Western philosophy consists of expanding the mind and exercising the intellect. It differs from other types of philosophy because it is the only type that analyzes things to such a certain extreme. For example, under Western philosophy, the very question of ‘what is beauty?’ is brought up under the subject of poietics. While a normal human being living today would not really think twice about what is beautiful, Western philosophers such as St. Thomas Aquina

In complete contradiction to Heraclitus, Paramenides believed that the notion of change is absurd and that there is no such thing as change, it is merely an illusion (Sullivan). Paramenides looked at things from a broader aspect and believed that things should be looked at for what they really are, not what they appear to be. He believed that the one thing that all things have in common is that they exist, which makes them being. His theory stated that if everything that is is a being, then the only way for change to occur is for something to go from being to non-being, or from non-being to being. If something is being, it can never become non-being, and if something is non-being, it can never become being, because something cannot turn into nothing and something cannot come from nothing (Sullivan). Paramenides believe that the senses were to blame for depicting change and it was simply just a false appearance.

Change was the key to the universe for Heraclitus, who was known as the philosopher of change. He believed that everything in the world, including the world itself, was in a state of flux at all times and is noted for stating that “you can never walk into the same river twice” because in fact while all rivers are in flux, no river could ever remain the same from moment to moment (Sullivan). While a river is just one example used, the same could be said for any other object under Heraclitus’ theory. All materials are in a constant state of decay, which makes them change from moment to moment, and while plants, animals, and humans grow or become old, we are constantly changing at any given time. Heraclitus even went so far as to say that if a thing is changing from one moment to the next then in the very act of naming it, it is changing; therefore, no thing could ever be named (Sullivan).

In conclusion, Western philosophy sets itself apart from all other philosophies because it has veered away from using myths and gods as explanations for all things that can be questioned, thanks impart to Thales. Because of this, under the ways of Western philosophy there are no conclusive answers for most questions, just more questions. Though it provides for wonderful mental exercise, Western philosophy falls short as an investigation of existence (“Philosophy”).

The problem of change has been around for many, many years, dating back to the conflicts of Heraclitus and Param

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