The Philosophical Problem of Change and Becoming

By Benjamin Richmond

The universe we inhabit is undeniably in flux. From the fleeting moments of our daily lives to the grand cosmic ballet of stars and galaxies, change seems to be the very fabric of existence. Yet, beneath this apparent dynamism lies one of philosophy's most enduring and perplexing questions: What is change, and how can anything truly change if, to change, it must both be and not be at the same time? This isn't merely an academic curiosity; it strikes at the heart of our understanding of being, identity, and the very nature of reality itself, a problem contemplated by the greatest minds chronicled in the Great Books of the Western World.

The Ancient Dichotomy: Heraclitus's River vs. Parmenides's Immutable Being

The earliest Western philosophers grappled intensely with this paradox. Two towering figures from ancient Greece, often seen as diametrically opposed, set the stage for millennia of debate:

  • Heraclitus of Ephesus (c. 535 – c. 475 BCE): The Philosopher of Flux
    Heraclitus famously declared, "You cannot step twice into the same river; for other and yet other waters are ever flowing on." For him, change was the fundamental reality. Everything is in a state of becoming, a constant war of opposites, a cosmic fire that continually consumes and recreates. Stability, in his view, was an illusion, a momentary snapshot of an ever-moving process. His philosophy emphasizes the dynamic, ever-shifting nature of reality, where time is the medium of perpetual transformation.

  • Parmenides of Elea (c. 515 – c. 450 BCE): The Philosopher of Immutable Being
    In stark contrast, Parmenides argued that change is utterly impossible and an illusion of the senses. His powerful logical argument posited that Being is one, eternal, indivisible, and unchanging. To change would mean to become something different, to move from what is to what is not, or from what is not to what is. But "what is not" is nothing, and nothing cannot be conceived or exist. Therefore, true Being must be static, complete, and utterly devoid of change. Motion, generation, and decay are merely deceptive appearances.

This foundational conflict – between the world of constant flux and the world of unchanging reality – laid the groundwork for all subsequent metaphysical inquiry.

(Image: A classical Greek sculpture of Heraclitus and Parmenides, one pointing to a flowing river with a look of contemplation, the other seated firmly on a rock, gesturing towards an unchanging horizon. The backdrop subtly blends a vibrant, dynamic landscape with a serene, static sky, symbolizing the philosophical tension between flux and permanence. The figures are rendered with thoughtful expressions, embodying their respective doctrines.)

Plato's Synthesis: Forms and the World of Appearance

Plato, a student of Socrates, sought to reconcile this profound ancient disagreement. Influenced by Parmenides, he posited a realm of eternal, perfect, and unchanging Forms (or Ideas) – the true Being of things. These Forms exist independently of the physical world and are the true objects of knowledge. The sensible world we perceive, however, is a world of becoming, a shadowy reflection of these Forms, constantly changing and imperfect.

For Plato, change occurs in the realm of particulars, but it does so by participating in or imitating the unchanging Forms. A beautiful flower changes, but its beauty participates in the unchanging Form of Beauty. This offered a dualistic solution, preserving both the stability required for knowledge (the Forms) and the observed reality of flux (the sensible world).

Aristotle's Dynamic Approach: Potency and Act

Aristotle, Plato's most famous student, offered a more immanent and unified solution. Rejecting Plato's separate realm of Forms, Aristotle argued that Being and change are inextricably linked within the natural world itself. He introduced the concepts of Potency (potentiality) and Act (actuality).

  • Potency: The capacity of something to become something else. A seed has the potency to become a tree.
  • Act: The actualization of that potential. The tree is the act of the seed's potency.

Change, for Aristotle, is simply the movement from potency to act. A block of marble (potency) becomes a statue (act) through the sculptor's work. A child (potency) becomes an adult (act) through growth and development. This framework allows for a coherent understanding of how things can genuinely change while still retaining an underlying identity or nature. Aristotle also introduced his four causes (material, formal, efficient, and final) to explain why and how things change, providing a robust system for understanding natural processes.

The Enduring Problem in Later Philosophy

The challenge of change continued to vex philosophers throughout the ages.

  • Medieval Philosophers, notably St. Thomas Aquinas, integrated Aristotle's concepts of potency and act into Christian theology, understanding God as pure Actuality (Actus Purus) – utterly without potentiality or change.
  • Early Modern Philosophers like René Descartes grappled with the change of substances, while David Hume famously questioned our ability to perceive causation, and thus change, directly, seeing only a constant conjunction of events.
  • Immanuel Kant offered a transcendental solution, arguing that Time is not an external reality but an a priori intuition of our minds, a fundamental structure through which we experience and organize the world, making change comprehensible within our phenomenal experience.

Time, in particular, emerged as a crucial element in understanding change. Is time merely a measure of change, or is it a fundamental condition that makes change possible? The relationship is reciprocal and deeply complex.

Key Questions Arising from the Problem of Change

The philosophical problem of change leads to several profound questions:

  • Identity Through Change: How can something remain the same thing if all its properties are constantly changing? (e.g., The Ship of Theseus paradox).
  • The Nature of Becoming: Is becoming a real process, or is it an illusion masking an underlying static reality?
  • Causality: What causes change? Is it an inherent property of things, or an external force?
  • The Role of Time: Is time essential for change, or can change occur outside of time? Does time flow, or is it an eternal block?

Conclusion: The Unfolding Riddle of Reality

From the ancient Greek river to the modern scientific understanding of quantum fluctuations, the philosophical problem of change and becoming remains a cornerstone of metaphysics. It forces us to confront the very nature of being and non-being, the relationship between appearance and reality, and our capacity to truly know the world. To understand change is to understand the dynamic essence of existence, a journey through the annals of thought that continues to unfold.

Video by: The School of Life

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Video by: The School of Life

💡 Want different videos? Search YouTube for: "Aristotle Potency Act Change Time"

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