THALES: THE FIRST PHILOSOPHER

Teacher: Who was Thales?
Student: Thales was a Greek philosopher from the 7th–6th century BCE, originally from Miletus. He is considered one of the Seven Sages and the founder of Western philosophy.

Teacher: Why is Thales considered the founder of philosophy?
Student: Because he was the first to seek rational explanations for natural phenomena without relying on myths or traditional gods.

Teacher: What was the fundamental question he asked?
Student: He asked what the original principle, or “arché,” was—the source from which everything originates and that forms the basis of all things.

Teacher: What was Thales’ answer?
Student: For Thales, water is the original principle of all things.

Teacher: Why did Thales believe that water was the “arché”?
Student: Thales observed that water is essential for life and appears in different forms in nature: liquid, solid (ice), and gaseous (vapor). Moreover, he noticed that plants and animals depend on moisture and that water seems to be a fundamental condition for the existence of everything.

Teacher: When he said that everything is made of water, what did he mean exactly?
Student: He meant that water is not only the basis of all living beings but also the primary substance from which everything derives and to which everything can return. Thales saw water as the constant foundation in a world of continuous change.

Teacher: Besides saying that everything comes from water, Thales also claimed that “everything is full of gods.” What does this mean?
Student: This phrase means that Thales viewed nature as animated by a divine force. He was not referring to anthropomorphic gods like those in Greek myths, but to a sacredness spread throughout reality.

Teacher: How does this idea connect to water?
Student: Thales likely saw water not just as a material substance but as a carrier of life and a vital or divine principle. In this sense, water reflected the sacredness that permeates the world.

Teacher: Is this vision religious?
Student: Not in the traditional sense. Thales did not separate nature from the divine but conceived the universe as animated by a vital force that manifests in everything. It is a vision closer to pantheism or animism.

Teacher: Did Thales focus only on philosophy, or did he have other skills?
Student: He was also a mathematician, astronomer, and engineer. For instance, he calculated the height of a pyramid using its shadow and predicted astronomical events like solar eclipses.

Teacher: What is the significance of his thought for later philosophy?
Student: Thales was the first to seek a single, rational principle to explain reality. This approach influenced philosophers like Anaximander and Anaximenes and laid the foundations for natural philosophy and science.

Teacher: Can we still consider Thales’ thought relevant today?
Student: Yes! Even though we now know that water is not the principle of everything, his quest for rational explanations and the idea of an interconnected world remain fundamental to scientific and philosophical thought.