COEXISTENCE AS A FORM OF EXISTENCE: THE ANCIENT ORIGINS OF ECOLOGICAL THINKING

Abstract

The article explores the concept of co-being as a form of existence rooted in ancient philosophy, particularly in the thought of Heraclitus. The authors argue that the problem of co-being – namely, the mutual existence of the human being, nature, society, and the cosmos – belongs to the sphere of fundamental ontological questions, as it reflects the mode of human existence in the world and its relation to the whole. The study traces how the ancient notion of φύσις in the philosophy of the Milesian school, Anaximander, and Heraclitus shaped an understanding of being as a dynamic, self-unfolding process that maintains the unity of all forms of existence. Heraclitus’s principle of the unity of opposites, according to which conflict and tension constitute the condition of harmony, is interpreted as the first philosophical formulation of the idea of co-being.

Drawing on interpretations by modern scholars of ancient philosophy (E. Theodossiou, V. Manimanis, R. Neels, K. Begley, N.-L. Cordero) the authors demonstrate that early Greek thought on phýsis presupposes a relational ontology, in which being is conceived not as a set of isolated entities but as a network of interrelations and mutual dependencies. This ontology of wholeness and interpenetration provides the philosophical foundations for contemporary ecological thinking. Within this context, co-being signifies not merely an ethical demand for coexistence but the very mode of human existence in which the individual is inseparable from the natural and cosmic whole.

The ancient conception of world unity expressed through phýsis and logos is interpreted as a philosophical prototype of the modern ecosystemic model of being. The authors emphasize that a return to this worldview principle may offer a way to overcome technocratic and anthropocentric modes of thought that have contributed to the current ecological and spiritual crises. The restoration of co-being thus appears as an ontological precondition for the formation of a new ecological culture and an ethics of responsibility for the integrity of life. Therefore, the philosophy of co-being is understood not only as a rethinking of ancient heritage but also as a conceptual response to the challenges of modern civilization, which urgently requires the harmonization of the relations between humanity, nature, and the cosmos.