Zeno of Eleawas a Greek philosopher and logician whose development of paradoxical philosophical arguments about motion greatly influenced mathematical thought. One of the last major proponents of the Eleatic school of philosophy, he created his paradoxes to defend and confound this school of thought's detractors. His importance in early Greek philosophy and mathematics was noted by both Plato and Aristotle, who credited Zeno with the creation of dialectics.

Zeno was born in Elea, a southern Italian city, in the fifth century B.C. Although the exact date is unknown, historians place his birth at around 490 B.C., based largely on references by Plato in his book Parmenides. Plato describes Zeno as "tall and fair to look upon" and a favorite disciple of Parmenides, a Greek philosopher. He also reports that Zeno was about 40 years old when he accompanied his teacher to Athens in 449 B.C. In Athens, Zeno...