Traditionally regarded as the first Western philosopher, Thales of Miletus (a Greek colony on the west coast of present day Turkey) lived ca. 585 BCE. He accurately predicted the solar eclipse of May 28, 585 BCE and was known as a skilled astronomer, geometer, statesman and sage.
Thales, it is said, was the first to ask the question, “What is the basic `stuff’ of the universe” and, according to Aristotle, this ancient Greek thinker claimed the "First Cause" was water because, among other attributes, water could change shape and move while still remaining unchanging in substance. There are no known writings by Thales and all that is known of his life and work is through what we have written about him by others (Durant).
Thales' Early Education in Babylon
Mesopotamia was known in antiquity as a seat of learning and it would only make sense that Thales studied there. As the Babylonians, among others, believed that water was the `first principle’ from which all else flowed, and as Thales is famous for that very claim, it seems probable he studied in the region as a youth.
Babylon was not the `city of evil' so often depicted in Biblical narratives. Women had equal rights, could own land, file for divorce, conduct business and attend school. Intellectual pursuits were highly valued across the region of Mesopotamia and especially so in Babylon. The schools (devoted primarily to the priestly class) were said to be as numerous as temples and taught reading, writing, religion, law, medicine and astrology. The importance of tolerance and understanding of other culture's beliefs was also highly valued, according to Durant's The Life of Greece.
Babylon, in particular, was known for `free thinking' and it is likely that it was while studying there that Thales came to distrust the anthropomorphic view of the gods of Greece he undoubtedly would have been brought up with. He seems to have always devoted himself to a search for the truth behind the accepted view; sometimes, as one story goes, to his detriment: "A witty and attractive Thracian servant is said to have mocked Thales for falling into a well while he was observing the stars and gazing upwards; declaring that he was eager to know the things in the sky, but that what was behind him and just by his feet escaped notice," according to Baird and Kaufmann's Ancient Philosophy.
Practical Application of Philosophy
Even so, Aristotle tells the story of how Thales proved to his contemporaries the practical use of philosophy, “When they reproached him because of his poverty, as though philosophy were no use, it is said that, having observed through his study of the heavenly bodies that there would be a large olive crop, he raised a little capital while it was still winter, and paid deposits on all the olive presses in Miletus and Chios, hiring them cheaply because no one bid against him.
When the appropriate time came, there was a sudden rush of requests for the presses; he then hired them out on his own terms and so made a large profit, thus demonstrating that it is easy for philosophers to be rich, if they wish, but that it is not in this that they are interested” (Politics A11, 1259a).
Thales' Legacy
While later philosophers disagreed with Thales’ claim that water was the First Cause and basic substance of the universe, his work inspired those who would come to be known as the Pre-Socratic Philosophers to pursue their own paths and develop their own philosophical systems; without which Socrates would never have spoken in the Agora and Plato would never have written his dialogues and, following in those footsteps, Aristotle would never have tutored Alexander the Great and, in so doing, spread western civilization to the world.
Sources:
Baird/Kaufmann, Ancient Philosophy, 5th edition, 2008.
Durant, The Life of Greece, 1939.
McKeon, Aristotle's Politics, 1941.
Joshua Mark - Joshua J. Mark is a freelance writer, specializing in history, literature, religion and philosophy, who has been working and publishing ...
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