philosopher Zeno of Elea (490-430) BCE The Ancient Greek philosopher Zeno of Elea left an indelible mark on Western philosophy with his theories on paradoxes, motion and time. His writings challenged prevailing beliefs concerning the universe and sought to undermine belief in the physical world as a whole. Learn more about Zeno's philosophical works in this post. Who is E lea Zeno Plato ’s Parmenides and Diogenes Laertius’ Lives of Eminent Philosophers are almost the only sources of information we have about Zeno’s life. If Plato’s account is correct, Zeno was born in 490 BCE, and accompanied Parmenides to Athens in about 450 BCE where the young Socrates met them. Zeno was said to be not just Parmenides’ pupil but his adopted son and his lover. He was a tall and handsome man, Plato says; and Diogenes says that his books ‘are brimful of intellect’. Aristotle said that Zeno invented ‘dialectic’, the form of philosophical argument aimed at arriving at truth (as opposed to ‘eristi
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