Although early Greek philosophers such as Thales, Anaximander, and Xenophanes introduced ‘new’ philosophical concepts to society, many of their thoughts or ideas were similar to or dependent on earlier traditions.
Thales was known for his answers to questions relating to the geography of the cosmos. As opposed to the Greek thought that the Earth was like a column surrounded by water, Thales claimed that the Earth floats on water. He used this concept to explain what supports the Earth, and to explain natural phenomena such as earthquakes. However, the idea of the Earth floating on water was already developed by Mesopotamians, who believed there was water under the surface of the earth, and the Egyptians, who believed that the Earth is a dish floating in water. Thales was also known for predicting the occurrence of a solar eclipse sometime in the year 585 BCE. However, in order to make such …show more content…
Anaximander was famous for being the first Greek to draw a world map; however, similar maps already existed in Mesopotamia. Anaximander also proposed a model of the Earth in which the Earth is the center, surrounded by water, which is surrounded by air, which is surrounded by fire. However, Homer and Hesoid had already recognized the division of the world into four parts which were Earth, sea, heaven, and darkness. Finally, Anaximander spoke of opposites interacting with each other, such as Earth vs water, and air vs fire. He claimed that all substances are made up of two qualities: humidity (earth or water) , and temperature (air or fire). Furthermore, he suggested that everything originated or was created from a single substance, the Apeiron, which lacked the qualities of humidity and temperature. However, this is similar to Hesoid’s description of the universe before Chaos. Hesoid had already suggested that there was a primordial unity until a gap was produced between heaven and
Thales was known for his answers to questions relating to the geography of the cosmos. As opposed to the Greek thought that the Earth was like a column surrounded by water, Thales claimed that the Earth floats on water. He used this concept to explain what supports the Earth, and to explain natural phenomena such as earthquakes. However, the idea of the Earth floating on water was already developed by Mesopotamians, who believed there was water under the surface of the earth, and the Egyptians, who believed that the Earth is a dish floating in water. Thales was also known for predicting the occurrence of a solar eclipse sometime in the year 585 BCE. However, in order to make such …show more content…
Anaximander was famous for being the first Greek to draw a world map; however, similar maps already existed in Mesopotamia. Anaximander also proposed a model of the Earth in which the Earth is the center, surrounded by water, which is surrounded by air, which is surrounded by fire. However, Homer and Hesoid had already recognized the division of the world into four parts which were Earth, sea, heaven, and darkness. Finally, Anaximander spoke of opposites interacting with each other, such as Earth vs water, and air vs fire. He claimed that all substances are made up of two qualities: humidity (earth or water) , and temperature (air or fire). Furthermore, he suggested that everything originated or was created from a single substance, the Apeiron, which lacked the qualities of humidity and temperature. However, this is similar to Hesoid’s description of the universe before Chaos. Hesoid had already suggested that there was a primordial unity until a gap was produced between heaven and