THE INFLUENCE OF EASTERN IDEAS ON PARMENIDES’ PHILOSOPHY: A METHODOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of interpreting the origins of Parmenides’ philosophy in the context of teaching ancient philosophy: should it be viewed as the result of the purely internal development of the Greek philosophical tradition, or as an artefact that incorporates the cultural heritage of the Ancient East?

Aim of the study – to systematize the findings of foreign historians of philosophy regarding the content of Parmenides’ philosophy, focusing on the issue of its internal logic of development within the context of ancient philosophy, or from the perspective of the presence of Eastern philosophical and religious influences.

Methodology. The research employed methods such as analysis and synthesis; historicalgenetic and dialectical approaches; we also drew on C.G. Jung’s theory of archetypes and K. Jaspers’ concept of «axial time». We also employed a comparative methodology to contrast Parmenides’ philosophical thought with ancient Indian philosophical thought, the teachings of Zoroastrianism, and archaic shamanic mystical practices. Furthermore, we utilized the method of textual analysis of fragments from the ancient philosopher’s primary sources.

Scientific novelty. This paper systematizes the discourse of foreign historians of philosophy regarding the possible influence of Eastern ideas on the philosophical ideas of the ancient pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides. This creates the conditions for a problem-based approach to the study of the thinker’s ontology and epistemology in a seminar session within the «Philosophy» educational program.

Conclusions. The question of possible Eastern influences on Parmenides’ philosophy remains an open one in Western philosophical history. Similarities between different traditions are most often explained not by direct borrowings, but by shared intellectual intuitions. At the same time, Parmenides’ philosophy demonstrates a unique combination of logical rigour and mythopoetic form, which secures it a special place in the history of philosophy and renders it open to various interpretations; this could form the basis for a seminar session on Parmenides’ philosophy as a discussion of the aforementioned issue.