change

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change

philosophy

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June 24, 2026

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In philosophy, "change" is a fundamental concept that explores the nature of becoming and flux. Ancient Greek philosophers like Heraclitus proposed that the universe is in constant motion, famously stating that one cannot step into the same river twice because both the river and the person are always changing. This idea contrasts with philosophers like Parmenides, who argued that true reality is unchanging and eternal, and that change is merely an illusion.12

Modern philosophical schools, such as process philosophy, emphasize change and becoming as central to reality, opposing views that prioritize permanence. Idealism, another philosophical approach, also grapples with change, particularly in relation to reason, cultural institutions, and the values that shape societies.34

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Anaxagoras
…He also accounted for biological changes, in which substances appear under new manifestations: as men eat and drink, flesh, bone, and hair grow. In order to explain the great amount and diversity of change, he said that “there is a portion of every thing, i.e., of every elemental stuff, in…
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…He also accounted for biological changes, in which substances appear under new manifestations: as men eat and drink, flesh, bone, and hair grow. In order to explain the great amount and diversity of change, he said that “there is a portion of every thing, i.e., of every elemental stuff, in…
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Taoism
Change and transformation
All parts of the cosmos are attuned in a rhythmical pulsation. Nothing is static; all things are subjected to periodical mutations and transformations that represent the Chinese view of creation. Instead of being opposed with a static ideal, change itself is systematized…
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All parts of the cosmos are attuned in a rhythmical pulsation. Nothing is static; all things are subjected to periodical mutations and transformations that represent the Chinese view of creation. Instead of being opposed with a static ideal, change itself is systematized…
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$optical illusion: refraction of light$
epistemology
The pre-Socratics
…coherent account of motion and change could be given. Although the problem was primarily a concern of metaphysics, not epistemology, it had the consequence that all major Greek philosophers held that knowledge must not itself change or be changeable in any respect. That requirement motivated Parmenides (flourished 5th century bce),…
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…coherent account of motion and change could be given. Although the problem was primarily a concern of metaphysics, not epistemology, it had the consequence that all major Greek philosophers held that knowledge must not itself change or be changeable in any respect. That requirement motivated Parmenides (flourished 5th century bce),…
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idealism
Change
The third question is: What position or attitude is a thinker to take toward temporal becoming and change and toward the presence of ends and values within the given? According to idealists, reason not only discovers a coherent order in nature but also creates…
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The third question is: What position or attitude is a thinker to take toward temporal becoming and change and toward the presence of ends and values within the given? According to idealists, reason not only discovers a coherent order in nature but also creates…
Read More