Heraclitus
<p ><b>Heraclitus of Ephesus</b> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ˌ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >h</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ɛr</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ə</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ˈ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >k</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >l</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >aɪ</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >t</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >ə</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English#Key" title="Help:IPA for English" >s</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_English" title="Help:IPA for English" >/</a>;<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus#cite_note-1" >[1]</a></sup> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_language" title="Greek language" >Greek</a>: Ἡράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιος, <i>Hērákleitos ho Ephésios</i>; c. 535 – c. 475 BCE) was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Socratic_philosophy" title="Pre-Socratic philosophy" >pre-Socratic</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_philosophy" title="Greek philosophy" class="mw-redirect" >Greek philosopher</a>, a native of the Greek city <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus" title="Ephesus" >Ephesus</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionia" title="Ionia" >Ionia</a>, on the coast of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Minor" title="Asia Minor" class="mw-redirect" >Asia Minor</a>. He was of distinguished parentage. Little is known about his early life and education, but he regarded himself as self-taught and a pioneer of wisdom. From the lonely life he led, and still more from the riddling<sup id="cite_ref-ix6_2-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus#cite_note-ix6-2" >[2]</a></sup> and paradoxical<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus#cite_note-3" >[3]</a></sup> nature of his philosophy and his stress upon the needless unconsciousness of humankind,<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus#cite_note-4" >[4]</a></sup> he was called "The Obscure" and the "Weeping Philosopher".
Heraclitus is famous for his insistence on ever-present change in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe" title="Universe" >universe</a>, as stated in the famous saying, "No man ever steps in the same river twice"<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus#cite_note-5" >[5]</a></sup> (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heraclitus#Panta_rhei.2C_.22everything_flows.22" >panta rhei</a>, below). He believed in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_of_opposites" title="Unity of opposites" >unity of opposites</a>, stating that "the path up and down are one and the same", all existing entities being characterized by pairs of contrary properties. His cryptic utterance that "all entities come to be in accordance with this <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logos" title="Logos" >Logos</a></i>" (literally, "word", "reason", or "account") has been the subject of numerous interpretations.</p>
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