In the southwestern part of Ancient Greece, on the coast of Asia Minor, there was once a large trading city of Miletus. There in the V century BC. e. the philosopher and mathematician Thales was born, whose name later became a symbol of wisdom. The outstanding ancient Greek thinker Plato appreciated his works so highly that he called him the father and founder of philosophy. What is known about this man?
Curious merchant
The exact date of birth of Thales of Miletus (the name of his native city became part of his name) is unknown. But among scholars it is generally accepted that this event occurred between 640 and 624 BC. From the parsimonious and sometimes contradictory information that formed the basis of the biography of Thales of Miletus, it follows that he was born into a wealthy family of Phoenician descent and thanks to this he received a very decent education at that time.
Having reached the proper age, he engaged in trade. In this regard, he traveled a lot, visited the largest cities of Ancient Egypt. This circumstance gave him the opportunity to significantly replenish his knowledge. It is known, for example, that under the leadership of priests, who at that time were representatives of the most educated part of society, the young man received information that later laid the foundation for a new science at that time - geometry. There, on the banks of the Nile, an inquisitive merchant comprehended the causes of floods, and looked for ways to prevent their detrimental consequences.
Political activity of a young scientist
An important aspect of the life of Thales of Miletus was his socio-political activity. Possessing an outstanding oratory talent, he spoke before his compatriots with calls to join forces for a joint struggle with the Lydian, and then the Persian invaders, who then invaded their Greece and tried with all their might to establish their dominance.
Having shown political foresight, he sought to create from the disparate military units formed in all cities of the country, a joint army subordinate to the leadership of a single defensive alliance. By such actions, the young man exposed his life to serious danger, since in all centuries the invaders used to cruelly crack down on rebellious people.
The circumstances of life Thales, remained a mystery
Among other aspects of the scientist's life, which did not receive their coverage, the question of whether he had a family remained unanswered. Based on highly fragmented and conflicting materials, three hypotheses appeared regarding the personal life of Thales of Miletus. Briefly, their essence boils down to the following.
According to one version, he did not marry anyone and left the world without leaving offspring, while according to another - his wife still had and bore him a son, named Kibist. Supporters of the third hypothesis, denying marriage, argue that Kibist was the son of Thales's sister, that is, his nephew. It is hardly possible to establish which of them is right now, since there is very little documentary evidence.
Equally contradictory is the information regarding the date and circumstances of his death. It is generally accepted that the philosopher left the mortal world between 548 and 545 BC. e., and the reason for this was cardiac arrest caused by heat and stampede on the podium, with which he watched athletes compete during one of the olympiads. What to do, the sages are the same mortal creations of the gods as ordinary people.
Literary works that have sunk into oblivion
It is impossible to say with certainty that the works of Thales of Miletus contained in themselves, since not one of the works of the “father of philosophy” has survived to this day, and one can only judge them from the messages of biographers who studied his work in the following centuries. So, there is an opinion that during his lifetime he owed universal fame to two major works, one of which was called “On the Equinoxes” and the other “On the Solstices”.
In addition, it is known that, in addition to philosophy, the subject of his constant interest was poetry, which is why in a short biography of Thales of Miletus, which served as the basis for writing this article, it is said that he attributed authorship to almost two hundred verses. However, some researchers question this data.
Sage predicting a solar eclipse
Despite the centuries-old glory of Thales of Miletus, a philosopher and mathematician, the authorship and authenticity of his scientific discoveries is controversial, since in most sources they are extremely controversial. The same can be said of all the dates associated with his life.
The only exception is the solar eclipse predicted by scientists, which, according to modern research, occurred in May 585 BC. e., when between the two largest states of the Ancient World - Lydia and Media, there was a bloody war. All biographers mention it, because the example of scientific foresight so amazed contemporaries that it affirmed Thales the reputation of the greatest sage.
Custom Solution Wizard
Most of the facts about the life of Thales of Miletus are not supported by documentary evidence and are perceived more as legends, often invading the biographies of prominent people of the past. These include, in particular, the story of how, being in the service of the Lydian king Croesus (the one who in world history has become a symbol of wealth), the scientist managed to ensure the passage of his troops across the Galis River.
The decision he made was truly extraordinary. Contrary to tradition, Thales did not look for a ford or build bridges, but changed the channel of the river itself, letting it flow in a direction convenient for him. To this end, he designed and built a dam and a drainage channel near the city of Mitel. As a result, the water level in the former channel fell so much that the troops overcame it almost on dry land.
It is said that talented people are talented in everything. The founder of scientific philosophy Thales of Miletus has established himself as an outstanding entrepreneur. Thanks to the location from the same king Croesus, he managed to establish his own monopoly on the trade in olive oil and derive huge profits from this. He also had other brilliant commercial enterprises.
Wisdom in Political Decisions
It would be an unforgivable omission to ignore the political activity of Thales, which also showed his outstanding talent. He, in particular, belonged to the idea of creating a confederation of cities, the center of which was to become the island of Chios. This initiative was aimed at countering the possible aggression that emanated from the Achaemenid state at that time, a state that existed on the territory of Western Asia in the VI – IV centuries BC. e.
At the same time, the pundit turned out to be very perspicacious in assessing the political situation in the region. According to his recommendation, the ruler of Miletus (his hometown) declined to enter into a military alliance with Tsar Lydia Croesus. This was a very far-sighted decision, it soon allowed to avoid the capture of the city by the Persians, who defeated the Lydian army and mercilessly robbed all occupied territories.
Merits in the study of astronomy
However, Thales of Miletus acquired his main laurels in the scientific field. In the field of astronomy, he is credited with the discovery of the inclination of the ecliptic (a large circle of the celestial sphere along which the visible annual movement of the sun occurs) relative to the equator. In addition, he taught contemporaries to calculate the time of the equinox and solstice. Thales also holds the championship in the conditional division of the celestial sphere into five circles, designated by him as the Antarctic circle, the winter tropic, the heavenly equator, the summer tropic and the Arctic circle.
Watching the Moon, he was the first of the scientists to conclude that its radiance is nothing more than a reflection of sunlight, and eclipses of the Sun occur when the Moon closes it from us. Moreover, the scientist was able to calculate the angular size of these cosmic bodies, calculating that it is equal to 1/720 of the length of their orbits. It is Thales that modern astronomers consider the founder of a mathematical method for studying the motion of stars and planets.
The doctrine of the nature of stars proposed by Thales was completely new for that time and in its own way revolutionary. According to him, they were not precious stones scattered in the Universe, as they thought at that time, but consisted of a substance similar to our earthly soil, but in a red-hot state and therefore emitting light.
Philosophical School of Thales of Miletus
The historical period under consideration (V century BC) was characterized by the fact that, under the universal dominance of a pagan worldview based on polytheism, ideas began to arise in the minds of advanced thinkers according to which all forms of being have a single basis. This doctrine, called "monism", served as the basis for the Miletus school of philosophy. Thales as one of the most educated and creatively thinking people of his time played an important role in shaping its main directions. It was the search for the one God that began five centuries BC, then led Greek society to an open conflict with paganism and the adoption of Christianity.
The history also includes the names of two other prominent thinkers of those years who carried out joint activities with Thales at the Miletus school - Anaximander and Anaximenes. The scientific works of these people have not survived to the present day, and their content can be compiled only on the basis of comments made several centuries later. However, there is no doubt that, thanks to the philosophical teachings of Thales of Miletus and his colleagues, humanity has embarked on a fundamentally different understanding of the existing world.
The scientist who laid the foundations of modern geometry
A significant contribution was made by the Miletian thinker in geometry, the founder of which he is often called. To this day, as part of the school curriculum, a theorem is being studied named after him. In the practical life of the ancient Greeks, it found a very curious application: with its help, it was possible to easily measure the distance from the coast to the ship, which was at some distance.
Among the records of contemporaries, evidence of how non-standard thinking Thales possessed was preserved. For example, while in Egypt, he met with the pharaoh Amasis and amazed him, having established with extraordinary ease the height of one of the pyramids. To do this, having stuck his staff in the sand, the length of which was known, he waited for the moment when the shadow falling from him reached the same size. After that, he measured the length of the shadow from the pyramid, which at that moment also was equal to its height, and found, thus, the desired value - just like everything brilliant.
Conclusion
Historians note that even the ancient Egyptians and the inhabitants of Babylon dealt with problems related to geometry, but their basic relationships were confirmed exclusively by empirical rules, that is, rules based solely on observation and practical experience. Thales was the first mathematician who developed a system of evidence, giving geometry the features of science, very similar to the one that we all know from school. That is why in the modern world he is revered not only as the founder of philosophy, but also as an outstanding researcher who has devoted himself to the exact sciences.