ANAXIMANDER: THOUGHT, CONTRIBUTIONS AND WORK - PHILOSOPHY - 2024

Anaximander was a philosopher born in Miletus in the year 610 BC. It seems that he was a contemporary of Thales of Miletus, being a student and follower of his works. Part of the difficulty in studying this Greek philosopher is that he only left one written work, so the rest of his contributions are found by references from other later thinkers, such as Aristotle.

Among his contributions are his works on the principle of all things, called arjé or arché, and the ápeiron concept related to this. In addition, his studies on cosmology stand out, that is, the formation of the world. Finally, he developed certain theories about the appearance of man and animals on Earth.

Anaximander

Biography

Anaximander of Miletus was a Greek philosopher who was a follower of Thales of Miletus and the son of Praxiades of Miletus. One of the relevant characteristics of this philosopher is that he is the author of the first prose book that has been discovered.

The precise date of his birth is not known; however, it can be said that he was born around 610 BC. Besides dedicating himself to philosophy, Anaximander was also an astronomer, geometer, and military strategist.

Not much is known about how his life passed. In fact, the notions that are had about his contributions and his thought come from Aristotle and one of his disciples: Theophrastus.

School of Miletus

It is known that he was a member of the Thales de Mileto school and that later he was Thales' successor; Furthermore, Anaximander was the teacher of Anaxímedes, who later postulated that air was that which gave the beginning and end of all things, and that this air had an infinite character.

Personality

According to some sources, it is believed that Anaximander was a formal man, who enjoyed wearing elegant and somewhat elaborate clothing. He has also been regarded as a practical man with skills for military and political organization.

Likewise, according to the sources it seems that he was a lover of travel; There is even information that indicates that it was Anaximander who led a trip that aimed to found the Apolonia colony in the areas near the coast that faces the Aegean Sea.

Anaximander was the first known philosopher who developed the record of his thought through a document written in prose. Said book has not remained in time, but we have had access to a fragment of said publication.

Death

Anaximander is believed to have died sometime around 545 BC. C., when he was around 65 years old.

Philosophy

Part of a sculpture that included Anaximander. Source: Philosophica.info

One of the aspects that makes Anaximander stand out is that his thinking was always based on arguments of philosophical origin.

This has led several scholars to consider that Anaximander is the first philosopher in history, rather than Thales of Miletus, as has been traditionally seen.

Arche

Some experts affirm that Anaximander was the first philosopher to use this word to designate the base element for the creation of reality. In this way, the arjé (also called arché) would be the primary thing for the world's generation.

As an important contribution, Anaximander considered that this arche could not be any of the elements known at the time: water, fire, air and earth. It would be prior to them and with totally different characteristics.

Ápeiron

There was a primordial element within Anaximander's thought, and that was what he called ápeiron; this Greek term means "that which has no limits." According to Anaximander, the apeiron represented that element from which all things are born; it was the beginning of everything and it was an immaterial entity.

In one of the few writings he left, it is he himself who explained it and gave it a name:

“The beginning (arche) of all things is the indeterminate apeiron. Now, right there where there is generation for things, destruction also takes place there, according to need; in effect, they pay each other's blame and reparation for injustice, according to the order of time. "

As Anaximander puts it, the apeiron is characterized by being infinite in nature and by having power and power over everything that surrounds beings. The idea behind this concept was to distinguish between religion and myth, as to what it was that explained the origin of all things.

The apeiron was not associated with any of the elements of nature, but was in infinity itself, also seen as an indefinite element, specifically in terms of space.

Ultimately, the apeiron represented that which cannot be destroyed, which is what creates everything and which, at the same time, cannot be generated, because it has no limits in any sense: it has no end or beginning.

Cosmos

This is another concept present in Anaximander's thought and which is fundamental to understand his reflections on existence. For this philosopher, the cosmos was an element without temporality and with a lot of dynamism.

According to Anaximander, the apeiron is the one that gives rise to everything; therefore, it is the element that unites everything that exists within itself. The apeiron is seen by Anaximander as the beginning and the end of the cosmos.

Among all the elements that are created by the apeiron is the cold (the earth) and the hot (the fire). The philosopher expressed that the cosmos was formed as a result of a strong rotational movement generated from the apeiron, which resulted in the separation of the cold from the hot.

So, according to Anaximander at that time the planet was also created: the Earth represented the cold element, and an area of ​​hot air along with an igneous layer were surrounding this planet.

Somehow, the igneous layer cracked, and as a result of this the stars, the Sun and the Moon were generated. The latter were seen by Anaximander as fiery rings of air that were found around planet Earth.

Within the dynamics between the Earth as a cold element and the stars (Sun and Moon) as warm elements, Anaximander made an interpretation based on what he observed in relation to sea level.

This philosopher perceived that the water levels of the seas are decreasing, and considered that this is a consequence of a response to the demand of the stars mentioned above to counteract the power of the planet.

Creation of life according to Anaximander

This Greek philosopher indicated that, once the planet was created, the element from which the animal species were born was water, which received heat from the Sun.

Once created in the waters, these species began to approach the land. From these approximations it is perceived that, according to Anaximander, human beings come from fish.

The way he explained it is that eventually the Sun was in charge of evaporating all the water on the planet, and what resulted were precisely the first species that man comes from.

In this sense, Anaximander estimated that man should come from fish because these were the most protected creatures, capable of surviving all the particular dynamics that were supposed to exist at the origin of the planet.

Plurality of worlds

The concept of plurality of worlds is related to that of the cosmos mentioned above. According to this concept, there is a perpetual motion through which the elements are separated from each other; This movement is what makes different worlds exist at the same time, separated from each other.

Since movement is considered eternal, this creation of worlds is also eternal, and worlds as such are also infinite; Anaximander explained that it is not possible to know how many worlds exist, since these are innumerable.

In addition, each of these originates or dies at certain times, but worlds are constantly and infinitely originating, in response to perennial dynamism.

Some of the interpreters of Anaximander have determined that it is not very clear if this philosopher was referring to the existence of worlds generated one after the other, successively, in time; or if, instead, it was referring to different worlds that coexisted at the same time.

In any case, the most relevant aspect of this aspect of Anaximander's thought is that he implied the existence of a universe that had a meaning and a dynamic through which it could function, and that this dynamic could be understood by beings humans, which opens more space for knowledge and the evolution of thought.

Contributions

Mosaic from the third century BC. It shows Anaximander holding a sundial.

Mechanical and unfair apeiron

One of the discussions of the experts when studying the concept of Ápeiron as the basis of the world is whether it is something conscious, like a kind of god, or mechanical.

The most widespread conclusion is that Anaximander did not believe in the existence of an omniscient entity that controlled the universe, but that its influence would be mechanical, without consciousness.

On the other hand, the philosopher's comment about the injustice with which the apeiron works is striking. Without being able to be one hundred percent sure of the meaning he wanted to give to that accusation, the thinkers who followed him and analyzed his few writings, came to the conclusion that by creating elements that can be contrary to each other (such as fire and water), all fight to prevail over their opposite.

Gnomon

It could have been the creator or at least the person who introduced gnomon to Greece. It was an artifact similar to a sundial. In addition to this function, through this clock it was possible to identify the equinoxes and solstices through the rod that made it up.

Astronomy and world map

Anaximander is credited with creating what has been called a celestial globe, as a consequence of his interest in astronomy.

According to witnesses, like the geographers Agatémero and Estrabón, Anaximander was the one who created the first world map; In other words, he was the first to draw the boundaries between the sea and the land. It is said that this leaflet was circular and that the information on which it was based was information obtained from travelers of the time.

Non-mythological explanation of the creation of the world

For the first time it was a philosopher who gave his opinion about the creation of the world, without resorting to all-powerful creative entities. For Anaximander, the universe appeared when the opposite elements united in the apeiron began to separate.

In this way, the Earth, considered as cold, was separated from the hot. Thus, it was surrounded by a layer of fire and filled inside by a layer of air. When that layer was broken, the appearance of the Moon, the stars and the Sun took place.

Appearance of living beings

As he did with the appearance of the planets and stars, Anaximander also gave his theory about how the first living beings arose. At first all came from the water, from where they came to earth.

As for humans, he explained that they were created inside other animals, specifically a species of fish. Once they were strong enough to survive, they were able to be born and live outside the sea.

Possible earthquake prediction

At one point in his life, Anaximander predicted an earthquake. According to some testimonies, this philosopher approached Lacedaemonia, a region of ancient Greece, and instructed its inhabitants to leave the area because a major earthquake would come. Later records showed that Anaximander was right: the city collapsed.

Plays

It is known that Anaximander wrote a book in prose format, but it did not survive to the present day. There are various testimonies and other fragments of contemporary philosophers, or others who studied his works, through which it is possible to access his thought.

Being expressed through other voices, it is not possible to be absolutely certain that Anaximander was specifically the author of said thought. However, scholars in the area have estimated that there are many aspects that are consistent with the context of the time, so they may have a certain degree of validity.

Below we will briefly describe the most prominent comments and snippets related to Anaximadron:

(DK 12 A 1) Laercio

In this fragment Laercio indicates that Anaximander was 64 years old during the second year of the Olympiad number 58 and that he died shortly after this.

(DK 12 TO 11) Hippolytus

Hipólito reaffirms in this testimony that Anaximander was born in the third year of the 42nd Olympiad, in 610 BC. C., and that he was a disciple of Thales of Mileto.

(DK 12 A 7) Themistius

Themistius is one of the first to confirm that Anaximander was the first philosopher so far to write a prose piece.

(DK 12 A 2) Suda

In this case, Suda mentions the themes on which Anaximander was based: the Earth, the celestial sphere, the fixed stars, nature (which referred to philosophy in general), among others.

(DK 12 A 1) Laercio

Laercio attributes to Anaximander the creation of the gnomon, the world maps and the celestial globe.

(DK 12 A 3) Herodotus

It also refers to the gnomon and the celestial globe, although it does not specifically mention Anaximander.

(DK 12 A 6) Agatémero

Agatémero mentions the world maps again, and attributes them to Anaximander.

(DK 12 A 6) Strabo

Strabo quotes Eratosthenes, who affirmed that Anaximander was one of the first geographers to exist.

(DK 12 A 5th) Cicero

Cicero is the one who narrates the earthquake that Anaximander predicted, and indicates that after the prediction the city completely collapsed.

(DK 12 A 3) Ael

Ael tells how Anaximander was Thales' successor in Apollonia, the latter's colony.

(DK 12 A 9) Simplicio

This character speaks of Anaximander being the first to speak of "beginning" when referring to the beginning of all things. Simplicio speaks of the apeiron as Anaximander's main concept, and emphasizes that these things created from ápeiron have a beginning and an end.

(DK 12 A 10) Plutarch

It summarizes the idea of ​​the apeiron as the end and the beginning of all things; what creates and destroys.

(DK 12 TO 11) Hippolytus

On this occasion, Hipólito affirms that Anaximander was the first to use the term ápeiron, which he defines as the beginning of everything.

(12 to 14) Aetius

He mentions again the apeiron, recognizing it as the element from which everything is born and everything dies.

(DK 12 A 16) Aristotle

Aristotle says that Anaximander believed that opposites, which are mixed in a unit, separate.

From gen. et corr. Aristotle

In this comment he refers to those who consider that this unique matter, the origin of everything, is fire, air or another element. Later he returns to vindicate the concept of ápeiron and attributes it to Anaximander.

(DK 12 A 10) Plutarch

It speaks of the formation of the cosmos contemplated by Anaximander. Mention the creation of hot and cold and how this gave rise to the Sun, stars, and planet Earth.

(DK 12 A 9) Simplicio

Emphasizes the importance of the separation of entities in Anaximander's thought.

(DK 12 A 16) Aristotle

It speaks of the superiority of the apeiron in relation to the elements. It indicates that the elements can destroy each other, but the apeiron can never be destroyed.

(DK 12 to 18) Aetius

He attributes to Anaximander the notion that the Sun and the Moon are the highest stars, which are followed by the fixed intertwines and then the planets.

(DK 12 TO 11) Hippolytus

In this case, Hipólito indicates that the stars correspond to fiery rings and that the planet Earth is suspended in the air; that it is the fact of the equidistance that allows him to maintain that position. In addition, it refers to the fact that the Earth is round.

(DK 12 A 25) Aetius

He quotes Anaximander when he says that the Earth is similar to a column of stones.

References

1. Pages on Philosophy. Anaximander. Obtained from paginasobrefilosofia.com
2. Philosophy. Anaximander of Miletus. Obtained from Philosophy.org
3. Ancient Origins. Apeiron, The Source of All Things and The Philosophies of Anaximenes. Retrieved from ancient-origins.net
4. McCoy, Joe. Early Greek Philosophy. Recovered from books.google.es
5. Benedict Beckeld. The Apeiron. Retrieved from benedictbeckeld.com