Vorattische Philosophie
Added to library: September 2, 2025
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Summary
This document provides a comprehensive overview of the philosophy and biography of Thales of Miletus and Anaximander of Miletus, two foundational figures of early Greek philosophy. It is a scholarly work, likely a chapter from a larger book on Pre-Socratic philosophy, referencing key ancient sources and modern scholarly interpretations.
Here's a summary of the content for each philosopher:
Thales of Miletus
1. Chronology and Biography:
- Life Span: The primary dating evidence for Thales is his predicted solar eclipse during a battle between the Lydians and Medes at the river Halys. Modern research aligns this with the eclipse of May 28, 585 BCE. Apollodorus dates the eclipse to Olymp. 48, 4 (585/84 BCE), placing Thales's prime (akmē, 40 years old) in 585 BCE, thus calculating his birth year as 624 BCE (Olymp. 39, 1). Apollodorus also dates his death to Olymp. 58 (548-545 BCE), suggesting an age of 78. Diogenes Laertius records that Thales was listed among the Seven Sages, with their pronouncements officially recognized during the archonship of Damasias (582/1 BCE).
- Origin: Thales's father was Examyes (Carian), and his mother was Kleobuline (Greek). Ancient accounts of Phoenician origins, building on Herodotus, are seen as a later tendency to attribute Greek knowledge to Eastern influences. His relationships with Egypt and Phoenicia likely fueled these legends.
- Travels: Later accounts, possibly stemming from Eudemus, suggest Thales spent considerable time in Egypt or brought geometric knowledge and the idea of water as the arche (fundamental principle) from there. While Egyptian travel is a common theme for early Greek thinkers, his interactions with Naukratis, Miletus's colony in Egypt, make an Egyptian journey plausible and the influence of ideas gained there likely.
- Philosopher Legend: Plato records a story where a Thracian maid mocks Thales for being lost in the stars and unaware of his immediate surroundings, highlighting an early association of philosophy with impracticality. Aristotle counters this by showing Thales could have become wealthy if he chose, implying his focus was on truth rather than material gain. Thales was not detached from the world but actively engaged in practical sciences and politics.
- Political and Practical Activity: His inclusion among the Seven Sages attests to his practical wisdom. He is said to have predicted the Medes' strength and advised against an alliance with Croesus. He also proposed a political union of Ionian cities centered in Teos. Herodotus cautiously reports his role in diverting the Halys River. Aetios attributes to Thales the explanation of the annual Nile flood as being caused by wind-induced water accumulation, a theory also mentioned by Herodotus among others.
- Writings: Despite attributions of mathematical and astronomical works, ancient scholars doubted if Thales wrote anything. The works attributed to him are often credited to others or their authenticity is questioned. Aristotle's accounts of Thales's cosmology are explicitly stated to be second-hand.
- Mathematics: Herodotus identifies Egypt as the origin of geometry, used for land surveying. Eudemus credits Egyptians with geometry and Phoenicians with arithmetic, and specifically attributes to Thales the transmission and expansion of Egyptian geometry. Hieronymus of Rhodes suggests Thales used a method to measure the height of the pyramids by comparing shadow lengths, and Plutarch generalizes this to a proportional method. Eudemus also attributes to Thales a method for measuring the distance of ships at sea using a simple theodolite and trigonometry. While Thales likely knew these practical methods, Eudemus might have erroneously credited him with understanding fundamental geometrical principles like the Pythagorean theorem. Proclus attributes four key geometric principles to Thales: the bisection of a circle by its diameter, equality of base angles in an isosceles triangle, equality of vertically opposite angles, and the congruence of triangles with equal side and two adjacent angles. Pamphilus attributes to him the theorem that a triangle inscribed in a semicircle is right-angled. It is probable that Thales adopted practical mathematical knowledge from the Egyptians but did not possess the theoretical foundations for these theorems.
- Astronomy: Thales's prediction of the solar eclipse is not doubted, though it was likely an approximation of the year, not a precise time. Herodotus states Thales gave the year. This prediction is believed to be based on empirical observation and knowledge of Babylonian eclipse cycles. Eudemus's attribution of the true cause of eclipses to Thales is seen as a similar error as in his mathematical accounts. Thales may have been the first to observe variations in solstice intervals, identify the constellation Ursa Minor and its navigational significance, and observe the Hyades and Pleiades. However, attributions of detailed knowledge of the zodiac, solar path, and proportions of celestial bodies are likely later additions reflecting 5th-century astronomical understanding. The concept of a self-supporting Earth appears first with Anaximander. Thales's astrological observations are understood as empirical astronomical observations.
- Cosmology: Aristotle is the primary source for Thales's cosmology. Thales conceived of the Earth as a flat disk floating on water. He is categorized as a philosopher who posited a single material principle, which he identified as water. Aristotle's critique that Thales would then need a support for water reflects Aristotle's own conceptual framework, whereas for Thales, the unfathomable depth of the water was sufficient. This concept of water supporting the Earth is believed to originate from Egyptian or Babylonian sources. Aristotle's assertion that Thales believed everything originated from water is based on his interpretation of Thales's idea that the Earth emerged from water. Aristotle's concept of "arche" (principle) is his own framing. The specific reasons Aristotle gives for Thales's water-based cosmology (e.g., life being nourished by moisture) are not necessarily Thales's own arguments and may have been introduced by Hippon. The notion of the Earth floating on water is also linked to explanations of earthquakes as fluctuations of this submerged Earth, as reported by Seneca.
- Magnetism and Soul: According to Aristotle, Thales believed the magnet possessed a soul because it moves iron, and that everything is full of gods. This may be a literal quote from Thales. Aristotle understood Thales's concept of "soul" as a "moving power," extending it beyond humans to all living things, including the magnet. The idea that "everything is full of gods" is interpreted not as pantheism or dualism but as everything being filled with moving, life-giving forces.
- Legacy: Thales's thought, while rooted in myth, represents the first step towards understanding the world through empirical and rational means.
Anaximander of Miletus
1. Life and Works:
- Life Span: Anaximander's life is placed between 610/9 and 546/5 BCE. Apollodorus, likely referencing Anaximander's own work, suggests he was 64 in 547/6 BCE. He is considered a student and successor of Thales. He is credited with founding a colony in Apollonia on the Black Sea and having connections to Sparta.
- Writings: Anaximander's work, "On Nature" (Peri physeos), is considered the oldest philosophical text in Greek. It was read by Apollodorus but seemingly unknown to Simplicius. Other works attributed to him, dealing with geometry and astronomy, are likely sections of his main work.
2. Astronomy and Cosmology:
- Gnomon and Earth Map: The gnomon was not invented by Anaximander but adopted from the Babylonians. He is credited with creating the first known map of the Earth, depicting the three known continents as roughly equal in area. This map was later improved by Hecataeus and likely resembled the Ionian maps described by Herodotus. A celestial globe attribution is considered unlikely.
- Cosmology: Anaximander's innovative cosmology places the Earth, shaped like a cylindrical pillar (height one-third of its width), floating freely in the center of space, not supported by anything. This explains its stable position equidistant from all points. This is a significant departure from earlier notions of a supported Earth.
- Celestial Motion: He conceived of celestial bodies as fiery wheels enclosed in air, with openings through which the fire escapes, appearing as stars. The movement of these wheels explains the celestial cycles, eclipses, and moon phases. The sun's size is equated to the Earth's surface, and the diameters of the celestial wheels are described in multiples of the Earth's diameter (stars: 9x, moon: 18x, sun: 27/28x). This gives the cosmos a mathematical structure. The possibility of explaining planet and fixed star spheres is debated, with some suggesting Anaximander assigned wheels of equal size but different inclinations and speeds.
- Earth's Drying: A teaching attributed to Anaximander (and Diogenes of Apollonia) suggests the Earth is drying out, leading to the disappearance of the sea. This is difficult to reconcile with his cosmological model and might point to a cyclical theory of world dissolution and creation.
- Influence: Anaximander's astronomical views are believed to have been influenced by Babylonian astronomy. The rotation of celestial circles is explained by wind generated from water vapor rising due to solar heat, providing a physical cause for motion.
3. Origin of Life:
- Anaximander proposed a rational theory for the origin of life, suggesting all life arose in water under the influence of the sun, possibly inspired by observations of marine life in drying mud. Aristotle also accepted spontaneous generation under such conditions. Land animals, initially covered in protective spines, also originated in water. Humans, due to their extended period of dependency, are thought to have developed within fish until they could care for themselves. The popular notion of the shark origin is a misinterpretation. Anaximander's ideas on animal origin are seen as a precursor to modern evolutionary theory.
4. Metaphysics and the Apeiron:
- The Apeiron: Anaximander's core metaphysical concept is the apeiron (the boundless, infinite, indefinite) as the origin and principle of all things. All information about this comes from Theophrastus.
- Properties of the Apeiron: The apeiron is described as "immortal and indestructible," "eternal and ageless."
- Debates about the Apeiron:
- "First Principle": Whether Anaximander was the first to coin the term "arche" is debated; it's more likely he was the first to apply the concept of the apeiron as a material principle.
- Nature of the Apeiron: Scholars debate whether the apeiron was spatially infinite or qualitatively indefinite. The text favors the interpretation of the apeiron as indefinite in both quality and quantity, which distinguishes it from Anaximenes's apeiron, which was a specific substance (air). The idea of it being spherical is deemed unlikely given its indefiniteness.
- Intermediate Substance: The notion that the apeiron is an intermediate substance between elements is considered a misinterpretation or a later imposition by Aristotle.
- Reasons for the Apeiron: Aristotle offers two reasons for positing the indefinite: (1) A definite substance would stifle differentiation due to its overwhelming power (qualitative indefiniteness), and (2) it must be infinite to allow for the continuous process of becoming and perishing (quantitative infinity). The text suggests the second reason aligns better with scholarly interpretations, though Aristotle found it logically flawed.
- Cosmic Justice: The single surviving fragment of Anaximander states: "things give to each other justice and penalty for their injustice in accordance with the arrangement of time." This fragment highlights the transience of all things, their demise seen as a form of compensatory justice enacted by time. The idea of returning to the indefinite is considered a Peripatetic interpretation.
- Origin of the World: From the apeiron, warmth (fire) and cold (air/mist) separated. The fiery envelope cracked, forming fiery wheels enclosed in air, which we perceive as stars. Wind, generated by solar heat causing water vapor to rise, causes these wheels to rotate. The sun causes the Earth to dry out, and life forms in the seas. This world is seen as one in an infinite series of world-formations.
5. Summary of Anaximander's Worldview:
- A grand, comprehensive cosmic design derived from a single origin.
- Reason and empirical observation begin to replace myth.
- The apeiron is eternal, indestructible, and divine.
- Separation of fire and moist air.
- Fiery wheels (stars) driven by wind.
- Earth floats freely, drying out under the sun.
- Life originates in the sea.
- Cyclical view of worlds, with one world replacing another in an infinite series.
The document concludes with extensive secondary literature citations for both philosophers, indicating the scholarly depth and context of this presentation.