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See also: Anaximander 330 ■ Anaximenes of Miletus 330 ■ Pythagoras 26–29 ■
Empedocles 330 ■ Democritus and Leucippus 45 ■ Aristotle 56–63
THE ANCIENT WORLD
material of the universe had to be
something out of which everything
else could be formed, as well as
being essential to life, and capable
of motion and therefore of change.
He observes that water is clearly
necessary to sustain all forms of
life, and that it moves and changes,
assuming different forms – from
liquid to solid ice and vaporous
mist. So Thales concludes that all
matter, regardless of its apparent
properties, must be water in some
stage of transformation.
Thales also notes that every
landmass appears to come to an
end at the water’s edge. From this
he deduces that the whole of the
earth must be floating on a bed of
water, from which it has emerged.
When anything occurs to cause
ripples or tremors in this water,
Thales states, we experience
them as earthquakes.
However, as interesting as
the details of Thales’ theories are,
they are not the main reason why
he is considered a major figure in
the history of philosophy. His true
importance lies in the fact that he
was the first known thinker to seek
naturalistic, rational answers to
fundamental questions, rather than
to ascribe objects and events to the
whims of capricious gods. By doing
so, he and the later philosophers
of the Milesian School laid the
foundations for future scientific
and philosophical thought across
the Western world. ■Thales of Miletus
Although we know that
Thales was born and lived in
Miletus, on the coast of what
is now Turkey, we know very
little about his life. None of his
writings, if indeed he left any,
have survived. However, his
reputation as one of the key
early Greek thinkers seems
deserved, and he is referred
to in some detail by both
Aristotle and Diogenes
Laertius, the 3rd-century
biographer of the ancient
Greek philosophers.
Anecdotal evidence
suggests that as well as
being a philosopher, Thales
was actively involved in
politics and was a very
successful businessman. He
is thought to have traveled
widely around the eastern
Mediterranean, and while
visiting Egypt, to have learned
the practical geometry that
was to become the basis of his
deductive reasoning.
However, Thales was
above all a teacher, the first of
the so-called Milesian School
of philosophers. Anaximander,
his pupil, expanded his
scientific theories, and in
turn became a mentor to
Anaximenes, who is believed
to have taught the young
mathematician Pythagoras.What is the basic
material of the cosmos?It must be......something
from which
everything
can be formed....essential
to life....capable
of motion....capable
of change.Everything is
made of water.