BEGININGS OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY-THALES, ANXIMANDER, ANAXAMENES & XENOPHANES

 

1.                 THALES-He is considered to be the father of Greek Philosophy and was born sometime around 624 BC at Miletus and lived into the 6^th century BC. The 6^th century BC is a remarkable century in human history. It had Buddha & Mahavira in India, Confucius & Lao Tse in China and Zoroaster in Persia. Thales comes from the city of Miletus in Asia Minor (Turkey). 

Thales said WATER is the element from which the whole universe evolved. This may look absurd to us today, but for his time which pushed everything on to God, that itself was a great step. 

2.                 ANAXIMANDER-He was the disciple of Thales and was born in 610 BC. He too was born at Miletus. He prepared the maps of the then known world and also Astronomical charts as well. 

He differed with his teacher and said that in the beginning an indeterminate unknown substance pervaded the entire Universe and it is infinite and ever existing. He named it as Apeiron. It is not like any substance that is known to us and all the substances known to us evolved from it. It did not have any properties either. He also believed that there are many worlds like ours in the Universe and also propounded a rudimentary THEORY OF EVOLUTION. 

These were amazing theories coming from a person living in the 6^th century BC. 

3.                 ANAXAMENES-He is the disciple of Anaximander. He WAS BORN IN 585 BC. He differed with his teacher as well as his teacher’s teacher.

He believed that the world evolved from AIR and said that earth was formed by hardening of air.

The above 3 philosophers were collectively known as the Milesian school of philosophy as all the three are from Miletus.

4.                 XENOPHANES- He was born in 570 BC. He was a satirical poet who fearlessly criticised all superstitions and is also a social reformer.

He said that man created God in his own image and if bulls, lions and horses had hands and if they were able to make toys with them, then they would have made them look just like themselves. The Ethiopians depict their gods like a Negro whereas people from Thrace depict them as a Caucasian. 

In fact there is only one God who is greater than all. He is not like humans either in looks or in thinking. He hears all, sees all and thinks all. Without moving he can move everything with his power. 

He believed that all things have evolved from the EARTH and again merge back with the sand in the end.