Parmenides

Parmenides (c. 515–450 BCE)

Parmenides introduced the concept of a singular, unchanging reality, claiming that change and multiplicity are illusions. His philosophy contrasts with Pythagorean ideas of harmony within diversity.

Contrast with Pythagoras

Parmenides’ focus on oneness as absolute and unchanging differs from Pythagoras’s dynamic triadic structure that evolves into a fourth. However, Pythagorean thought likely inspired later thinkers, such as Plato, to bridge these views by seeing unity as emerging from multiplicity.