Thales of Miletus
Aristotle considered him the founder of the philosophy that asks what everything is made of, and attributes to him the idea that the principle of all things is water. His ideas reach us through later writers, above all Aristotle.
Ideas
MetaphysicsWhat if everything were made of one single thing?Everything comes from waterAristotle considered Thales the founder of the philosophy that asks what everything is made of. According to him, Thales said the principle of all things is water; Aristotle supposes he may have thought so because nourishment and seeds are moist.Philosophy of science and natureIf the Earth floats on water, what does the water float on?The floating EarthAristotle reports that Thales thought the Earth rests on water and stays still because it floats, like wood; and he criticizes the idea.MetaphysicsCan a stone have a soul?The magnet has a soulAccording to Aristotle, Thales apparently said the magnet has a soul because it attracts iron. Aristotle also suggests that Thales perhaps thought all things are full of gods because, as some said, soul is interfused throughout the universe.Philosophy of science and natureCan you tell in advance what the sky will do?The eclipse that stopped a battleAccording to Herodotus, Thales foretold a solar eclipse to the Ionians, though he named only the year; it is identified with an eclipse that astronomers have calculated for May 28, 585 BCE.MetaphilosophyIs there any use in looking at the stars?What is philosophy good for?Two opposite ancient stories: the story goes, as Plato tells it in jest, that he fell into a well while stargazing; and, as Aristotle tells it, that he got rich renting olive presses to show that philosophy isn't useless.Philosophy of science and natureCan you measure a pyramid without climbing it?Measuring a pyramid with a shadowAccording to an ancient account preserved by Diogenes Laertius, Thales measured the height of the pyramids from their shadow; Pamphila also credits him with inscribing a right triangle in a circle, though others tell the same of Pythagoras.