refutation of time

[mikko]

Can anyone summarise Parmenides refutation of time in one sentence? Go on, I know you can do it!

[sarah123]

It's here, I've read it, still don't know what the bothering bother he's on about. Maybe someone else can have a go. http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~lyman/english233/g-Pa
rmenides.htm

[WaldoMcFroog]

Is the same as the Achilles and the Tortoise paradox?

IF the distance between Achilles and the tortoise is d, Achilles must travel a distance d/2 and in order to travel d/2, it must travel d/4;since this sequence goes on forever, it therefore appears that the distance d cannot be traveled.

[Jabba]

The Achilles and the Tortoise "paradox" was really Zeno of Elea. Parmenides said that everything you could speak of does exist, always has existed and always will exist, so nothing could ever change, so time is an illusion. (I could explain it more fully but that would take more than one sentence).

[bernardo]

I haven't heard of this Parmy bloke, but judging by the other answers it sounds like a load of parallel universes.

[derbyram]

oooohhhhh that's good. That is VERY good. I'm going to use that next time I'm late for work. I can say that the distance between derbyram and work is d, derbyram must therefore travel d/2 (why don't I just travel d? as d/2 would leave me stranded just outside East Midlands Airport???) ooohhh I'm lost now. I'm stuck outside East Mids airport and I've forgotten how to calculate d. PANTS I knew I should've not left school at 16!

[mikko]

Nice darts, Jabba! Very succinct. I wonder if old Parmi had trouble getting to work on time...

[darth vader]

i have just read it and yes. "it is a complete and utter load of toffee"

[Astraz]

Before an object can move any distance, it must first move through an infinite series of fractions of that distance; but since one can never actually get through an infinite series of steps, no distance can be moved through at all. But it still all greek to me! http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~lyman/english233/g-Pa
rmenides.htm

[mikko]

biog: http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/p/parmenid.htm