Parmenides de elea biography

More than 500 years before the time of Christ, a small group of philosophers was formulating fundamental ideas that would shape Western society for next 2,500 years.

They were called the Eleatic School, and its primary founder was a Greek man named Parmenides.

Early Years

Parmenides was born in the city of Elea after which his school of philosophy is named.

Parmenides de elea biography wikipedia

Elea was located in a region of western Italy which was a Greek colony at the time. The date of his birth is somewhat uncertain, but it was almost certainly between 515 and 540 B.C.

His family was wealthy and commanded a high social status.

This allowed Parmenides to concentrate on intellectual and educational pursuits rather than the common labor or military conscription of the lower classes.

Parmenides may have been a student of another giant of ancient Greek thought, Xenophanes, who