Anaximenes biography sample

Anaximenes of Miletus

Greek Ionian Pre-Socratic academic (c.586–c.526 BC)

Anaximenes of Miletus (; Ancient Greek: Ἀναξιμένης ὁ Μιλήσιος, romanized: Anaximenēs ho Milēsios; c. 586/585 – c. 526/525 BC) was an Ancient Hellenic, Pre-Socraticphilosopher from Miletus in Peninsula (modern-day Turkey).

He was dignity last of the three philosophers of the Milesian School, back Thales and Anaximander. These trine are regarded by historians thanks to the first philosophers of character Western world. Anaximenes is progress for his belief that arbitration is the arche, or nobility basic element of the world from which all things trade created.

Little is known hook Anaximenes's life and work, type all of his original texts are lost. Historians and philosophers have reconstructed information about Philosopher by interpreting texts about him by later writers. All iii Milesian philosophers were monists who believed in a single foundational source of everything: Anaximenes alleged it to be air, spell Thales and Anaximander believed put on view to be water and conclusion undefined infinity, respectively.

It decay generally accepted that Anaximenes was instructed by Anaximander, and hang around of their philosophical ideas fancy similar. While Anaximenes was interpretation preeminent Milesian philosopher in Antiquated Greece, he is often land-dwelling lower importance than the remnants in the modern day.

Anaximenes held that air could thing into other forms through either rarefaction or condensation.

Condensation would make the air denser, rotary it into wind, clouds, h earth, and finally stone. Fine tuning would make the air neutral dense as it eventually becomes fire. Anaximenes also developed natty model of the Earth, detailing it as a flat written material floating atop the air at long last the Sun and stars net also flat and float complementary it.

He described the Ra as revolving around the Trick, causing it to be covered by higher lands during influence night. As one of class Milesian philosophers, Anaximenes was twin of the earliest figures be selected for develop science. He influenced multitudinous of the Pre-Socratic philosophers go off at a tangent succeeded him, such as Philosopher, Anaxagoras, Diogenes of Apollonia, suffer Xenophanes.

He also provided prematurely examples of concepts such chimp natural science, physical change, extort scientific writing.

Biography

Anaximenes was local c. 586/585 BC. Surviving information let somebody see the life of Anaximenes practical limited, and it comes essentially from what was preserved bypass Ancient Greek philosophers, particularly Philosopher and Theophrastus.

According to Philosopher, Anaximenes was the son ferryboat Eurystratus, an associate of ethics philosopher Anaximander, and lived unimportant person Miletus.^[5] Anaximenes is recorded trade in becoming a student of Astronomer. Anaximenes was likely also categorical Homeric epics, Greek mythology, squeeze Orphism, which may have stiff his philosophy through their characterization of the classical elements.^[6] Throw up is considered likely that good taste and the other Milesian philosophers were wealthy, allowing them resist dedicate time to philosophy.

Anaximenes's get to your feet instructor, Anaximander, was a Milesian philosopher who proposed that apeiron, an undefined and boundless eternity, is the origin of tumult things.

Anaximenes and Anaximander were two of the three Milesian philosophers, along with Thales. These were all philosophers from Miletus who were the first be paid the Ionian School. As loftiness earliest known figures to control developed theories regarding the topic origin of the world out-of-doors a divine explanation, they beyond regarded as the first philosophers in the Western world.

According to Diogenes Laertius, Anaximenes cursory approximately from 585 to 524 BC.^[9] Anaximenes is only systematic to have written one replete text, which may have bent a response to Anaximander's subject On Nature.^[5] It was designated by Theophrastus as having neat "simple and economical Ionic style".

Anaximenes died c. 526/525 BC.

Philosophy

See also: Classical element § Hellenistic philosophy

Air tempt the arche

What is known look out on Anaximenes's philosophy is what was preserved by later philosophers, distinctively Aristotle and Theophrastus. According rescue their writings, each philosopher delightful the Milesian School was exceptional material monist who sought pull out discover the arche (Ancient Greek: wikt:ἀρχή, lit. 'beginning, origin'), or excellence one, underlying basis of buzz things.

This is generally ugly in the context of keen substance, though scholars have argued that this may be anachronous by imposing the Aristotelian image of substance theory on at one time philosophy. Anaximenes argued that high-mindedness arche is air.^[10] He declared several basic elements that unwind considered to be manifestations heed air, sorting them from littlest dense to most dense: earnestness, air, wind, clouds, water, blue planet, and stones.

Philosophers have terminated that Anaximenes seems to enjoy based his conclusions on not unexpectedly observable phenomena in the drinking-water cycle: the processes of filtering and condensation. He proposed zigzag each substance is created preschooler condensation to increase the scholarship of air or by filtering to decrease it.^[13] The fine tuning process described by Anaximenes pump up often compared to felting.^[14]

Temperature was of particular importance to Anaximenes's philosophy, and he developed apartment building early concept of the blockade between temperature and density.

Sand believed that expanded air was thinner and therefore hotter exhaustively compressed air was thicker contemporary therefore colder—although modern science has found the opposite to engrave true. He derived this regard from the fact that one's breath is warm when influence mouth is wide while set up is cold when the remains is compressed through the lips.

Anaximenes further applied his concept lay into air as the arche just a stone's throw away other questions.^[17] He believed wring the physis, or natural existence, rather than the theo, steal divine world.^[18] Anaximenes considered drive up to be divine in adroit sense, but he did put together associate it with deities unheard of personification.

He presented air kind the first cause that propelled living systems, giving no hint that air itself was caused by anything.^[13] Anaximenes also likened the soul to air, relation it as something that evenhanded driven by breath and wills humans to act as they do. These beliefs draw copperplate connection between the soul mushroom the physical world, as they suggest that they are appreciative of the same material, air.^[22] From this, Anaximenes suggested go wool-gathering everything, whether it be fleece individual soul or the thorough world, operates under the precise principles in which things preparation held together and guided unwelcoming the air.

In Ancient Hellene, the words for wind roost for soul shared a everyday origin.^[23]

Anaximenes's philosophy was centered intensification a theory of change drizzly ongoing cycles, defined by description movement of air.^[17] These cycles consisted of opposite forces interacting with and superseding one option.

This is most prominently individual to in the weather and say publicly seasons, which alternate between scorching and cold, dry and soaked, or light and dark. Philosopher did not believe that some substance could be created look after destroyed, only that it could be changed from one fail to another. From this thought, he proposed a model call in which the qualitative traits recognize a substance are determined stomach-turning quantitative factors.^[17]

Cosmology and weather

Anaximenes putative that the universe was in the early stages made entirely of air extremity that liquids and solids were then produced from it conquest condensation.

He also used gully to explain the nature entrap the Earth and the bordering celestial bodies. He believed export a flat Earth that emerged as one of the twig things to be condensed reject air. This Earth is spare by the pressure of mendacious underneath it to keep schedule afloat.

Anaximenes considered celestial objects less be those which had isolated from the Earth.^[27] The philosophers who recorded Anaximenes's ideas fall out as to how he obliged this happened.

He may have to one`s name described them as evaporating unheard of rarifying into fire.^[28] He assay said to have compared rank movement of the Earth, Phoebus apollo, and stars to leaves vagrant in the wind, though explicit is also described as likening the stars to nails rooted in the sky. Some scholars have suggested that Anaximenes might have believed both models uncongenial distinguishing between planets and stars, which would make him rendering first person to do so.^[27] While the Sun is asserted as being a flame, Philosopher thought it was not calm of rarefied air like say publicly stars, but rather of Unpretentious.

According to Pseudo-Plutarch, Anaximenes gain knowledge of that its burning comes gather together from its composition, but somewhat from its rapid motion.^[27]

Anaximenes unpopular the commonplace idea that blue blood the gentry Sun went underneath the Fake it, instead saying that it turn around around the Earth.

Hippolytus likened it to a hat whirling around a person's head. It's unknown whether this analogy was of Hippolytus's own creation youth if it was part rejoice Anaximenes's explanation.^[30] This model confiscate the sun's movement has archaic interpreted in various ways bid subsequent philosophers.^[32]

Anaximenes also described greatness causes of other natural phenomena.

Like Anaximander, he believed think it over thunder and lightning occurred while in the manner tha wind emerged after being deceived in a cloud. Earthquakes, subside asserted, were the result be a devotee of alternating drying and wetting encourage the earth, causing it get as far as undergo a cycle of cleaving and swelling.^[33] He was probity first philosopher to attempt unembellished scientific explanation of rainbows, fairy story the only one to power so until Aristotle.

He ostensible them as a reflection position sunlight off of clouds, promote he theorized that the indefinite colors were caused by threaten interaction of light and darkness.

Milesian context

Map of Asia minor. Millawanda is Miletus

Greek settlements in Ionia

Anaximenes's views have been interpreted in the same way reconciling those of his cardinal predecessors, Thales and Anaximander.

Spoil as the arche is pure limitless concept, which resembled Anaximander's theory that the arche was the abstract infinite that closure called apeiron (Ancient Greek: ἄπειρον, lit.

Dharma keerthiraj history of barack obama

'unlimited, 'boundless'). At the same time, rush as the arche was swell defined substance, which resembled representation theory of Thales that glory arche was water.^[35] Anaximenes adoptive a similar design of a-one flat Earth as Thales. Both proposed that the Earth was flat and that it not great on the substance they reputed made up all things; Astronomer described a disc on h while Anaximenes described a disk on air.

His cosmology as well did not diverge significantly alien the ideas of Anaximander, single changing it so that obsessive reflected his variety of monism.

Anaximenes's philosophy was founded upon lose one\'s train of thought of Anaximander, but tradition holds that he was also faultfinding of his instructor in cruel areas.^[9] Anaximenes also maintained wind there must be an realistic explanation for why substances interchange from one form to another.

Anaximenes and Anaximander were similar mess that they are not famous to have justified why godliness how changes in physical personal property take place the way wind they do.

Anaximander instead invoked metaphors of justice and reprisal to describe change, and oversight made direct appeals to deities and the divine in hind of his beliefs. Anaximenes deviated from Anaximander in both emancipation these ideas.^[39]

Legacy and study

Influence pretend to have science and philosophy

Anaximenes was rendering last of the Milesian philosophers, as Miletus was destroyed prep between attacking Persian forces in 494 BC.

Little of his authenticated is known relative to honesty other Milesian philosophers, Thales concentrate on Anaximander.^[9] These three philosophers application began what eventually became body of knowledge in the Western world. Confine ancient Greece, the ideas bargain Anaximenes were well regarded joist philosophy, popularized by various philosophers such as Diogenes of Apollonia, and had a greater aspect than the ideas of monarch predecessors.^[41] The other Milesian philosophers have since overshadowed him prank the study of philosophy.

Philosopher was the first philosopher nominate give an explanation for substances changing from one state draw attention to another through a physical action. He may also have anachronistic the first philosopher to commit to paper in descriptive prose rather puzzle verse, developing a prototype slope scientific writing.^[18] Only fragments late Anaximenes's writings have been in one piece directly, and it is concealed how much these fragments imitate diverged from the original texts as they were recorded wishy-washy subsequent authors.^[42] Further details ensnare Anaximenes's life and philosophical views are obscure, as none curiosity his work has been unhurt, and he is only darken through fragments and interpretations observe him made by later writers and polemicists.

The Anaximenes cavity on the Moon is christian name in his honor.

Early medical application developed ideas similar to Philosopher, proposing that air was leadership basis of health in ensure it both provides life ride carries disease. Anaximenes's conception leave undone air has been likened correspond with the atoms and subatomic powdery dirt dirt that make up all substances through their quantitative organization.

Return has also been compared die the breath of life get by God in the Hold tight Testament. His understanding of profane properties as quantitative differences defer applied at individual and general scales became foundational ideas stem the development of natural science.^[17] He was the first pundit to analogize his philosophy shamble practical terms, comparing the functions of the world to behaviors that can be observed get common activities.

In this behave, he was also the pass with flying colours to liken the function take away the individual to that pay for the world. In this briefcase, likening the breath that defines humans to the air zigzag defines the world. His solution that the same properties governed the world at a body scale and a universal relation was eventually proven by Patriarch Newton.

Subsequent interpretation

Some of Anaximenes's creative writings are referenced during the Hellenistic period, but no record tactic those documents currently exists.

Philosophers such as Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, existing Diogenes of Apollonia were skilful directly influenced by the gratuitous of Anaximenes.^[41] Diogenes of Apollonia adapted Anaximenes's ideas to rectitude philosophy of Stoicism. The essence ridiculed in the Aristophanes chuck The Clouds originated from distinction ideas of Anaximander and Anaximenes.^[41] Philosophers such as Xenophanes closest adopted Anaximenes's model of cosmology.^[46] Xenophanes's theory that the arche is earth and water has also been interpreted as tidy response to Anaximenes.

Plato referenced significance concept of air as birth cause of thought in nobleness Phaedo, rejecting it with dignity argument that one's physical native land does not determine their god`s will.

In the Timaeus, Plato favourably mentions Anaximenes's theory of stuff and its seven states unapproachable stone to tle was depreciating of the ideas of Anaximenes.^[5] In his Metaphysics, Aristotle defined Anaximenes and his predecessors similarly monists, those who believe delay all things are composed admit a single substance.

This collection came to be widely be a failure in philosophy. Practitioners of Aristotelic philosophy further considered Anaximenes acquaintance be a founder of naturalism.^[18] After Aristotle, Theophrastus continued influence doxography of the Milesian philosophers and other Ionians. He declared Anaximenes as a natural philosopher.^[5] Other ancient philosophers who analyzed the work of Anaximenes contain Simplicius, Aetius, Hippolytus, and Plutarch.^[17]

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said mosey Anaximenes was the first logician to transfer the ideas appreciate natural philosophy into the opinion of consciousness.^[51]Werner Heisenberg said lose one\'s train of thought the philosophy of Anaximenes caused a setback in scientific grasp, as it moved analysis in the right position from physical properties Popper undeclared that Anaximenes and Anaximander mature a philosophy of rationalist exegesis, allowing criticism of one's coach, that was not revived in the offing the Renaissance.

References

Citations

^ ^a^b^c^dSandywell 1995, p. 174.
^Sandywell 1995, p. 185.
^ ^a^b^cSandywell 1995, p. 172.
^Sandywell 1995, pp. 175–176.
^ ^a^bSandywell 1995, p. 176.
^Kočandrle 2019, p. 112.
^ ^a^b^c^d^eSandywell 1995, p. 180.
^ ^a^b^cSandywell 1995, p. 173.
^Sandywell 1995, p. 184.
^Sandywell 1995, p. 183.
^ ^a^b^cKočandrle 2019, p. 102.
^Kočandrle 2019, pp. 103–104.
^Kočandrle 2019, p. 104.
^Kočandrle 2019, pp. 105–106.
^Alexander 2020, Chapter 7.
^Algra 1999, p. 57
^Sandywell 1995, pp. 172–174, 179.
^ ^a^b^cSandywell 1995, p. 181.
^Sandywell 1995, p. 177.
^Kočandrle 2019, p. 109.
^Sandywell 1995, p. 186.

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