Zeno of Elea · Philosophy

The Flying Arrow

At any single instant, a flying arrow occupies a space exactly equal to itself - and so, at that instant, it is at rest. But time is made of instants, and if the arrow is at rest at every instant, it is at rest throughout its flight. So the flying arrow does not move. Zeno’s arrow probes the deepest puzzle: what is motion <em>at an instant</em>?

What you'll be able to recall

You learned Zeno’s Arrow paradox: at any single instant, the arrow occupies exactly one space equal to its own size, doing in that frozen instant just what a stationary arrow does - so at each instant it is at rest; and since the whole flight is a sum of such instants, the arrow is at rest throughout, i.e. never moves…

Leads to Heraclitus.

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