Biography
- c. 624 BCE - c. 546 BCE
- Miletus, Ionia (present-day Turkey)
- Epistemologist, metaphysician
- Thales of Miletus was a Greek philosopher who is considered the founder of the Milesian School and the father of Western philosophy. He is best known for his contributions to the fields of metaphysics and mathematics. Thales is credited with the first recorded use of deductive reasoning and is considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece. He wrote several works, including "On the Solstice," which is lost but has been referenced by later philosophers.
Highlight
- Thales is known for his belief that everything in the universe could be explained by natural causes and that there was a single, ultimate reality behind all things. He also made important contributions to the field of mathematics, including the discovery of the theorem that an angle inscribed in a semicircle is a right angle.
- Anaximander Anaximander was a student of Thales and went on to become an important philosopher in his own right.
- Anaximenes Anaximenes was also a student of Thales and a member of the Milesian School.
Books
Concepts
- Natural causes: Thales believed that everything in the universe could be explained by natural causes, rather than the intervention of gods or supernatural forces
- Ultimate reality: Thales believed in a single, ultimate reality behind all things.
Reference