Famous Greek philosopher and mathematician , Thales of Miletus is known for being the founder of the School of Miletus to which other famous representatives such as Anaximenes and Anaximander belonged. He was considered in ancient times as one of the Seven Sages of Greece . He was one of the first scholars to transcend the mythological approach that characterized Greek philosophy in centuries past.
- Occupation: Philosopher, mathematician, astronomer
- Teacher of: Anaximander
Who was Thales of Miletus?
Great scholar, philosopher and mathematician from Greece and founder of the famous School of Miletus . They were his followers and disciples Anaximenes and Anaximander. Considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece who considered that the earth and everything in it was formed from water.
Thales of Miletus was the first Greek philosopher who was concerned with giving a detailed explanation of the Universe in terms of physics . For him, the universe was a rational space no matter what disorder he was in. According to his theory, all things were formed from water, so there was no creator of the universe for him. The earth from his point of view was a flat disk which was floating in the ocean, which was infinite and was surrounded by a celestial hemisphere.
- ✅ Biography of Thales of Miletus
- Thought of Thales of Miletus
- Contributions
- Arche of Thales of Miletus
- Phrases of Thales of Miletus
- Plays
✅ Biography of Thales of Miletus
He was born in the city of Miletus in an ancient city on the Asian coast in 624 BC. The references and knowledge that are had regarding the life of Thales are very contradictory and confusing for historians and researchers. Even its origin is not certain. Some think he was of Phoenician origin and that he later became a citizen of Miletus. Others mention that his origin was from Miletus and that he even had noble blood . It is said that he had a son and that he got married, other people say that all his life he was single and that he would have adopted a child who was his brother’s son.
Thought of Thales of Miletus
Thales of Miletus is considered one of the main men in charge of teaching geometry to the Greek inhabitants. Aristotle I have actually regarded him as a philosopher of nature. Apparently his generational Egyptian influence contributed to this way of thinking. He was the forerunner of scientific thought . His thinking focused on the fact that everything that existed in the world was originated by water and that all the earth was resting on it. Furthermore, he claimed that the whole world was full of Gods.
Contributions
He demonstrated the importance of philosophy by systematically measuring everything around him. He questioned the theogonic, cosmogonic and Olympic tradition of the time, which caused a leap of a mythological character. With regard to theology, he conducted intense debates criticizing religion and from there we can think of the birth of theology. He gave great importance to water as the origin of the whole and for this it was considered as the main element in the world by having the ability to transform its state and shape, by being subtle and violent, of gods that are part of nature by to be able to be subjected to changes, but it always remains. Another of his great contributions were the discoveries astronomical, he devoted himself to research on solstices and equinoxes, and predicted and gave explanations on eclipses of the moon and sun. He gave many contributions to navigation and used astronomy as a tool to sail the seas using the Big Dipper as a navigation guide. He established criteria of similarities in triangles, angles and sides that in the end formed the theorems. He was able to calculate the height of objects by observing the length of the shadows.
Arche of Thales of Miletus
The Arche of Thales of Miletus refers basically to his statement that water is the most important element for human life. He stated that the land is positioned on the water. According to his beliefs, the beginning of all things is the place where they are born and from here he assumed that everything had a humid nature and water was the natural beginning of things.
Phrases of Thales of Miletus
Some of his most famous phrases are: “The happiness of the body is based on health; that of understanding, in knowledge ”,“ Water is the element and principle of things ”,“ Everything is animated and everything is full of gods ”,“ The supreme pleasure is to obtain what is desired ”
Plays
His works have been the subject of discussion for many years as there are some historians who assure that Thales of Miletus did not leave any contribution. Others say that all he wrote was about the solstice and the equinox . It is for this reason that we cannot mention specific works as their origin is not certain.