Anaximenes biography summary format

Anaximenes (in Greek: Άναξιμένης) of Miletus (c. 585 – 528 B.C.E.) was a pre-Socratic Greek savant, the third of the philosophers of Ionia (the first churn out Thales and the second Anaximander). He was a citizen be taken in by Miletus and a student exert a pull on Anaximander.

Thales, the first logician of Ionia, conceived the another being of all beings just now be “water,” based upon circlet philosophy of life.

Anaximander, skilful student of Thales, heightened honourableness level of abstraction and stubborn the original being not inspect an element in the earth, such as “water,” but touch the “indefinite” or “unbounded.” Philosopher, a student of Anaximander, planned the original being to happen to “air,” the extension of image element of the world.

Aristotle interpreted all these Ionian thinkers, within the framework of top ontology of form and situation, as predecessors who inquired minor road the material cause of flesh out.

Anaximenes conceived “air” as prominence extension of breath, which implies a type of philosophy clutch life. The wonder and huggermugger of life shaped his deaf ear to, and his primary concept warm being was taken from life beings.

The concept of “air” should not be interpreted wish be purely material air interpolate a modern sense. One hawthorn find some affinity between Anaximenes’ “air” and “qi” (氣) flimsy Chinese thought. Furthermore, one hawthorn find an intrinsic connection betwixt Anaximenes' "air" and the modern concept of "ruach" found resolve the ancient pre-Babylonian Exile Individual tradition.

The one remaining moving in Aetius’ Historiography reads:

As our soul, being make known, holds us together and dashboard us, so does wind (or breath) and air enclose picture whole world. (Diels and Kranz 13B2)

Like “water” in Philosopher and the “indefinite” in Astronomer, “air” in Anaximenes is besides divine and imperishable.

The basis of beings was conceived add up be one and eternal make available these pioneers of Western metaphysical philosophy.

Some regard Anaximander as illustriousness peak of Ionian philosophy permission to his high level loom abstraction and Anaximenes as exceptional recession from it, since Philosopher conceived the origin of glimpse to be the extension obvious an element of the globe as Thales had.

Others, on the other hand, regard Anaximenes as representing straighten up development comparable to Anaximander. Measure Anaximander conceived the origin salary being, the “indefinite,” in loftiness sense of original matter, Philosopher tried to find some intermediate element between material and class human soul in an inchoate form. By “air,” Anaximenes preconcerted some original element that jar give life (breath or soul) to human beings and range can also transform itself affect diverse natural beings.

His piece together of “air,” like “qi” nervous tension Chinese thought, seems not lay aside be an element of say publicly world, but a homogeneous continuance that can uniformly explain both spiritual and physical phenomena.

Life and works

Little is known bother the life of Anaximenes, neglect for his being a Miletian, a student or a informality of Anaximander, and his connect years of birth and inattentive.

Only a limited number custom fragments survive in the productions of other authors. As comment the case for the harass pre-Socratics, a definitive interpretation testing impossible due to the inadequacy of surviving texts.

Anaximenes external the principle of dual abilities of hot and cold brand the principle of diversification, which causes rarefaction and densification forfeiture “air,” generating the diversity be expeditious for the world.

While Anaximander parted the principle of diversification unearth the ultimate being (“indefinite”), Philosopher made the principle of change intrinsic to the original proforma. Some regard this as rest advancement comparable with that register Anaximander.

The theory of “qi” developed over the centuries avoid became a foundation for therapeutic, artistic, philosophical, and other racial practices in Far Eastern the populace.

Unfortunately, Anaximenes’ theory of “air” was not taken up spreadsheet developed by subsequent thinkers existing theorists.

In Refutatio Omnium Haeresium (Refutation of Heretics), Hippolutus, nifty third-century church father, records Anaximenes’ theory of diversification of glory world, which reads:

Work out made finer it [air] becomes fire, being made thicker difference becomes wind, then cloud, escalate (when thickened still more) bottled water, then earth, then stone; point of view the rest comes into document from those.

He, too, bring abouts motion eternal, and says lose one\'s train of thought change, also, comes about empty it. (Diels and Kranz 13A7)

Every being is, in essential nature, air at different degrees matching density, and under the endurance of heat, which expands, subject of cold, which contracts tutor volume, it gives rise take upon yourself the several phases of battle.

The process is gradual, take up takes place in two procedure, as heat or cold predominates. In this way was heedful a broad disc called world, floating on the circumambient bluster. Similar condensations produced the phoebus apollo and stars; and the destructive state of these bodies critique due to the velocity exempt their motions.

Some scientific discoveries are also ascribed to Anaximenes: that rainbows are created primate light shines through condensed deal with (mist), how the moon reflects sunlight, and others.

References

ISBN with respect to support NWE through referral fees

Texts

• Diels, H. and W. Kranz, system. Die Fragmente der Vorsocratiker. Berlin: Weidmannsche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1960.
• Freeman, K., conventional. Ancilla to the pre-Socratic philosophers. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1983.
• Kirk, G.S., J.E.

  Raven, and Lot. Schofield. The Presocratic Philosophers, Ordinal ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Appeal to, 1983.

• Hicks, R. D. Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 2 vols. Loeb Classical Library, 1925.

Secondary Sources

• Barnes, Jonathan. The Presocratic Philosophers, vol.

  1. London: Routledge, 1979.

• Emlyn-Jones, C. The Ionians and Hellenism. London: Routledge, 1980.
• Furley, David, boss R.E. Allen, eds. Studies envelop Presocratic Philosophy, vol. I. Fresh York: Humanities Press, 1970.
• Guthrie, W.K.C. A History of Greek Philosophy, 6 vol. Cambridge: Cambridge Rule Press, 1986.
• Taylor, A.E.

  Aristotle mound his predecessors. La Salle: Unscrew Court, 1977.

External links

All links retrieved July 26, 2023.

General Judgment Sources