Anaximander
Anaximander (/æˌnæksɪˈmændər/; Greek: Ἀναξίμανδρος Anaximandros; c. 610 – c. 546 BC) was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived in Miletus,[3] a city of Ionia. He belonged to the Milesian school and learned the teachings of his master Thales. He succeeded him and became the second master of that school where he counted Anaximenes and Pythagoras amongst his pupils.[4]
Anaximander | |
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 Raphael representing Anaximander (Roma, Museo Nazionale Romano). Probably Roman copy of an earlier Greek original. This is the only existing image of Anaximander from the ancient world. | |
| Born | c. 611 BC |
| Died | c. 546 BC |
| Era | Pre-Socratic philosophy |
| Region | Western Philosophy |
| School | Ionian Philosophy, Milesian school, Naturalism |
Main interests | Metaphysics, astronomy, geometry, geography |
Notable ideas | The apeiron is the arche Evolutionary view of living things[1][2] Earth floats unsupported Mechanical model of the sky Water of rain from evaporation |
Influences
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Influenced
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Little of his life and work is known today. According to available historical documents, he is the first philosopher known to have written down his studies,[5] although only one fragment of his work remains. Fragmentary testimonies found in documents after his death provide a portrait of the man.
Anaximander Media
Whereas Thales thought the Earth floated in the great Ocean, Anaximander saw the Earth as floating in the infinite. Where Thales conceived of things falling down to Earth, and Earth being above the Ocean, Anaximander saw the Earth as the centre, and that things could fall from any direction.
Map of Anaximander's universe
Illustration of Anaximander's models of the universe. On the left, daytime in summer; on the right, nighttime in winter. Note the sphere represents the combined rings of all of the stars about the very small inner cylinder which represents the Earth.
Possible rendering of Anaximander's world map
References
- ↑ DK fragments A 11 and A 30
- ↑ "Anaximander". Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
- ↑ "Anaximander" in Chambers's Encyclopædia. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 1, p. 403.
- ↑ Guthrie W.K.C. 1962. A history of Greek philosophy. Vol 1: the earlier Presocratics and the Pythagoreans. Cambridge.
- ↑ Themistius, Oratio 36, § 317
- ↑ Rovelli 2023, pp. 50–52.
Other websites
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Quotations related to Anaximander at Wikiquote
Works related to Anaximander at Wikisource- Philoctete – Anaximandre: Fragments ((Grk icon)) (in French and English)
- The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy – Anaximander Archived 2009-10-15 at the Wayback Machine
- Extensive bibliography by Dirk Couprie
- Eric W. Weisstein, Anaximander of Miletus (610-ca. 546 BC) at ScienceWorld.
- Anaximander entry by John Burnet contains fragments of Anaximander