Time to bring a little Star Wars into the equation…and not for the last time. I’d like to talk a little about Yoda, Heraclitus, and the future. Heraclitus is, of course, credited and most well known for his flux doctrine. All things are in constant flux, constant change. We never step into the same river twice. But Yoda also has a flux doctrine of his own, but it pertains exclusively to the future. “Always in motion, the future is.” This particular method of foretelling places a lot of responsibility for those of us in the present. I mean, if the future is in constant flux, it can only be a result of the decisions we continue to make on a daily basis, right? I predict, now, that I will go downstairs after writing this blog. Upon doing so, I will indulge in the triple-espresso shot frapuccino I recently bought at Starbucks. For all intents and purposes, as far as I can tell, that is my future. But there are so many things I could do to upset and radically change that future! Again, lots of responsibility on those in the present. I mean, we interpret the past, and forge the future, don’t we? In that sense, the past is always in motion as well. All we have to do is change what we believed to have occurred, or change our ideals, and the past itself is warped by our wills! Too much power to handle, if you ask me, but it’s ours regardless.
But if the future is in motion, mustn’t it reach the midpoint before it reaches the end? So, can we never reach the future? Has the past never reached us? No Zeno! Go away!
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Ugh Zeno's Logical Paradox's make me want to hurl. I just feel as if it is asinine to believe that the faster individual will never reach the slower individual, its called lapping someone on a track. To me Zeno's philosophy is flawed, history is constantly in motion as we constantly find new pieces of the puzzle that manipulate our perception.
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