Zeno's paradoxes are a set of
philosophical problems generally thought to have been devised by
Greek philosopher
Zeno of Elea (ca. 490–430 BC) to support
Parmenides's doctrine that contrary to the evidence of one's senses, the belief in
plurality and change is mistaken, and in particular that
motion is nothing but an
illusion. It is usually assumed, based on
Plato's Parmenides (128a–d), that Zeno took on the project of creating these
paradoxes because other philosophers had created paradoxes against Parmenides's view. Thus Plato has Zeno say the purpose of the paradoxes "is to show that their hypothesis that existences are many, if properly followed up, leads to still more absurd results than the hypothesis that they are one." (
Parmenides 128d). Plato has
Socrates claim that Zeno and Parmenides were essentially arguing exactly the same point (
Parmenides 128a–b).