Definition
Traditionally regarded as the first Western philosopher, Thales of Miletus (a Greek colony on the west coast of present day Turkey) lived ca. 585 BCE. He accurately predicted the solar eclipse of May 28, 585 BCE and was known as a skilled astronomer, geometer, statesman and sage. Thales, it is said, was the first to ask the question, “What is the basic 'stuff' of the universe” and, according to Aristotle, claimed the First Cause was water because, among other attributes, water could change shape and move while still remaining unchanging in substance. There are no known writings by Thales and all that is known of his life and work is through what we have written about him by others.
Aristotle tells the story of how Thales proved to his contemporaries the practical use of philosophy, “When they reproached him because of his poverty, as though philosophy were no use, it is said that, having observed through his study of the heavenly bodies that there would be a large olive crop, he raised a little capital while it was still winter, and paid deposits on all the olive presses in Miletus and Chios, hiring them cheaply because no one bid against him. When the appropriate time came there was a sudden rush of requests for the presses; he then hired them out on his own terms and so made a large profit, thus demonstrating that it is easy for philosophers to be rich, if they wish, but that it is not in this that they are interested.”
While later philosophers disagreed with Thales’ claim that water was the First Cause and basic substance of the universe, his work inspired those who would come to be known as the Pre-Socratic Philosophers to pursue their own paths and develop their own philosophical systems.
Aristotle tells the story of how Thales proved to his contemporaries the practical use of philosophy, “When they reproached him because of his poverty, as though philosophy were no use, it is said that, having observed through his study of the heavenly bodies that there would be a large olive crop, he raised a little capital while it was still winter, and paid deposits on all the olive presses in Miletus and Chios, hiring them cheaply because no one bid against him. When the appropriate time came there was a sudden rush of requests for the presses; he then hired them out on his own terms and so made a large profit, thus demonstrating that it is easy for philosophers to be rich, if they wish, but that it is not in this that they are interested.”
While later philosophers disagreed with Thales’ claim that water was the First Cause and basic substance of the universe, his work inspired those who would come to be known as the Pre-Socratic Philosophers to pursue their own paths and develop their own philosophical systems.
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Thales of Miletus Books
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Oxford University Press, USA (13 February 2010)Price: $13.57 -
Free Press (14 October 1991)Price: $16.88 -
Penguin Classics (26 November 2002)Price: $10.20 -
University of California Press (11 July 2006)Price: $49.95 -
African American Images (01 April 2002)Price: $11.66
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