Parmenides - Pre-Socratic Philosopher Parmenides

Definition: The Pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides of Elea, in Southern Italy, was born around 540 or 515 B.C. He studied under Xenophanes, but followed the Pythagorean Ameinias, instead, although scholars can't find Pythagoreanism in Parmenides' writing.

Parmenides distrusted human senses and thought that truth can be found only through infallible reason, which is based on knowledge. For this reason a philosopher must learn all things.

Parmenides says that nothing comes into being because then it would have come from nothing. Everything that is must always have been. It can't be more or less. There can't be movement because if there were, there would be a space where there was once nothing and now is something. (Later philosophers worked on ironing out these impossibilities.)

Little is known of Parmenides' life. He appears to have come from a noble family, provided Elea with laws, and traveled to Athens where he met the young Socrates.

Sources:
IEP Parmenides
[Early Greek Philosophy, by Jonathan Barnes

Occupation: Philosopher

Parmenides is on the list of Most Important People to Know in Ancient History.