in the context of other ancient Greek philosophers.

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

It's so funny how people keep ignoring how Zeno obviously 'forgets' how the seize of the object that moves with constant speed over a finite space, it doesn't matter if that space can be divided ad infinitum in theory.

[@varvarasumenkova2804]

Hi)) Just a little general feedback on all of your videos))) I think the music you put on the background is unnecessary and a little bit distracting) I did the same mistake)) I have just started making youtube videos and I was scared that people would get bored if I don't place music on the background, maybe you feel the same)) But then I watched a bunch of videos of other people and I have realized that I enjoy and understand the content better without extra music. I think, it is better when you give people an opportunity to focus more on what you say and how you speak, rather than distract their attention) Otherwise, I would recommend choosing music suitable to the emotion you expect people to feel during you speech)

[@NovicebutPassionate]

No background music, pleeeeeaaaaasssse, the content is too valuable!

[@inthemomenttomoment]

WE=mc2 are nowhere, now here, (same letters). Being Still wins the Race 🌎 of Motion. From the 1 comes the 2, then the 3, then the mother (matter) of an infinite number of indivisible things.

[@pablolloyd1450]

Zeno was def smoking weed

[@jerichobeach2967]

The tortoise is not always ahead this is fantasy it’s like saying wing chun will always beat mma wrong it never will.

[@benquinneyiii7941]

Calculus

[@babyrazor6887]

A false paradox wherein every step Achilles takes must be shorter than his previous step.

[@kcsnipes]

Dude was book smart but not street smart 😅

[@Millenniumgameryatharth]

Lol is somone here from dragon ball

[@scharajenacoustic8091]

Hi. Where is your video of Heraclitus? I'm rellay interested in your explanation