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ThalesofMelitus,Philosopher&TheFirstNaturalScientist?

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ThalesofMiletus,PhilosopherandtheWorlds
FirstNaturalScientist
September24,2015byJanetCameron LeaveaComment

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ThalesofMelitus(c.620B.C.c.540B.C.)isfamousforbeingthefirst

Thales
Thalesbelievedthatthe
earthfloatedonan

philosophertoseekrationalexplanationsfornaturalphenomena.He
favouredamaterialisticapproachratherthanrelyingontheologyormyth.

underlyingseaand
subterraneanwavescaused

Thalesmajorprojectwastofigureoutthematerialsthatmakeuptheearth,

earthquakes.ImagebyErnst

andhecametotheconclusionthateverythingweknowisderivedfrom

Wallisetal.

water.

Unfortunately,hislogicdidnotleadhimintherightdirection.Perhaps,inspiteofhislogicalapproach,the
GreekmythofPoseidonhadsomebearingonhisthought,asthereissomesimilaritybetweenthatmyth
andThalesactualconclusion.
WillBouwmaninPhilosophysRootsandBranches,says,[Poseidon]wouldwreakhavocbystampingthe
seafloorpetulantly.
Thalesbelievedthattheearthfloatedonanunderlyingsea,andearthquakesoccurredwhentheearthwas
rockedbysubterraneanwaves,claimsJeremyHarwoodinThalesofMelitus.
Thalesalsorealisedthatwaterbecamevapourwhenitevaporatedandthatfreezingmadeitsolid.Thiswas

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ThalesofMelitus,Philosopher&TheFirstNaturalScientist?

Thalesalsorealisedthatwaterbecamevapourwhenitevaporatedandthatfreezingmadeitsolid.Thiswas
enoughtoconvincehimthatwaterwasthesingle,fundamentalelementofthenaturalworld.
Inspiteofhisfaultylogic,Thalesachievedgreatthingsthroughhismanyinterests.Harwooddescribeshimas
follows:anotedastronomer,geographer,mathematicianandengineerhewasalsoashrewd
businessmanwhomadeafortuneoutofolives.
Thalesalsoinspiredfuturephilosophers,notablyAnaximander,PythagorasandParmenides.

Thales:EarlyLife
WedontknowmuchaboutThalesearlylife,althoughtherearemanyunsubstantiated,conflictingaccounts.
Miletus,hisbirthplace,wasinAsiaMinor,andwasabusyAegeanmaritimeportatthemouthoftheRiver
Meander,fromwhichwegettheverb,saysWillBouwmaninPhilosophysRootsandBranches.
BertrandRussellinTheMilesianSchool,describesMiletusasaflourishing,commercialcity,inwhich
therewasalargeslavepopulation,andabitterclassstrugglebetweentherichandpooramongthefree
population.
RussellindicatesthatthiswasaviolentandtyrannicalsocietyduringthesixthandseventhcenturiesB.C.
Asayoungmanbornintoanoblefamily,ThaleswasprobablysenttoMesopotamia(moderndayIraq)and
Egyptforhiseducation.

ThalesandtheEclipse
WecanproduceaccuratedatesforThalescontributiontophilosophy.InTheRiseofGreekCivilizationin
hisHistoryofWesternPhilosophy,BertrandRussellsays:
PhilosophybeganwithThales,who,fortunately,canbedatedbythefactthathepredictedaneclipse,
which,accordingtotheastronomers,occurredintheyear585B.C.Philosophyandsciencewhichwere
notoriginallyseparatewerethereforeborntogetheratthebeginningofthesixthcentury.
However,laterinEarlyGreekMathematicsand
Astronomy,RussellmaintainsthattheEgyptiansand
Babylonianslaidthefoundationsforastronomyand

Eclipse
Thalespredictedaneclipseofthesunin
c.585B.C.ImagebyEfi21.

geometryandpredictedacycleofeclipses.
HeclaimsthattheseforeigninfluencesenabledThalestopredictthisparticulareclipsethereisnoreason
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ThalesofMelitus,Philosopher&TheFirstNaturalScientist?

tosupposethatheaddedanythingtowhathelearntfromEgyptianorBabyloniansources,anditwasa
strokeofluckthathispredictionwasverified.

ThalesandthePyramid
Icannotguaranteethatthisstoryisauthentic,butitsacharmingoneanditseemslikelyitistrue,since
Thaleswasanexpertingeometryandinproblemsolving.
BertrandRussellrelateshowThaleswasinEgyptandthekingallegedlyaskedhimtojudgetheheightofa
pyramid.
Hewaitedforthetimeofdaywhenhisshadowwasaslongasitwastallhethenmeasuredtheshadowof
thepyramid,whichwas,ofcourse,equaltoitsheight.

MatterisAlive,SaysThales,andthePrimordial
SubstanceisWater
InThalesview,water,notthegods,gavebirthtotheworld.Thegodshadnocontrolovertheworld,whichwas
aliveandwhichchanged,grewanddevelopedofitsownaccord.ThusThalesformulatedthefirst
naturalisticexplanationofthecosmos,saysWillBouwman.
Toprovethatmatterisalive,Thalescameupwithtwonovelexamples:firstly,magnetsandsecondly,amber.
Magnetshavethepowertoattractotheritemssuchasironorsteelthroughamagneticfield.Amber,explains
Bouwman,whenrubbedwithfurlikechildrenrubballoonsontheirjumperswillbechargedwithenough
electricitytomakeyourhairstandonend.(TheGreekworldforamberiselectron.)
ThesetwoexamplesencouragedThalestoreachhisfinalconclusion.
Thalesbelievedtheprimordialwatermetamorphosedintoearth,toair,tofire,creatingtheuniverseweare
familiarwithmuchastheEgyptiansandMesopotamianshadenvisaged,but,ashewasnowcommitted
toexplainingeventswithouttheinterventionofthegods,hetriedtoshowhowwhathappenedcouldbe
attributedtonaturalcauses,explainsBouwman.
IcannothelpbutfeelthatThalesfoundinspirationfromthemythofPoseidonforhisworldfloatingonan
underlyingseabeingrockedbyhugewavestheory,buttohiscredit,hedoesnotmentionthisscarygodin
hishypothesis.
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ThalesofMelitus,Philosopher&TheFirstNaturalScientist?

BouwmantellsanothercharmingstoryaboutThales,thathewassobusystudyingthestars,hefellintoawell,
ormaybeitwasaditch.

Thales:Questions,Mistakes,andFalseAssumptions
Itishardtosaywhichstoriesaretrueandwhichstoriesaremerelyfancifulanecdotes,butwhatiscertainis
thatThales,forallhismistakesandfalseassumptions,questionedandspeculatedandgotthewhole
philosophyshowontheroad,inspiringotherstopittheirwitsagainsthisandadvancetheirownscientificand
philosophicaltheories.
Thalesideas,saysBouwmancouldbechallengedandtestedinthewaysthatthewhimofdivinebeings
couldnot.
ThatiswhyweregardThalesastheworldsfirstgreatPhilosopherofScience.

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Resourcesforthisarticle
Bouwman,Will.Philosophy'sRootsand
Branches.(2014).PhilosophyNow.Accessedon
September24,2015

Harwood,Jeremy.100Great
Thinkers.(2010).Quercus.

Russell,Bertrand.HistoryofWestern
Philosophy.(2004).RoutledgeClassics.

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