What does 'panta rhei' mean in the philosophy of Heraclitus?

The phrase 'panta rhei' translates to 'everything flows' and serves as an aphorism summarizing Heraclitus's doctrine of constant change. While Plato attributes this teaching to Heraclitus, the exact formula first appears in the writings of the late antique Neoplatonist Simplicius. This concept portrays the world as always becoming and never truly being.

What we know

• The formula panta rhei means 'everything flows' in Ancient Greek. [2]
• Plato attributes the teaching of universal flux to Heraclitus in his dialogue Cratylus. [2]
• The exact formula panta rhei first appears in the works of the late antique Neoplatonist Simplicius. [2]
• Heraclitus expressed his concept of change through sayings like 'no man ever steps in the same river twice.' [3]

Still open

• While Plato attributes the doctrine to Heraclitus, the exact phrase panta rhei does not appear in surviving genuine fragments of Heraclitus and originates textually with later writers like Simplicius.

Where to go next

• compared withHow did Parmenides argue against change?
• how it workedWhat was the role of fire in Heraclitus's cosmology?
• how we knowWhat are the surviving fragments of Heraclitus?
• the bigger pictureHow does impermanence appear in Eastern philosophy?
• a case in pointIn which dialogue does Plato discuss Heraclitus?
• an unexpected connectionHow does Ovid use Heraclitus in his poetry?The Greek philosophical doctrine of panta rhei found a Latin translation in Ovid's Metamorphoses through the speech of Pythagoras.

Sources

• [1]panta rhei (Wikidata Q254982) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Panta rhei (doctrine) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Heraclitus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Pre-Socratic philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Impermanence · CC BY-SA 4.0