A Satellite According to Heraclitus

Contents

While the Aristotelian approach provides a clear analytical framework, the Heraclitean approach requires a radical change in perspective. Let us try to develop this different view of things.

First: The Aristotelian Analysis of the Satellite (by Contrast)

The Four Causes Applied

(only a few are identified as a guideline)

Material Cause: Aluminum, titanium, silicon (solar panels), electronic circuits, antennae, propellant

Formal Cause: Specific configuration (shape of the body, arrangement of antennae, system architecture)

Efficient Cause: Engineers, technicians, factories, industrial processes, launch vehicle that sent it into space

Final Cause: Telecommunications, GPS, Earth observation, scientific research

Result: A clear definition - “Satellite X is an artificial orbiting device composed of [materials] in the form [Y] produced by [Z] for the purpose [W]”

This works well: I have delimited, defined, classified the object. But I have also stopped the satellite, transforming it into a static substance.

The Heraclitean Turn: Changing the Question

The problem is that you are still asking “what is a satellite?” (the Aristotelian question).

Heraclitus would invite you to ask:

“How does a satellite become?”
“What tensions constitute it?”
“In which flows is it embedded?”
“What opposites generate and sustain it?”

Perspective 1: The Satellite as PROCESS, not Object

The Illusion of Stability

Naive View: The satellite is a solid object that “just sits there” in space.

Heraclitean Reality: The satellite is a dynamic process that maintains an apparent identity through continuous changes:

Continuous Material Flows:

Atomic Degradation: Cosmic radiation continuously transforms the atoms of the materials
Erosion from Micrometeorites: The surface is constantly bombarded and abraded
Outgassing: Molecules continuously evaporate into the vacuum
Propellant Consumption: Mass expelled for orbital corrections
Isotopic Decay: If it has plutonium generators, matter transmutes

Energy Flows:

Solar Absorption: Panels continuously capture photons
Thermal Dissipation: It radiates heat into space
Energy Conversion: Solar → electrical → mechanical → thermal (continuous cycle)
Battery Dissipation: Batteries degrade, entropy increases

Information Flows:

Command Reception: Bits arriving from Earth modify the internal state
Data Transmission: Information is constantly generated and expelled
Processing: Processors changing state billions of times per second

The Satellite-River: Like the Heraclitean river, the satellite is not the same from one moment to the next. Its “identity” is a dynamic configuration that persists through a constant flow of matter-energy-information.

“You cannot orbit twice in the same satellite”

Concrete Exercise

Aristotelian Question: “What is the satellite made of?” Answer: Titanium, aluminum, etc.

Heraclitean Question: “What transformations pass through it?” Answer:

Photons → electrons (solar panels)
Chemical energy → kinetic energy (thrusters)
Bits → radio waves (transmitters)
Order → entropy (thermal degradation)
Position → correction → new position (orbital control)

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graph TB
    subgraph ENERGY["ENERGY"]
        direction LR
        P1[☀️ Photons
φῶς phos]
        SP[🔋 Solar Panels
ἡλιακοί πίνακες]
        E1[⚡ Electrons
ἤλεκτρα elektra]
        
        C1[🧪 Chemical Energy
χημική ἐνέργεια]
        TH[🚀 Thrusters
ὠθητῆρες otheteres]
        K1[💨 Kinetic Energy
κινητική ἐνέργεια]
        
        P1 -->|transforms via| SP
        SP -->|produces| E1
        C1 -->|transforms via| TH
        TH -->|produces| K1
    end
    
    subgraph INFO["INFORMATION"]
        direction LR
        B1[💾 Bits
ψηφία psephia]
        TX[📻 Transmitters
πομποί pompoi]
        W1[📶 Radio Waves
κύματα kymata]
        
        B1 -->|transforms via| TX
        TX -->|produces| W1
    end
    
    subgraph ENTROPY["THERMODYNAMIC"]
        direction LR
        O1[📐 Order
τάξις taxis]
        TD[🔥 Thermal Degradation
θερμική φθορά]
        S1[💀 Entropy
ἐντροπία entropia]
        
        O1 -->|degrades via| TD
        TD -->|increases| S1
    end
    
    subgraph CONTROL["ORBITAL"]
        direction LR
        POS1[📍 Position
θέσις thesis]
        CORR[🔧 Correction
διόρθωσις diorthosis]
        POS2[📍 New Position
νέα θέσις]
        
        POS1 -->|requires| CORR
        CORR -->|achieves| POS2
        POS2 -.->|drifts back to| POS1
    end
    
    ENERGY ~~~ INFO
    INFO ~~~ ENTROPY
    ENTROPY ~~~ CONTROL
    
    style P1 fill:#fff9e6,stroke:#ffa500,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style E1 fill:#e6f3ff,stroke:#0066cc,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style SP fill:#ffffcc,stroke:#ff6b00,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style C1 fill:#ffe6f0,stroke:#cc0066,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style K1 fill:#e6f9ff,stroke:#0099cc,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style TH fill:#ffcccc,stroke:#e94560,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style B1 fill:#f0e6ff,stroke:#6600cc,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style W1 fill:#e6ffe6,stroke:#00cc66,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style TX fill:#e6f0ff,stroke:#3366cc,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style O1 fill:#e6f7ff,stroke:#00aacc,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style S1 fill:#ffe6e6,stroke:#cc3333,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style TD fill:#ffebe6,stroke:#ff4500,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style POS1 fill:#fff0e6,stroke:#ff8800,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style POS2 fill:#e6fff0,stroke:#00cc66,stroke-width:4px,color:#000
    style CORR fill:#f0e6ff,stroke:#9966cc,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style ENERGY fill:#fffef5,stroke:#ffa500,stroke-width:3px
    style INFO fill:#f5f5ff,stroke:#3366cc,stroke-width:3px
    style ENTROPY fill:#fff5f5,stroke:#cc3333,stroke-width:3px
    style CONTROL fill:#f5fff5,stroke:#00aa66,stroke-width:3px

The satellite is these transformations, not a container in which they occur.

Perspective 2: The Satellite as a NODE OF RELATIONS

Nothing is Isolated

Aristotle considers the satellite as an individual substance that then enters into relations.

Heraclitus sees the satellite as a node in a network of constitutive relations - the relations are not secondary but constitute the identity itself.

Network of Relations that ARE the Satellite:

Relation with the Sun:

Without solar photons → useless panels → dead batteries → death of the satellite
Orientation toward the Sun determines temperature, available energy, orbital lifetime
Solar wind causes atmospheric drag, modifies the orbit

Relation with the Earth:

Gravitational: The orbit exists only as a Earth-satellite-velocity equilibrium
Communicative: Without ground stations, the satellite is “mute,” functionally non-existent
Functional: Its “purpose” emerges from the network of terrestrial users

Relation with Other Satellites:

GPS constellations: each satellite exists functionally only as part of the system
Collision risk: each satellite modifies the orbital space available for others
Communication Network: relay between satellites

Relation with Space Debris:

The orbital environment determines the probability of survival
The satellite itself will become debris (it already is partially, by releasing particles)

Relation with the Residual Atmosphere:

Atmospheric drag (even at 400km) causes orbital decay
The satellite “breathes” the traces of the upper atmosphere

The Paradox of Relational Identity

Heraclitean Thought Experiment:

Imagine progressively removing the relations:

Remove the Sun → no energy → dead system
Remove the Earth → no orbital gravity → satellite dispersed into space
Remove the ground stations → no commands nor data collection → inert object
Remove the users → no function → space junk

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graph TB
    subgraph COSMOS["🌌 τὸ πᾶν - The Cosmos"]
        SUN[☀️ The Sun
ἥλιος - helios]
        EARTH[🌍 The Earth
γῆ - ge]
        STATIONS[📡 Ground Stations
σταθμοί - stathmoi]
        USERS[👥 The Users
χρήστες - chrestes]
    end
    
    subgraph NEGATION["❌ ἀφαίρεσις - Removal"]
        R1[⊖ Sun]
        R2[⊖ Earth]
        R3[⊖ Stations]
        R4[⊖ Users]
    end
    
    subgraph CONSEQUENCE["⚰️ συνέπεια - Consequence"]
        C1[🥶 No Energy
Dead System
νεκρόν - nekron]
        C2[🌪️ No Orbital Gravity
Dispersed into Space
διασκορπισμός - diaskorpismos]
        C3[🔇 No Commands/Data
Inert Object
ἀργός - argos]
        C4[🗑️ No Function
Space Junk
ἄχρηστος - achrestos]
    end
    
    SUN -.->|without| R1
    EARTH -.->|without| R2
    STATIONS -.->|without| R3
    USERS -.->|without| R4
    
    R1 ==>|leads to| C1
    R2 ==>|leads to| C2
    R3 ==>|leads to| C3
    R4 ==>|leads to| C4
    
    style SUN fill:#fff5cc,stroke:#ff6b00,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    style EARTH fill:#d0e8ff,stroke:#00aa00,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    style STATIONS fill:#e6f0ff,stroke:#e94560,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    style USERS fill:#f0e6ff,stroke:#e94560,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    
    style R1 fill:#ffcccc,stroke:#ff0000,stroke-width:1px,color:#8b0000
    style R2 fill:#ffcccc,stroke:#ff0000,stroke-width:1px,color:#8b0000
    style R3 fill:#ffcccc,stroke:#ff0000,stroke-width:1px,color:#8b0000
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    style C2 fill:#e0e0e0,stroke:#666,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    style C3 fill:#e0e0e0,stroke:#666,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    style C4 fill:#e0e0e0,stroke:#666,stroke-width:1px,color:#000
    
    style COSMOS fill:#f0f8ff,stroke:#3bceac,stroke-width:3px
    style NEGATION fill:#fff0f0,stroke:#ff0000,stroke-width:3px
    style CONSEQUENCE fill:#f5f5f5,stroke:#666666,stroke-width:3px

Question: At what point does the satellite “cease to be a satellite”?

Aristotelian Answer: It remains a satellite (it still has the form and matter) even if non-functional.

Heraclitean Answer: The satellite is this network of relations. Removing them does not reveal a “satellite in itself,” but dissolves the identity itself. There is no substratum that persists when you remove the relations - the relations are all there is.

Concrete Exercise

Do not ask: “What is the satellite in isolation?”

Ask instead:

“In which flows is it embedded?” (matter, energy, information, gravitation)
“What passes through it?” (radiation, particles, fields)
“What is it exchanging with?” (energy with the Sun, impulse with the atmosphere, data with the Earth)
“What equilibria does it maintain?” (thermal, orbital, energetic, informational)

Perspective 3: The Satellite as a UNITY OF OPPOSITES

The Constitutive Tension

In Heraclitus, opposites are not separate elements found in the same place, but polar tensions that co-produce each other.

Opposites in Tension within the Satellite:

1. Order ↔ Entropy

Thesis: The satellite is a highly ordered system (information, structure, function)

Antithesis: It is constantly besieged by entropy (radiation, degradation, thermal chaos)

Heraclitean Unity: The satellite is this dynamic tension

Every second it absorbs order (solar energy) and disperses disorder (heat)
Order does not “win” over entropy - they are in a precarious dynamic balance
When the tension becomes unbalanced (end of propellant, exhausted batteries), the satellite “dies”

Like the Heraclitean bow: the tension between the string and the wood is the bow. Remove the tension, you no longer have a bow.

2. Movement ↔ Stasis

Paradox: The satellite orbits at 28,000 km/h but is stationary relative to its orbit.

Heraclitean Unity:

The satellite is simultaneously in maximum movement (orbital velocity) and in maximum stillness (stable orbital position)
Stasis is movement: it remains “still” in orbit because it moves very fast
“The way up and the way down are one and the same” - falling towards the Earth and escaping from it are the same orbital movement

3. Attraction ↔ Escape

Gravitational-Inertial Tension:

Gravity pulls the satellite toward the Earth (centripetal force)
Tangential velocity pulls it away from the Earth (inertia)
The orbit is the dynamic unity of these opposites

It is not that there is attraction “plus” escape - they are the same event viewed from different perspectives. The orbit is not a “balancing” of two separate forces, but a unitary manifestation of the gravitational-inertial relation.

4. Life ↔ Death

The satellite “lives” through its own death:

It consumes (propellant, battery energy, component lifetime)
It degrades (radiation, thermal stress, material fatigue)
It orbitally decays (atmospheric friction)

“Living by death, dying by life” (paraphrased from DK B62):

Every second of operation is a second closer to its end
Its life is the process of its death
They are not separate phases but aspects of the same process

5. Inside ↔ Outside

Fluid Boundary:

Where does the satellite end and the environment begin?
Solar panels are “inside” but capture energy from “outside”
Antennae are “outside” but controlled from “inside”
Is the plasma halo around the satellite part of the satellite?
The generated magnetic field?
The emitted radio waves before they disperse?

Heraclitus dissolved boundaries: the satellite is its interfacing with the environment, not a separate entity that then interacts.

Concrete Exercise

Do not ask: “What are the parts of the satellite?”

Ask instead:

“What tensions maintain it in being?”
“What opposites co-produce each other in it?”
“Where do the opposites become one?”
“What dynamic equilibrium constitutes it?”

graph TB
    CENTER[🛰️ THE SATELLITE
τάσις - TENSION
not a thing, but a dynamic unity]
    
    ORDER[📐 Order
τάξις
structure, information]
    ENTROPY[💀 Entropy
ἐντροπία
degradation, chaos]
    
    MOVE[🚀 Movement
κίνησις
28,000 km/h]
    STASIS[⚓ Stasis
στάσις
stable position]
    
    ATTRACT[🌍 Attraction
ἕλξις
gravity pulls down]
    ESCAPE[💨 Escape
φυγή
inertia pulls away]
    
    LIFE[✨ Life
ζωή
function, operation]
    DEATH[⚰️ Death
θάνατος
consumption, decay]
    
    INSIDE[🔒 Inside
ἔνδον
system boundary]
    OUTSIDE[🌌 Outside
ἔξω
environment]
    
    ORDER <-->|absorb energy
disperse heat| ENTROPY
    MOVE <-->|orbital velocity
IS stillness| STASIS
    ATTRACT <-->|same movement
different view| ESCAPE
    LIFE <-->|living by death
dying by life| DEATH
    INSIDE <-->|fluid boundary
interface| OUTSIDE
    
    ORDER -.-> CENTER
    ENTROPY -.-> CENTER
    MOVE -.-> CENTER
    STASIS -.-> CENTER
    ATTRACT -.-> CENTER
    ESCAPE -.-> CENTER
    LIFE -.-> CENTER
    DEATH -.-> CENTER
    INSIDE -.-> CENTER
    OUTSIDE -.-> CENTER
    
    style CENTER fill:#fff9e6,stroke:#ff6b00,stroke-width:5px,color:#000
    
    style ORDER fill:#e6f7ff,stroke:#0099cc,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    style ENTROPY fill:#ffe6e6,stroke:#cc3333,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style MOVE fill:#e6ffe6,stroke:#00aa44,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    style STASIS fill:#ffe6f5,stroke:#cc0066,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style ATTRACT fill:#f0e6ff,stroke:#6600cc,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    style ESCAPE fill:#fffef0,stroke:#ccaa00,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style LIFE fill:#fff0f5,stroke:#ff66aa,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    style DEATH fill:#f0f0f0,stroke:#666666,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    style INSIDE fill:#e6f0ff,stroke:#3366cc,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    style OUTSIDE fill:#ffe6cc,stroke:#ff8800,stroke-width:3px,color:#000
    
    linkStyle 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 stroke:red,stroke-width:4px

Perspective 4: The Satellite in its TEMPORAL BECOMING

The Error of the Ontological Photograph

Aristotle makes you see the satellite as a snapshot: “Here is what the satellite is (now).”

Heraclitus asks you to see the satellite as a continuous film: identity extends over time; it does not exist in an instant.

The Material Genealogy

Tracing Backwards:

The satellite in 2025 ← Assembled in 2023 ← Components manufactured 2022-2023 ← Materials extracted from Earth 2015-2022 ← Titanium formed in a supernova billions of years ago ← Primordial hydrogen from the Big Bang

Tracing Forwards:

Functioning satellite 2025 → Progressive degradation 2025-2035 → End of useful life 2035 → Atmospheric re-entry 2040 → Combustion/dispersion → Atoms redistributed in the atmosphere → Recycled into new terrestrial processes

The Heraclitean Question: WHEN is it a satellite?

Only during the operational phase?
Already when it was a project on paper?
Still when it is wreckage in orbit?
Even when it was titanium in the Earth?
Even when it will be dust in the atmosphere?

There is no clear answer because there is no substantial “being a satellite” - there is a process of satellization that has moments of maximum intensity but blurred temporal boundaries.

The Cycle of Transformations

The Heraclitean satellite is a phase in a larger cycle:

Terrestrial Raw Materials → Industrial Energy → Assembled Satellite → Launched (maximum kinetic energy) → In Orbit (stable configuration) → Degradation → Wreckage → Re-entry → Return to Earth (dispersed matter)

This is the “fire that transforms” of Heraclitus:

“Transformations of fire: first sea, of the sea half earth, half thunderbolt” (DK B31)

Substitute:

“Transformations of matter-energy: first terrestrial minerals, then satellite, then orbital debris, then atmospheric plasma, then return to Earth”

Diachronic Identity

Paradox of Repaired Satellites:

The Hubble Space Telescope has been visited and repaired 5 times. The following were replaced:

Solar panels
Gyroscopes
On-board computer
Scientific instruments
Batteries

Question: Is it still the “same” Hubble?

Aristotelian Answer: Yes, because the essential form persists (it is still a space telescope with that general configuration).

Heraclitean Answer: The question is wrongly put. “Hubble” is not a substantial entity but a name given to a processual configuration. The “Hubble river” has ever-changing waters, but we call the pattern “Hubble.” It is neither the same nor different - it is.

Concrete Exercise

Do not ask: “What is the satellite (now)?”

Ask instead:

“From what processes does it originate?”
“Into what processes is it transforming?”
“Which phase of a larger cycle does it represent?”
“When does it begin and when does it cease to be a satellite?” (and note the impossibility of a clear answer)
“Which portion of which temporal flow are we calling ‘satellite’?”

Perspective 5: The Satellite as an EMERGENT SYSTEM

Hidden and Manifest Harmony

“Hidden harmony is superior to manifest” (DK B54)

Manifest Harmony of the satellite:

Visible external form
Identifiable components
Programmed functions

Hidden Harmony of the satellite:

Properties emergent from the complex system
Self-organizing capacities (autonomous diagnostic systems)
Spontaneous synchronization between subsystems
Emergent resilience (redundancies not explicitly programmed)
The operational “personality” that emerges from use

Concrete Example - GPS constellation:

Manifest Level: 31 individual satellites, each with a transponder and atomic clock

Hidden Level:

Global positioning system (emergent property; no single satellite “does GPS”)
Collective clock synchronization (emerges from interactions)
Network resilience (the system works even with faulty satellites)
Precision emergent from triangulation (superior to the precision of any single satellite)

This hidden harmony cannot be analyzed with the four causes applied to the individual satellites. It emerges from the relational whole.

The Logos of the Satellite System

The logos is not a component of the satellite, but the immanent organizational law:

Control algorithms that govern self-correction
Communication protocols that emerge from use
Degradation patterns that follow thermodynamic laws
Orbital dynamics that follow gravitational laws

These are not “properties” of the satellite (like colour or weight) but relational structures that manifest in its operation.

Perspective 6: Dissolution of the Satellite into the TECHNOLOGICAL NETWORK

The Satellite as a Moment of a Whole

Aristotelian View: The satellite is a discrete entity that belongs to a class (technological artifacts, orbital devices).

Heraclitean View: The satellite is a temporary node in a continually evolving planetary technological network.

The Network that Contains the Satellite:

GROUND INFRASTRUCTURE (control stations, antennae, data centers) ↔ SATELLITE ↔ OTHER SATELLITES ↔ USERS (GPS in phones, weather forecasts, telecommunications) ↔ ECONOMY (services based on satellite data) ↔ SOCIETY (systemic dependence on space technologies)

The satellite “exists” only as a functional moment of this network:

It is produced by the industrial network
It operates in the orbital network
It serves the user network
It will dissolve into the network of recycled elements

It is not an autonomous entity that then “enters into relations,” but is constituted by the relations themselves.

The Radical Thought Experiment

Imagine:

Remove all ground stations
Remove all other satellites
Remove all of humanity
Only “the satellite” remains in orbit

Heraclitean Question: Is it still a satellite?

Intuition: Physically it is identical, but ontologically it has lost its identity. It has become cosmic wreckage, a piece of orbiting matter without meaning.

This suggests that “being a satellite” is not an intrinsic property of the material configuration, but a relational-functional identity that emerges from the network.

Synthesis: How to “See Heracliteanly”

Practical Steps

1. SUSPEND the question “what is it?” Do not seek the essence, the definition, the substance.

2. ASK instead:

In which flows is it embedded?
What transformations pass through it?
What tensions constitute it?
What temporal process are we artificially isolating?

3. DISSOLVE the boundaries:

Between inside/outside
Between satellite/environment
Between part/whole
Between present/past/future

4. SEEK the tensions of opposites:

Order/entropy
Movement/stasis
Construction/degradation
Individual/systemic

5. SEE the satellite as a VERB, not a NOUN: Not “the satellite is,” but “satelliting is happening” Not “what is a satellite,” but “how is it satelliting”

Final Comparative Table

Perspective	Aristotle	Heraclitus
Fundamental Question	What is it? (essence)	How does it become? (process)
Identity	Substance that persists	Processual configuration
Analysis	Decomposes into causes	Sees the dynamic unity
Parts/Whole	The whole is made of parts	The parts exist only in the whole
Time	Privileged instant (now)	Continuous flow
Boundaries	Clear (inside/outside)	Fluid (constitutive relations)
Stability	Sought (fixed essence)	Illusory (dynamic equilibrium)
Understanding	Classificatory definition	Immersion in the process

Final Exercise: The Heraclitean Satellite in One Sentence

Aristotle: “A satellite is an artificial device composed of materials X in the form Y, produced by Z for the purpose W”

Heraclitus: “The satellite is the temporary name we give to a configuration of flows (matter-energy-information) that maintains a dynamic equilibrium between opposite tensions (attraction/escape, order/entropy, life/death) within a planetary technological network, and exists only as a moment of transformation in a broader cosmic cycle”

Now you try: look at the satellite not as an object to be analyzed, but as a dynamic event to be contemplated in its processual totality. Can you see the flow instead of the substance?