Compare and contrast the philisophical positions of Thales and Anaximander - Essay Example

Comparison of the Philosophies of Thales and Anaximander of Your Full of Introduction The purpose of this paper isto critically and evaluate two Pre-Socratic philosophers – Thales and Anaximander. These are two philosophers who taught important aspects of science in their lifetime.Thales and Anaximander The two philosophers were from the Greek city of Miletus which is now in modern-day Turkey. These early philosophers of Miletus travelled a lot and they had links to Egypt and Babylon, where they built the foundations of their knowledge.

ThalesThales lived between 635 BC and 543 BC and he is considered as one of the Seven Great Sages of Greece(Links, 2013). Prior to Thales, all Greeks explained natural phenomenon of the world on the basis of myths and other forms of metaphysics. However, Thales sought to present naturalistic ideas without reference to anything supernatural. He hypothesized several things that provided a logical pattern for the critique of natural phenomenon. For instance, he assumed that earthquakes are caused because the earth floated on something and this meant that some situation could cause the earth to shake and hence cause the earthquakes.

This was something most people in his generation had never really thought about. Herodotus cites that Thales used logic and mathematics to predict the solar eclipse of 585 that ended the war between Lydians and Medes. Thales’ main methodology was to explain the logic of things through geometry and this included the long, square and cube of an objectAnaximanderAnaximander was a student of Thales and as such, he took the teachings and principles of his teacher to the next level. Anaximander was mainly interested in the mechanics of the earth and how it related to the universe(Philosophy Basics, 2008).

Therefore, he went beyond the basic geometry of Thales and studied the earth’s position in the universe with principles in cosmology, meteorology and geography. This was a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approach that provided explanations about the origins and position of the earth.His methodology included the use of experiments and other elements of scientific testing to provide an insight into scientific mysteries. He is seen as the father of cosmology and astronomy.ConclusionThales and Anaximander were pioneering scientist in Pre-Socratic Greece.

Thales was the first to question things using the logic of natural science instead of metaphysics. He developed methods including geometry to explain natural events. Anaximander, his student consolidated his basic ideas and integrated other elements of scientific testing and new disciplines to deduce the position of the earth in the universe.BibliographyLinks, C. (2013). Thales. Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.crystalinks.com/thales.htmlPhilosophy Basics. (2008). Anaximander. Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.

philosophybasics.com/philosophers_anaximander.html.