Some notes on the Milesian School and its Scholars

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1 Some notes on the Milesian School and its Scholars S. Belen, M.E. Özel and G.-W. Weber October 21, 2010 Abstract In this work, ancient Milesian School and its first three scholars, Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes have been in the focus with their major contributions in philosophy and natural sciences. Role of Milesian philosophers as the first scholars of a teaching and research establishment is stressed. Key words: Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Milesian school, Miletus 1 Introduction Ancient Greek philosophy may be classified into pre-socratic, Socratic and Hellenistic eras. Pre-Socratic philosophy includes ionian schools which include the Milesian school and the Ephesian school. Milesian school is usuually represented by the three philosophers (Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes) while the Ephesian school is usually represented by Heraclitus from ( BCE). A very limited number of ancient documents from pre-socratic era remained. Aristoteles was the leading philosopher to write their history that resulted the written account of this era. We learn many things about Milesian scholars from the writings, of Diogenes from the 2nd century AD. [1] In a present work, we are interested in the Milesian school of pre-socratic era where Thales ( BCE), Anaximander ( BCE) and Anaximenes ( BCE) were Note that an early draft and unchecked version of the paper appeared in the published proceedings of WU2010 Congress held between October 2010, in COMU. This is the correct version of the paper aimed and presented for the panel held in WU2010 congress Department of Mathematics and Computer, CAG University, Yenice-Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey Department of Mathematics and Computer, Space and Astronomy Center, CAG University, Yenice-Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey Institute of Applied Mathematics, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, Faculty of Economics, Business and Law, University of Siegen, Germany; Center for Research on Optimization and Control, University of Aveiro, Portugal

2 Some notes on Milesian School and Its Scholars by S. Belen, M.E. Ozel and G.W. Weber 2 the main scholars. Thales was considered as the founder of the Milesian school. They all lived in the city of Miletus, (now an ancient ruin near Balat village in Aydin province of Turkey) which was the heart of Ionia. In the east coast of Aegean Sea, Ionians had established 12 towns. All commercial goods coming from east to Anatolia were shipped from these ionian to Greece. These cities were the meeting places as well as bridges to transfer not only goods, but also knowledge, culture and wisdom from east to Greece. Some of the transfers were ideas of astronomy, calender, coins and measurements of weights. Miletus was the most developed city among them around 6th century BC. We can say that Miletus was at the intersection of races (hellenistic, persians, egyptians, and others), religions and cultures. This atmosphere had given rise to the earth science and philosophy which became the main elements in the western civilization. 2 Early Milesian Scholars As mentioned above, the first pre-socratic philosophers were Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes. They aimed to explain the nature, matter and the world in their own ways. They also discuss logic and ethic values of human being in general. Each developed their own philosophy of nature. 2.1 Thales (624 B.C B.C.) Figure 1: Thales Thales was a citizen of Miletus and was the first scholar-philosopher in the modern sense. He had great influence on the philosophers and thinkers that followed him. He was also a rich merchant and statesman in addition to his influential philosophical work in metaphysics, ethics, geometry, and astronomy. It may be regarded that the philosophy of nature started with Thales. He is also regarded as the father of the ancient philosophy. He was honored as one of the seven wisdom (philosophers) of the ancient world [1]. When

3 Some notes on Milesian School and Its Scholars by S. Belen, M.E. Ozel and G.W. Weber 3 he was asked what was the most difficult and easiest things, his answer was: to know oneself. For him, the easiest thing was to give advise to others. He described that God has no beginning and no end. Thales also made a comment on what was the condition for the honorable life question. His comment was don t do anything to others, if you don t want it to be done to you. [1]. Thales also had visited Egypt. Egypt which was known to have great Pyramids other important work of engineering and architecture. He has become famous by calculating the height of the pyramids by a simple geometrical relation, which still bears his name. This quite practical and good solution gave great impression about Thales in Egypt.[5]. Thales is also known to predict a solar eclipse of the sun which occurred on 28 May 585 BC. This account of the eclipse is from Herodotus: On one occasion armies [the Medes and the Lydians] had a battle in the dark, an event which occurred when the two armies had already engaged and the fight was in progress, then day was suddenly turned into night. This change from daylight to darkness had been foretold to the Ionians by Thales of Miletus, who fixed the date for it within the limits of the year in which it did, in fact, take place (Hdt. I.74). [6]. Modern astronomical calculations confirm that this eclipse indeed occur [4], and it was a total one. The fighting armies interpreted it as a warning and stopped the fighting and a peace agreement was made between the two kings. This prediction of eclipse made Thales very famous in Anatolia and Greece and gave him great respect in ancient history. In mathematics, Thales had developed theorems to solve the problems. He used them to calculate the height of pyramids and the distance of ships from the shore. In the proofs of his theorems, he mainly used the properties of similar triangles, and angles. In many scientific disciplines requiring geometry, Thales theorems are still important and in use. Thus, it may be said that a new era in the literature of Mathematics in particular, in science in general started with Thales. For the sake of reference, we will mention these theorems attributed to him. (1) Thales Ratio Theorem is illustrated by Figure 2. According to this, if given any two lines (either intersecting or parallel to each other) are cut by several parallel lines, then proportional line segments are created on the parallel lines intersecting other lines. (2) Another theorem of Thales was the relation between the diameter of a circle and the value of any angle whose vertex is on the circle and whose sides are connected to the ends of the diameter. He proves that all such angles are right angles (Figure 3). (3) Theorem relating the equality of opposite angles at the intersection of two straight lines is also attributed to Thales. (See Figure 4). Thales also developed a theory of matter, in which water was considered to be the most basic substance of all. He thinks water can convert into all other substances: it can become air when evaporates; it can become solid (soil) when solidifies. According to his theory of world (universe), Earth is like a piece of wood in an eternal see. With his ideas about matter, the world, together with his philosophy apart and distant from the religions explanation of his time, he was considered as the father of science, geometry and philosophy. He has influenced many scholars and philosophers after him.

4 Some notes on Milesian School and Its Scholars by S. Belen, M.E. Ozel and G.W. Weber 4 Figure 2: Thales Ratio Theorem Figure 3: Thales second theorem stating that any angle that subtends the diameter is right angle. Figure 4: Thales third theorem showing opposite two angles are equal to each other

5 Some notes on Milesian School and Its Scholars by S. Belen, M.E. Ozel and G.W. Weber Anaximander ( BCE) Anaximander was also a native to Miletus. He was the student of Thales as well as friend and was influenced by Thales. It is also said that Anaximander was the leader of those people who immigrated from Miletus to Apollonia on the Black Sea. Anaximander was the first philosopher to write about nature and part of his writings did reach to us [2]. The idea of aperion as the most basic substance was first introduced and defined by Anaximander. The aperion is infinite and undefinable. According to him, in the very beginning of time, there was a fire surrounding the world. Later this fire was broken into pieces by time and then, started revolving around the world as the sun. This can be regarded as the first reference physical approach about physical movements of stars and planets [1]. The aperion is sometimes compared with the modern concept of energy. The world itself was liquid in the very beginning of the existence and gradually became dry and then life appeared first in water, later on the land. He also had the amazing and important idea that life started in water and then passed into land. This was a first step towards the modern understanding about the formation of the earth and beginning of life. [1]. It was also first time that Anaximander thought the Earth was hanging freely in empty space. Anaximander was able to defend his bold theory of the free-floating, unsupported earth against the question: why does the earth not fall? By being at the very center, at equal distances from the extremes. Therefore it can not move up, down or sideways; therefore the Earth necessarily stays where it is. Anaximander boldly asserts that, the earth floats free and lies at the center, with no support by anything. Obviously, the earth hanging free in space is something Anaximander could not have observed. This is indeed a complete revolution in the understanding of the world. Probably, he was able to reach at this bold conclusion from his assumption that the celestial bodies make full circles. About 2500 years later, astronauts indeed have seen the earth floating in space and confirmed Anaximander s conception. However, the shape of the earth, according to him was not spherical, but cylindrical for him. Diameter of Earth was three times its height. We were living on top surface of it. We don t know why Anaximander chose this strange configuration. In Herodotus writings it is understood that Anaximander was the first person who produced a map of the world. [6]. 3 Anaximenes ( BCE) Anaximenes was the last of great scholars of Milesian school. He was a student and friend of Anaximander. He also influenced many philosophers that follow and opened a new era in various fields of philosophy. Anaximenes also accepted and believed in material monism (there is only matter and nothing else) like Thales and Anaximander. However, he explained the world and its essence different from Thales and Anaximander. Anaximenes is the first scientist with a correct explanation about lunar eclipses.

6 Some notes on Milesian School and Its Scholars by S. Belen, M.E. Ozel and G.W. Weber 6 Anaximenes also found that Moon gets its light from the Sun [2]. According to Anaximenes, appearences and disappearances of the world is in periodic cycles [1]. In Anaximenes view the main substantial matter in the world is air and it is infinite. However, Anaximenes doesn t agree on Anaximander s idea that the basic substance is indefinite.[2]. Air is not just one of the four basic elements, it is the substance from which all things came out and to which they would all eventually return. He based his conclusion on the naturally observable phenomena in the processes of rarefaction and condensation. When air condenses it becomes visible, as clouds and mist. Then rain and other forms of precipitation makes it liquid, cools, it forms soil and ultimately stones. Concept of opposing quality pairs as hot/cold and wet/dry was also first proposed by Anaximenes. 4 Conclusion We gave a short account of ideas by the first three philosophers of first scholarly pursuit that form the Milesian School. Although they claimed different single elements for which all nature and cosmos were made of, they were all naturalists and realists. The common view of Milesian scholars was that they tried to explain the birth and existence on the world by considering natural processes and events rather than sprits and gods. They thought that a single element was at the beginning of substance and matter. If one remembers that, physics presently also aims to reach at a unified single force and event from which all universe emerged, the Milesian school indeed provided us a very fruitful pathway, still valid today. It is usually considered that modern science and philosophy were born in Miletus. [3]. This way Milesian school is a good example of start of universal schools (universities) to search for knowledge for the sake of truth, for which freedom of thought was essential was probably the most important result of their early science and philosophy.

7 Some notes on Milesian School and Its Scholars by S. Belen, M.E. Ozel and G.W. Weber 7 References [1] Atayman, V.(Edt.) Devlete Giris; Thales ten Platon a Yunan Felsefesi (Introduction to Republic : Greek Philosophy from Thales to Platon), Donkisot Güncel Yayinlar, [2] Baydur, S., Antik Felsefe (translation from W. Kranz), Sosyal yayinlar, Ankara, [3] Lederman, L.M., The God Particle: If the universe is the answer, what is the question?, Mariner Books Publications, [4] Özel, E., A Solar Eclipse During a War: 28 May 585 BC, in Solar and Stellar Phy. through Eclipses symposium held in Antalya,March [5] Sertöz, S., Matematigin Aydinlik Dünyasi (Bright world of mathematics), TÜBITAK popüler bilim yayinlari, [6] Wikipedia Web Encyclopedia, on Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes.