Thales of Miletus

Thales of Miletus was born and lived during the beginning of 6th century. He is known as the
founder and originator of philosophy, mathematics and astronomy in Greece. There is not
much information about Thales. During his time he helped one of the king to move his army
across the river through changing the flow of the river direction from the path of the army. In
addition some of his wise saying has been reported such as “don’t believe everyone”, ’’be
moderate”,’’its better to be envied then pitted”, ”its difficult to know one self” and “don’t
acquire wealth immorally”. Some people told him that philosophy is not suitable for making
money. Thales pressed olive and kept them until a certain season came where there high
demand for olives, he started charging high price and made profit.

Some of his ideas will be discussed regarding astronomy, mathematics, water ,souls and
Gods. For astronomy, he predicted that solar eclipse will take place one day and explain that
it happen when the moon came at the front side of the sun.
“Thales said that the sun suffers eclipse when the moon comes to be in front
of it, the day in which the moon produces the eclipse being marked by its
concealment.
(P.Oxy. 53.3710, col. 2, 37–40 [not in DK])”

In mathematic he brought the concept of geometry from Egypt to Greece. In addition he came
with the theory in triangle where “triangle with one side and two adjacent angles that are
equal means they are congruent”.

As regards to water,he believed the source of all substances is water. He may have reason
that moist is need for development of all living thing and hence the source must be water.
Following this reason, he believe that the earth is actually lying on top of the water. He got
this idea from observing earthquake.
“but Thales, the founder of this kind of philosophy, stated it
to be water. (This is why he declared that the earth rests on water.) He may
have got this idea from seeing that the nourishment of all things is moist,
and that even the hot itself comes to be from this and lives on this (the
principle of all things is that from which they come to be)—getting this idea
from this consideration and also because the seeds of all things have a moist
nature; and water is the principle of the nature of moist things.
(Aristotle, Metaphysics 1.3 983b18–27 = DK
11A12) (continuation of 4.7)”

As regard to the concept of Souls and Gods,Thales believe that anything that has motion
must have a soul. Hence he think that magnets and amber that have magnetic properties must
possess soul as they can make iron to move. He also believe that those things that cannot
move but make other things move also have souls. He think that Gods and soul are
interchangeable by saying that gods are inside things.
“Some declare that it [the soul] is mixed in the whole [the universe], and this
may be why Thales thought all things are full of gods.
(Aristotle, On the Soul 1.5 411a7–8 = DK 11A22)”
Anaximander of Miletus
Anaximander was born during the time of Thales. When the solar eclipe took place at the
time of Thales, Anaximander was about twenty five years old. His contributions are being the
first person to write in prose style, creating gnomon, celestial sphere, map and also told when
earthquake will occur.
“He was the first to discover the gnomon and set one up on the sundials at
Sparta . . . indicating the solstices and equinoxes, and he constructed hour
markers.
(Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Philosophers 2.1 = DK 12A1)”

The map was probably created based on his knowledge from traveling and talking with
merchants and travels. The map show that the water go around the earth and asia and Europe
lands are made to look the same.
“was the first to draw the inhabited world on a tablet”

He also is the first to build a sphere which is celestial globe that describe the heaven. He is
thought to have told Spartans that earthquake will take place very soon and they should go
out of the city.

He also came with physical theory based on the idea that everything is created from arkhe
which cannot be found at the earth and is not water either. Arkhe is created from an substance
called apeiron that is the source of everything that is created including the heaven and the
earth.
“Of those who declared that the arkhē is one, moving and apeiron, Anaximander . . . said that the apeiron was the arkhē and
element of things that are, and he was the first to introduce this name for the arkhē [that is, he was the first to call the arkhē
apeiron].7 (In addition he said that motion is eternal, in which it occurs that the heavens come to be.8) He says that the arkhē
is neither water nor any of the other things called elements, but some other
nature which is apeiron, out of which come to be all the heavens and the
worlds in them. This is eternal and ageless and surrounds all the worlds.
(Simplicius, Commentary on Aristotle’s Physics 24.
13–18 = DK12A9; Hippolytus, Refutation 1.6.1–2 = DK
12A11; pseudo-Plutarch, Stromata 2 = DK 12A10)”

He also use the idea of opposites interaction that is hot and cold pair together with his theory
of origin. He say at the beginning of the creation, the cold and hot were disconnected from
each other. Then sphere that is full of flame was created at the dark fog near the earth similar
to “bark about a tree”. Then the sphere collapsed and shape of stars,moon and sun were
created in the form of circles. Anaximander use the idea of aperon only at the first stage of
his theory,but afterword he only deal with hot and cold and sphere concepts. He also believe
that the whole earth is wet at the beginning. Then when sun dries the earth, the water that is
evaporated create wind which make the motion of the moon and sun to rotate. Other part
doesn’t evaporate and return back to the sea.
“He declares that what arose from the eternal and is productive of [or, “capable of giving birth to”] hot and cold was
separated off at the coming to be of
this kosmos, and a kind of sphere of flame from this grew around the dark
mist14 about the earth like bark about a tree. When it was broken off and
 enclosed in certain circles, the sun, moon, and stars came to be.
(pseudo-Plutarch, Stromata 2 = DK 12A10) (continuation of 5.11)”

As regard to cosmology,he believe that starts are created as circle from fire that is parted
from fire that is together with dark mist. He said the starts are created at the vents that are
similar to tube. When the vents are blocked eclipse occurs. The moon will shine or fade as
the vents are blocked or opened. He also mentions the size of the sun in term of its circle
being bigger than the earth circle by twenty seven times and bigger than the moon circle by
eighteen times. And the size of the star circle is the smallest.
“The stars come to be as a circle of fire separated off from the fire in the kosmos and enclosed by dark mist. There are vents,
certain tube-like passages
at which the stars appear. For this reason, eclipses occur when the vents are
blocked. The moon appears sometimes waxing sometimes waning as the
passages are blocked or opened. The circle of the sun is twenty-seven times
<that of the earth and> that of the moon <eighteen times>, and the sun is
highest, and the circles of the fixed stars are lowest.”

As regard to the shape of earth,he say that earth is a cylinder and its depth is equivalent to
about one-third of its breadth. The earth has two curved surfaces at the opposite to each other.
Anaximander has used a novel mathematical relation with regards to the sizing relation of sun
to earth and moon. The universe has the earth that doesn’t move and is fixed at the center and
shaped cylindrical. He reason that earth is fixed because “its distance from all things is equal”
The earth is surrounded by fire of rings and fogs with starts and moon and the sun at
different distance from the earth.
“Some, like Anaximander . . . declare that the earth stays at rest because of
equality. For it is no more fitting for what is situated at the center and is
equally far from the extremes to move up rather than down or sideways.
And it is impossible for it to move in opposite directions at the same time.
Therefore, it stays at rest of necessity.
(Aristotle, On the Heavens 2.13 295b11–16 = DK 12A26)”

Anaximander also say that the moon and sun are at an angle to each other to avoid hitting
each other. He also believes that metrological and astronomy are coming from same process.
He related wind formation to vapors of dark fog that is parted from the fog and moving. He
related the rain formation as vapor coming from the earth through the help of the sun.
“Winds occur when the finest vapors of dark mist are separated off and collect together and then are set in motion. Rain
results from the vapor arising
from the earth under the influence of the sun. Lightning occurs whenever
wind escapes and splits the clouds apart.
(Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies 1.6.7 = DK 12A11)”

He also related to the wind and cloud the following phenomena such as hurricanes,
waterspouts, thunderbolts, lighting and thunder. For example as the wind go away from the
cloud,the cloud break down creating flash and noise.
“Anaximander says that these [thunder, lightning, thunderbolts, waterspouts,
and hurricanes] all result from wind. For whenever it [wind] is enclosed in
a thick cloud and forcibly escapes because it is so fine and light, then the
bursting [of the cloud] creates the noise and the splitting creates the flash
 against the blackness of the cloud.
(Aëtius 3.3.1 = DK 12A23)”

As for the origin of the creations, he believes that moisture created the first animals with bark
inside thorny barks. These animals then moved to drier area and were changeable for short
duration.
“Anaximander says that the first animals were produced in moisture, enclosed
in thorny barks. When their age advanced they came out onto the drier part,
their bark broke off, and they lived a different mode of life for a short time.
(Aëtius 5.19.4 = DK 12A30)”

As with regards to human, their origin is from the animals that are not the same animals that
live on earth. He based his reasoning on the idea that human babies need long nursing time
while normal animal babies doesn’t need that much time and adapt much faster. The animals
from which hman grew were very similar to fish like that were created from earth and heated
water.Human at first grew inside these fish like animals stomach until the age of puberty.
“He also declares that in the beginning humans were born from animals
of a different kind, since other animals quickly manage on their own and
humans alone require lengthy nursing. For this reason they would not have
survived if they had been like this at the beginning.
(pseudo-Plutarch, Stromata 2 = DK 12A10) (continuation of 5.6)”

Then humans burst out of the fish like animals in the form of men and women and were able
to take care of themselves.

Anaximander theories of universe and animals are similar to each other in that at first there is
simple occasions from which come complex occasions and coming from inside of something
which burst out. His theory of human caming from animal use the idea of human babies is
hopeless at the beginning and letter has the ability to take care of themselves.

Anaximenes of Miletus
Anaximenes was a student of Anaximander and is from the same city of Miletus. His
discoveries are though to be predicting lunar eclipse and creating gnomon. He believe like
his teacher that origin of matter is apeiron. But he define apeiron as air that is definite. The air
has different scarcity and density which determine different elements. For example, as the air
become finer it produce fire, while condensing form wind and latter cloud and more
condensation produce earth and stones which produce other things.
“Anaximenes . . . declared that the principle is unlimited [apeiron] air, from
which come to be things that are coming to be, things that have come to
be, and things that will be, and gods and divine things. The rest come to be
out of the products of this. The form of air is the following: when it is most
even, it is invisible, but it is revealed by the cold and the hot and the wet,
and by its motion. It is always moving, for all the things that undergo change
would not change if it were not moving. For when it becomes condensed or
finer, it appears different. For when it is dissolved into a finer condition it
becomes fire, and on the other hand air being condensed becomes winds.
Cloud comes from air through felting,1 and water comes to be when this
happens to a greater degree. When condensed still more it becomes earth,
 and when it reaches the absolutely densest stage it becomes stones.
(Hippolytus, Refutation 1.7.1–3 = DK 13A7)”

He believe everything including gods are formed from air which is unlimited and infinite. He
characterize the air as being always in motion and invisible. But air can be feel from its
effects such as when the air is moving or if its wet or hot or cold. From the notion that air is
moving he came with the principle that “for all the things that undergo change would not
change if it were not moving”. He also came with very important point that any theory should
be existing in the earth,be able to be comprehended and familiar. For this reason he criticize
his teacher Anaximander concept of apeiron which doesn’t exist on the earth, not familiar and
or understandable.

Anaximenes also say that the breath is air which can be hot or cold depending on the air
condition such as scarcity, fine or loose and density. Hence air can be the basic origin for
everything. Anaximenes tries to reduce the number of variables by relating different
phenomena to each other in term of density and scarcity of the air. Through using different
amount of air quantities for scarce and dense condition,Anaximenes has described concept in
form of quantity which is very important idea in the modern science.
“Or as Anaximenes of old believed, let us leave neither the cold nor the hot
in the category of substance, but <hold them to be> common attributes of
matter which come as the results of its changes. For he declares that the
contracted state of matter and the condensed state is cold, whereas what is
fine and “loose” (calling it this way with this very word) is hot. As a result he
claimed that it is not said unreasonably that a person releases both hot and
cold from his mouth. For the breath becomes cold when compressed and
condensed by the lips, and when the mouth is relaxed, the escaping breath
becomes warm because of rareness.
(Plutarch, The Principle of Cold 7 947F = DK 13B1)”

Also Anaximenes use observation method to derive evidence for his theory such as by
observing the way human breath in and out air which is also important principle in the
modern scientific method.
“A person who blows out air does not move the air all at once but blows
through a narrow opening of the lips, and so he breathes out just a little air
but moves much of the air outside his body, in which the warmth from his
body is not apparent because of its small amount.
(pseudo-Aristotle, Problems 34.7 964a13–16 [not in DK])”

As regard to God, Anaximenes believe “air is god” because of air is limitless, continuously in
motion and infinite.
“Anaximenes determined that air is a god and that it comes to be and is
without measure, infinite, and always in motion.
(Cicero, On the Nature of the Gods 1.10.26 = DK 13A10)”

But for Anaximenes, Gods have very small role in the universe as the air maintain the whole
universe. He give example of how rainbow is created from rays of the sun hitting black cloud
that is dense but no gods are involed. He also said soul is made of air and regulate and hold
together the humans. As human die, breathing cease to exist and the bodies become rotten,
hence soul which is air is taking care of the body to stay alive. He also believe in the
similarity of function of human and universe.

As regard to earth, Anaximenes view the earth was first thing that was created from the air
and it is flat because the earth. The earth is at rest and doesn’t move because the air under the
earth doesn’t move. Similarly he believe that stars,sun and moon have moving air under them
causing the bodies to be in motion. He also believe stars came from the earth’s moisture (air
that was condensed) that rise up and become finer and then become fire. The stars are
rotating around the earth but the sun is concealed from the earth by the earth’s higher parts
and because it’s very far away from the earth.
“The stars came into being from the earth because moisture rises up out
of it. When the moisture becomes fine, fire comes to be and the stars are
formed of fire rising aloft. There are also earthen bodies in the region of the
stars carried around together with them.
(Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies 1.7.5 = DK 13A7)
(continuation of 6.9)”

According to Anaximenes,meteorological events happen because of air. For example cloud

formation happen because air become thick. As cloud become condense the rain happen.
Then when water freeze hail is formed. And snow is created when the wind is mixed with
moisture. As for earthquake,it take place because of the collapsing and breaking down of hill.
He made this observation by seeing that normally during heavy rains and drought, there are
earthquakes. During drought and heavy rain,the earth break down . As can be seen another
evidence through using observation of nature which is basic principle of modern science as
have been said before. [1]i

Leucippus and his student Democritus

It is believed that Leucippus was likely to be born at the city of Avdera.His important work
include Great World System and about the mind. Democrius was his student. His theory was
to demolish the Eleatic monism which believe that no evidence should be taken from human
sense or physical phenomena. Instead there is only one being who is perfect and is everything
and other than him there is nothing. The atomic philosophers extract information from the
nature using human sense. He and his student theorized that elements are perfect (full and
solid) and void (empty and diluted).

Leucippus concept of god is a being that is infinite,at same time invisible and has eternal
motion. He say that atoms are indivisible because of smallest element. He also said that living
and non-living things are all in constant motion.Hence atoms are in motion which means that
there must be empty space to allow the movement of atoms. But inside the atoms there are no
void and the structure of atom is fixed and cannot be changed, therefore atoms are solid.

He also believed there are infinite elements that created and dissolving. The atoms of
different sized and shapes originated from mass that is infinite. Then because of
spinning,heavy atoms settled in lower layer of empty space while light ones settled in upper
layer of empty space. He also considers the nature to be deterministic which means there is
cause-effect phenomena. He think that origin of motion is not important and assume the
atoms have capability to move by themself. He also believe that beside atom everything else
is false and not understandable. His view on vision is similar to modern view wherein “vision
starts as a mirror image of the object in the pupol of the eyes”.

Democritus
Democritus was born in the city of Avdera in the time of 500-497 B.C. which is the 70th
Olympiad. Democritus was rich,educated and travelled to a lot of countries including Egypt.
It was said that he also met Socrates who didn’t take notice of him. He spend all of his money
on travel and education. Most of the time he will stay alone without mixing with the public in
order to think. During his travel he has wrote his work called “Great World System” and
when he return to his city he show the work to the public. He also made prediction that heavy
rain will happen on certain period and some people who followed his advice saved their
crops.

Democritus embraced the theory of the atom of his teacher Leucippus. He added the idea of
homogeneity to atoms and that atoms came in different sizes and shapes. He also believes
like his teacher Leucippus that beside atom and empty space there is no reality and
everything that exist is made from the atoms:
“The first principles of the universe are atoms and empty space. Everything else is merely thought to exist. The worlds are
unlimited. They come into being and perish. Nothing can come into being from that which is not nor pass away into that
which is not. Further, the atoms are unlimited in size and number, and they are borne along in the whole universe in a
vortex, and thereby generate all composite things—-fire, water, air, earth. For even these are conglomerations of given
atoms. And it is because of their solidarity that these atoms are impassive and unalterable. The sun and the moon have
been composed of such smooth and spherical masses [i.e. atoms], and so also the soul, which is identical with reason.
(Diogenes Laertius IX, 44. Trans. R. D. Hicks (1925), Vol. 2, 453-5. )“

He believes the murky and muddy elements combine together to create the earth with liquid.
Then sea was formed by the condensation of the liquid. The human suddenly appeared on the
earth. Then the nature forced human to give birth to children.

He views wisdom clean the soul from passion and for illness medicine should be used as a
cure.
“Medicine heals diseases of the body, wisdom frees the soul from passions. (Freeman,1948, p. 149)”

He defined diet as not eating at the whole of the night. He also believes that sleeping during
the day is not healthy. He has come with a general rule for human which is:
“Moderation multiplies pleasures, and increases pleasure. (Freeman,1948, p.163)”

He also made observation on different animals such as oxen, fish, spider, amphibians,
worms,owl,cock and lion. He believes animals can heal faster than human because they have
natural powers and human can learn a lot from them. For example from spider,the method of
weaving,from swallows the technique of building and from songbirds the art of singing.
According Democritus ,human bodies is the house of evil since disease came from the body
itself.[2] He has written some wise saying related to the human dealing such as repentance,
wrong, learning, earning money, behaviour, friendship, wisdom, pleasure and wealth. Some
of his sayings are:

1.'Tis not in strength of body nor in gold that men find happiness, but in uprightness and in fulness of
understanding.

2. Repentance for one's evil deeds is the safeguard of life.

3. Many who have not learned wisdom live wisely, and many who do the basest deeds can make most
learned speeches.

4. Fools learn wisdom through misfortune.

5. It is better to correct your own faults than those of another.

6. Making money is not without its value, but nothing is baser than to make it by wrong-doing.

7. Fame and wealth without wisdom are unsafe possessions.

8. The friendship of one wise man is better than the friendship of a host of fools.[3]

He believe that God is made from atom of spherical shape that is created from fire. Another
of his view about God is that human have themselves created the concept of god because of
their fear of nature and may have come to humans through dreams.

He believes the sense and mind are the tools for gaining knowledge. However knowledge
gained from the sense is the real knowledge whereas knowledge from the mind is not real as
there are no atoms involved.

He views human hearing as taking place because of the air particle movement. And sound is
produced from the condensation of the air. He also linked the different human tastes to the
angles and shapes of the angle of the atoms. As regards to colours, he believe there are only
four primary colours from which different colours are derived. But he believe that taste and
colours are just accepted as they are but the reality are only atoms:

“Sweet exists by convention, bitter by convention, colour by convention; atoms and Void [alone] exist in
reality. ( Freeman,1948, p. 92.)”

He believed soul is made from movable spheroid atom based type of fire and is divided into
two parts which are reason and non-reason. The soul gives the power for the living creatures
to move around. His idea of soul is similar to his heat theory in term of quantities such that in
air there are a lot of heat and soul, both soul and heat go inside the body using inhalation. He
believed that death will take place as soul and mind leaves the body. He defined death to
happen when the soul and mind which are made from the spherical atoms move out of the
body.[2]
Reference

1. Richard D. McKirahan.(2010). Philosophy Before Socrates An Introduction with Texts and

Commentary. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Indianapolis/Cambridge

2. https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Democritus

3. Magiorkinis, Emmanouil & Beloukas, Apostolos & Diamantis, Aristidis. (2010). The
philosophic and biological views of the "atomic" philosophers, Leucippus and Democritus.
Hellenic journal of nuclear medicine. 13. 111-7.