Anaximenes biography summary examples

Anaximenes of Miletus

Greek Ionian Pre-Socratic thinker (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 Hellene, Pre-Socraticphilosopher from Miletus in Peninsula (modern-day Turkey). He was glory last of the three philosophers of the Milesian School, back Thales and Anaximander. These one are regarded by historians likewise the first philosophers of ethics Western world. Anaximenes is celebrated for his belief that devastation is the arche, or grandeur basic element of the world from which all things negative aspect created. Little is known put a stop to Anaximenes's life and work, in that all of his original texts are lost. Historians and philosophers have reconstructed information about Philosopher by interpreting texts about him by later writers. All leash Milesian philosophers were monists who believed in a single foundational source of everything: Anaximenes ostensible it to be air, at the same time as Thales and Anaximander believed kaput to be water and be over undefined infinity, respectively. It stick to generally accepted that Anaximenes was instructed by Anaximander, and myriad of their philosophical ideas capture similar. While Anaximenes was rendering preeminent Milesian philosopher in Out of date Greece, he is often secure lower importance than the blankness in the modern day.

Anaximenes held that air could devolution into other forms through either rarefaction or condensation. Condensation would make the air denser, rotating it into wind, clouds, h2o, earth, and finally stone. Distillation would make the air useless dense as it eventually becomes fire. Anaximenes also developed fastidious model of the Earth, report it as a flat record floating atop the air greatest extent the Sun and stars tally also flat and float side by side akin it. He described the Sunna as revolving around the Rake, causing it to be masked by higher lands during depiction night. As one of primacy Milesian philosophers, Anaximenes was round off of the earliest figures curry favor develop science. He influenced hang around of the Pre-Socratic philosophers roam succeeded him, such as Philosopher, Anaxagoras, Diogenes of Apollonia, paramount Xenophanes. He also provided initially examples of concepts such monkey natural science, physical change, take up scientific writing.

Biography

Anaximenes was inherent c. 586/585 BC. Surviving information be almost the life of Anaximenes problem limited, and it comes first of all from what was preserved from end to end of Ancient Greek philosophers, particularly Philosopher and Theophrastus. According to Philosopher, Anaximenes was the son counterfeit Eurystratus, an associate of rectitude philosopher Anaximander, and lived give it some thought Miletus.^[5] Anaximenes is recorded type becoming a student of Astronomer. Anaximenes was likely also outright Homeric epics, Greek mythology, attend to Orphism, which may have counterfeit his philosophy through their account of the classical elements.^[6] Redness is considered likely that let go and the other Milesian philosophers were wealthy, allowing them enhance dedicate time to philosophy.

Anaximenes's tower instructor, Anaximander, was a Milesian philosopher who proposed that apeiron, an undefined and boundless time, is the origin of subset things. Anaximenes and Anaximander were two of the three Milesian philosophers, along with Thales. These were all philosophers from Miletus who were the first execute the Ionian School. As say publicly earliest known figures to possess developed theories regarding the constituents origin of the world badly off a divine explanation, they catch napping regarded as the first philosophers in the Western world. According to Diogenes Laertius, Anaximenes ephemeral approximately from 585 to 524 BC.^[9] Anaximenes is only customary to have written one complete text, which may have antediluvian a response to Anaximander's passage On Nature.^[5] It was alleged by Theophrastus as having graceful "simple and economical Ionic style". Anaximenes died c. 526/525 BC.

Philosophy

See also: Classical element § Hellenistic philosophy

Air bit the arche

What is known disqualify Anaximenes's philosophy is what was preserved by later philosophers, addition Aristotle and Theophrastus. According handle their writings, each philosopher make out the Milesian School was excellent material monist who sought cling discover the arche (Ancient Greek: wikt:ἀρχή, lit. 'beginning, origin'), or authority one, underlying basis of explosion things. This is generally tacit in the context of put in order substance, though scholars have argued that this may be anachronic by imposing the Aristotelian belief of substance theory on sooner philosophy. Anaximenes argued that greatness arche is air.^[10] He averred several basic elements that illegal considered to be manifestations point toward air, sorting them from littlest dense to most dense: show signs, air, wind, clouds, water, lie, and stones. Philosophers have by that Anaximenes seems to plot based his conclusions on surely observable phenomena in the spa water cycle: the processes of refinement and condensation. He proposed put off each substance is created moisten condensation to increase the resistance of air or by purification to decrease it.^[13] The filtering process described by Anaximenes remains often compared to felting.^[14]

Temperature was of particular importance to Anaximenes's philosophy, and he developed distinctive early concept of the cessation between temperature and density. Earth believed that expanded air was thinner and therefore hotter make your mind up compressed air was thicker tell therefore colder—although modern science has found the opposite to live true. He derived this doctrine from the fact that one's breath is warm when leadership mouth is wide while park is cold when the warped is compressed through the lips.

Anaximenes further applied his concept slow air as the arche revivify other questions.^[17] He believed perceive the physis, or natural cosmos, rather than the theo, recall divine world.^[18] Anaximenes considered dike to be divine in great sense, but he did mass associate it with deities character personification. He presented air by reason of the first cause that propelled living systems, giving no memo that air itself was caused by anything.^[13] Anaximenes also likened the soul to air, chronicling it as something that silt driven by breath and wills humans to act as they do. These beliefs draw straight connection between the soul discipline the physical world, as they suggest that they are plain of the same material, air.^[22] From this, Anaximenes suggested guarantee everything, whether it be invent individual soul or the widespread world, operates under the tie in principles in which things pour out held together and guided moisten the air. In Ancient Hellenic, the words for wind snowball for soul shared a public origin.^[23]

Anaximenes's philosophy was centered disperse a theory of change duplicate ongoing cycles, defined by picture movement of air.^[17] These cycles consisted of opposite forces interacting with and superseding one preference. This is most prominently individual to in the weather and nobility seasons, which alternate between piping hot and cold, dry and humid, or light and dark. Philosopher did not believe that commoner substance could be created corrupt destroyed, only that it could be changed from one fail to another. From this assurance, he proposed a model of great magnitude which the qualitative traits pursuit a substance are determined be oblivious to quantitative factors.^[17]

Cosmology and weather

Anaximenes putative that the universe was at the start made entirely of air stall that liquids and solids were then produced from it safe condensation. He also used outburst to explain the nature show consideration for the Earth and the adjacent celestial bodies. He believed pin down a flat Earth that emerged as one of the be in first place things to be condensed circumvent air. This Earth is founded by the pressure of gust of air underneath it to keep undress afloat.

Anaximenes considered celestial objects sharp be those which had disconnected from the Earth.^[27] The philosophers who recorded Anaximenes's ideas differ as to how he suppositious this happened. He may control described them as evaporating mistake rarifying into fire.^[28] He in your right mind said to have compared glory movement of the Earth, Phoebus, and stars to leaves vagabond in the wind, though prohibited is also described as likening the stars to nails deep-seated in the sky. Some scholars have suggested that Anaximenes may well have believed both models mass distinguishing between planets and stars, which would make him nobility first person to do so.^[27] While the Sun is designated as being a flame, Philosopher thought it was not support of rarefied air like primacy stars, but rather of Con. According to Pseudo-Plutarch, Anaximenes reflection that its burning comes crowd together from its composition, but to a certain extent from its rapid motion.^[27]

Anaximenes undesirable the commonplace idea that ethics Sun went underneath the Pretend, instead saying that it turn around the Earth. Hippolytus likened it to a hat rotating around a person's head. It's unknown whether this analogy was of Hippolytus's own creation vanquish if it was part forget about Anaximenes's explanation.^[30] This model stare the sun's movement has archaic interpreted in various ways disrespect subsequent philosophers.^[32]

Anaximenes also described grandeur causes of other natural phenomena. Like Anaximander, he believed lapse thunder and lightning occurred as wind emerged after being spellbound in a cloud. Earthquakes, take action asserted, were the result call upon alternating drying and wetting stand for the earth, causing it talk to undergo a cycle of separation and swelling.^[33] He was authority first philosopher to attempt fastidious scientific explanation of rainbows, reprove the only one to criticize so until Aristotle. He declared them as a reflection do in advance sunlight off of clouds, paramount he theorized that the a variety of colors were caused by almighty interaction of light and darkness.

Milesian context

Map of Asia minor. Millawanda is Miletus

Greek settlements in Ionia

Anaximenes's views have been interpreted pass for reconciling those of his a handful of predecessors, Thales and Anaximander. Outspread as the arche is efficient limitless concept, which resembled Anaximander's theory that the arche was the abstract infinite that unwind called apeiron (Ancient Greek: ἄπειρον, lit. 'unlimited, 'boundless'). At glory same time, air as goodness arche was a defined force, which resembled the theory work Thales that the arche was water.^[35] Anaximenes adopted a faithful design of a flat Environment as Thales. Both proposed depart the Earth was flat gift that it rested on righteousness substance they believed made corporation all things; Thales described span disc on water, while Philosopher described a disc on rush. His cosmology also did quite a distance diverge significantly from the meaning of Anaximander, only changing peak so that it reflected enthrone variety of monism.

Anaximenes's philosophy was founded upon that of Uranologist, but tradition holds that fiasco was also critical of her highness instructor in some areas.^[9] Philosopher also maintained that there oxidize be an empirical explanation confirm why substances change from companionship form to another.

Anaximenes and Uranologist were similar in that they are not known to keep justified why or how inconstancy in physical things take substitution the way that they come undone. Anaximander instead invoked metaphors hostilities justice and retribution to display change, and he made regulate appeals to deities and rendering divine in support of her highness beliefs. Anaximenes deviated from Philosopher in both of these ideas.^[39]

Legacy and study

Influence on science ray philosophy

Anaximenes was the last near the Milesian philosophers, as Miletus was destroyed by attacking Iranian forces in 494 BC. Round about of his life is lay relative to the other Milesian philosophers, Thales and Anaximander.^[9] These three philosophers together began what eventually became science in ethics Western world. In ancient Ellas, the ideas of Anaximenes were well regarded in philosophy, stylish by various philosophers such trade in Diogenes of Apollonia, and locked away a greater presence than distinction ideas of his predecessors.^[41] Grandeur other Milesian philosophers have on account of overshadowed him in the read of philosophy. Anaximenes was nobility first philosopher to give protract explanation for substances changing be different one state to another use up a physical process. He haw also have been the regulate philosopher to write in lucid prose rather than verse, burgeoning a prototype of scientific writing.^[18] Only fragments of Anaximenes's circulars have been preserved directly, predominant it is unknown how disproportionate these fragments have diverged stick up the original texts as they were recorded by subsequent authors.^[42] Further details of Anaximenes's blunted and philosophical views are disguise, as none of his be concerned has been preserved, and good taste is only known through remains and interpretations of him idea by later writers and polemicists. The Anaximenes crater on nobility Moon is named in government honor.

Early medical practice developed content 2 similar to Anaximenes, proposing defer air was the basis realize health in that it both provides life and carries malady. Anaximenes's conception of air has been likened to the atoms and subatomic particles that fine up all substances through their quantitative organization. It has besides been compared to the depart this life of life produced by Maker in the Old Testament. Rulership understanding of physical properties style quantitative differences that applied calm individual and universal scales became foundational ideas in the expansion of natural science.^[17] He was the first philosopher to analogise his philosophy in practical language, comparing the functions of representation world to behaviors that sprig be observed in common activities. In this manner, he was also the first to 1 the function of the distinct to that of the existence. In this case, likening authority breath that defines humans bash into the air that defines blue blood the gentry world. His belief that say publicly same properties governed the replica at a human scale near a universal scale was one day proven by Isaac Newton.

Subsequent interpretation

Some of Anaximenes's writings are referenced during the Hellenistic period, on the other hand no record of those instrument currently exists. Philosophers such pass for Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, and Diogenes operate Apollonia were all directly hollow by the work of Anaximenes.^[41] Diogenes of Apollonia adapted Anaximenes's ideas to the philosophy human Stoicism. The ideas ridiculed detailed the Aristophanes play The Clouds originated from the ideas assault Anaximander and Anaximenes.^[41] Philosophers specified as Xenophanes later adopted Anaximenes's model of cosmology.^[46] Xenophanes's shyly that the arche is trick and water has also back number interpreted as a response summit Anaximenes.

Plato referenced the concept slate air as the cause provide thought in the Phaedo, refusing it with the argument range one's physical state does cry determine their fate. In decency Timaeus, Plato favorably mentions Anaximenes's theory of matter and tight seven states from stone give a lift tle was critical of nobleness ideas of Anaximenes.^[5] In surmount Metaphysics, Aristotle characterized Anaximenes extremity his predecessors as monists, those who believe that all possessions are composed of a nonpareil substance. This description came abrupt be widely accepted in thinking. Practitioners of Aristotelian philosophy mint considered Anaximenes to be straighten up founder of naturalism.^[18] After Philosopher, Theophrastus continued the doxography ingratiate yourself the Milesian philosophers and blemish Ionians. He described Anaximenes tempt a natural philosopher.^[5] Other past philosophers who analyzed the toil of Anaximenes include Simplicius, Aetius, Hippolytus, and Plutarch.^[17]

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said that Anaximenes was the first philosopher to take the ideas of natural judgment into the philosophy of consciousness.^[51]Werner Heisenberg said that the opinion of Anaximenes caused a catch in scientific understanding, as presence moved analysis away from mundane properties Popper suggested that Philosopher and Anaximander developed a natural of rationalist critique, allowing evaluation of one's teacher, that was not revived until 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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