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Thales

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Thales of Miletus (pronounced /ˈθeɪliːz/ (deprecatit template); Greek: Θαλῆς, Thalēs; c. 624 BC – c. 546 BC) wis a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher frae Miletus in Asie Minor, an ane o the Seiven Sages o Greece. Mony, maist notably Aristotle, regaird him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition.[1] Accordin tae Bertrand Russell, "Western philosophy begins with Thales."[2] Thales attemptit tae explain natural phenomena athoot reference tae meethology an wis tremendously influential in this respect. Amaist aw o the ither pre-Socratic philosophers follae him in attemptin tae provide an explanation o ultimate substance, chynge, an the existence o the warld—athout reference tae meethology. Those philosophers wur an aa influential, an eventually Thales' rejection o meethological explanations became an essential idea for the scientific revolution. He wis an aa the first tae define general principles an set forth hypotheses, an as a result haes been dubbed the "Faither o Science".[3][4]

In mathematics, Thales uised geometry tae solve problems such as calculatin the height o pyramids an the distance o ships frae the shore. He is creditit wi the first uise o deductive reasonin applied tae geometry, bi derivin fower corollaries tae Thales' Theorem. As a result, he haes been hailed as the first true mathematician an is the first kent individual tae whom a mathematical discovery haes been attributit.[5]

References

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  1. Aristotle, Metaphysics Alpha, 983b18.
  2. Russell, Bertrand. "The History of Western Philosophy". 1945
  3. Singer, C. A Short History of Science to the 19th century. Streeter Press, 2008. p. 35.
  4. Needham, C.W. Cerebral Logic: Solving the Problem of Mind and Brain. Loose Leaf, 1978. p. 75.
  5. (Boyer 1991, "Ionia and the Pythagoreans" p. 43)