The problem of non-being in the philosophy of Parmenides and Heraclitus: between negative theology and philosophical apophaticism

Bogomolov A. V.

The article is devoted to the problem of demarcation of philosophical apophaticism and negative theology in the philosophy of Heraclitus and Parmenides. Relativism and the problem of determining the name of the Original allow us to formulate a hypothesis about the presence of both negative theology and philosophical apophaticism in the philosophy of Heraclitus. In the poem of Parmenides, being is endowed with divine attributes. Some characteristics of being are given apophatically. The article substantiates the position that the subject of philosophical apophaticism is non-being, which is also defined apophatically. It is shown that, in contrast to the teachings of Heraclitus, in the philosophy of Parmenides, the difference between negative theology and philosophical apophaticism has a pronounced character. The importance of the antithetical nature of the teachings of the two philosophers for the formation of the problem of negativity in the history of Greek thought is emphasized.

Keywords:Parmenides, Heraclitus, non-being, negative theology, philosophical apophaticism