Chapter 9

Thales

As the founder of the earliest school in history, Thales of
Miletus is generally accounted the founder and father of all
philosophy. He was born about 624 B.C. and died about
550 B.C. These dates are approximate, and it should be
understood that the same thing is true of nearly all the
dates of the early philosophers. Different scholars vary,
sometimes as much as ten years, in the dates they give. We
shall not enter into these questions at all, because they are
of no importance. And throughout these lectures it should
be understood that the dates given are approximate.

Thales, at any rate, was a contemporary of Solon and Croe-
sus. He was famous in antiquity for his mathematical and
astronomical learning, and also for his practical sagacity
and wisdom. He is included in {21} all the accounts of the
Seven Sages. The story of the Seven Sages is unhistori-
cal, but the fact that the lists of their names differ consid-
erably as given by different writers, whereas the name of
Thales appears in all, shows with what veneration he was

anciently regarded. An eclipse of the sun occurred in 585

B.C., and Thales is alleged to have predicted it, which was

a feat for the astronomy of those times. And he must have

been a great engineer, for he caused a diversion of the river

Halys, when Croesus and his army were unable to cross it.

Nothing else is known of his life, though there were many

apocryphal stories.

No writings by Thales were extant even in the time of Aris-

totle, and it is believed that he wrote nothing. His philos-

ophy, if we can call it by that name, consisted, so far as

we know, of two propositions. Firstly, that the principle

of all things is water, that all comes from water, and to

water all returns. And secondly, that the earth is a flat

disc which floats upon water. The first, which is the chief

proposition, means that water is the one primal kind of ex-

istence and that everything else in the universe is merely a

modification of water. Two questions will naturally occur

to us. Why did Thales choose water as the first principle?