Anaximenes of Miletus
Anaximenes of Miletus
Anaximenes of Miletus
Anaximenes of Miletus
Anaximenes of Miletus
Born
c. 585 BC
Died
c. 528 BC
Era
Pre-Socratic philosophy
Region
Western Philosophy
School
Ionian/Milesian school,Naturalism
Main interests
Metaphysics
Notable ideas
Influences
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Anaximenes of Miletus (/nksmniz/; Greek: ; c. 585 c. 528 BC) was an Ancient Greek PreSocratic philosopher active in the latter half of the 6th century BC. One of the three Milesian philosophers, he
is identified as a younger friend or student of Anaximander. Anaximenes, like others in his school of thought,
practicedmaterial monism. This tendency to identify one specific underlying reality made up of a material
thing is what Anaximenes is principally known for today.
was the first to associate the quality pairs hot/dry and cold/wet with the density of a single material and add
a quantitative dimension to the Milesian monistic system.
Other phenomena
Anaximenes used his observations and reasoning to provide causes for other natural phenomena on the
earth as well. Earthquakes, he asserted, were the result either of lack of moisture, which causes the earth to
break apart because of how parched it is, or of superabundance of water, which also causes cracks in the
earth. In either case the earth becomes weakened by its cracks, so that hills collapse and cause
earthquakes. Lightning is similarly caused by the violent separation of clouds by the wind, creating a bright,
fire-like flash. Rainbows, on the other hand, are formed when densely compressed air is touched by the rays
of the sun. These examples show how Anaximenes, like the other Milesian philosophers, looked for the
broader picture in nature. They sought unifying causes for diversely occurring events, rather than treating
each one on a case-by-case basis, or attributing them to gods or to a personified nature.
Legacy
The Anaximenes crater on the Moon is named in his honour.