Thales of miletus

Thales of Miletus
      According to Plutarch’s Miscellanies: Thales the Milesian doth affirm that water is the principle whence all things in the universe spring and water is principle of all things; and that god is that mind which shaped and created all things from water. 
     He was born into a world filled with the so-called mythologies and gods at the Miletus in Greek Ionia at circa 246 – 546BC, he known as the first recorded philosopher and were recorded in the first writings of humankind, by closely observing nature. He fashioned a synthesis of mythology and natural science, he the founder and leading member of the Ionian School of the ancient thinker. He became so famous for his shrewdness and theoretical wisdom by making important discoveries whose true origin were not known then and in some cases are still obscure. He is Thales of Miletus the father of philosophy.
     Thales is known as the first recorded philosopher, thought that the basic stuff of the universe was “water” because water is the most apparent thing that still can be termed “water” in all its variable forms. Thales searched for a unifying hypothesis for the creation and sustenance of things, both visible and invisible. This led him to the startling revelation that all things come from water, that the Earth floats on water, that water is the material constituent of all things, and that water is the cause of earthquakes. 
     He pronounced that all things had their original from water, and into water all things are resolved. His first reason was, that whatsoever was the prolific seed of all animals was a principle, and that is moist; so it is probable that all things receive their original from humidity. His second reason was that all plants are nourished and fructified by that thing which is moist, of which being deprived they wither away. Thirdly, that the fire of which the sun and stars are made is nourished by water exhalations, and the world itself. So that Thales was correct on that note. 
       In the past decade, scientists have determined that our sun and other stars in the universe require the presence of interstellar water to keep them from overheating during their birth. He made important contribution to astronomy, mathematics and philosophy as Bertrand Russell said “western philosophy begins with Thales”. Aristotle also described him as the first philosopher among Greeks. He not only influenced the later philosophers but also played important role in development of philosophy. He initiated a new tradition that is negation of previous influence of mythology in providing an explanation of the natural phenomena or existence. 
     This altogether brought about revolution in philosophy. Instead of conventional ideas, he advanced scientific method by setting forth hypothesis and then identified the underlying principles. He influenced later Greek thinkers and philosophers such as Pythagorasand others. His essential belief was as Laertius said “Water constituted the principles of all things”.
    Aristotle defined wisdom as knowledge of certain principles and causes. He commenced his investigation of the wisdom of the philosophers who preceded him, with Thales, the first philosopher, and described Thales as the founder of natural philosophy. He recorded: “Thales says that it is water”. It is the nature, the archê, the originating principle. For Thales, this nature was a single material substance, water. Despite the more advanced terminology which Aristotle and Plato had created, Aristotle recorded the doctrines of Thales in terms which were available to Thales in the sixth century B.C.E., Aristotle made a definite statement, and presented it with confidence. It was only when Aristotle attempted to provide the reasons for the opinions that Thales held, and for the theories that he proposed, that he sometimes displayed caution.
    In my personal opinion, Thales philosophy is all about water because water is a source of life that needs of the human being and nature. We all know that not only air is important in our life, we also water is important. So, Thales explained his theory to analyze the biological principle. In the biological world, there were three things he turned to: First, all life depends on water – remove the water from a plant and it dies; deprive animals water and they dies; then second, all seeds are themselves nothing but moisture; and lastly, heat (in the form of sun and moon) is generated out of moisture and kept alive by it.