- Definition & Philosophy, Appeal to Force Fallacy: Definition & Examples, TExES History 7-12 (233): Practice & Study Guide, AP World History Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Holt World History - Human Legacy: Online Textbook Help, High School World History: Tutoring Solution, DSST A History of the Vietnam War: Study Guide & Test Prep, High School World History: Help and Review, CLEP Social Sciences and History: Study Guide & Test Prep, Middle School US History: Help and Review, AP European History: Homework Help Resource, Prentice Hall America: History of our Nation: Online Textbook Help, McDougal Littell World History: Online Textbook Help. In the above figure, PQ is drawn parallel to side YZ of triangle XYZ. Anyone can earn This 6th century BCE thinker is, in fact, considered the 'Father of Philosophy.' -Definition & Examples, Empiricism: Definition, Meaning & Philosophy, The Theory of Forms by Plato: Definition & Examples, The Immortal Soul: Ideas of Socrates, Plato & Augustine, What is Rationalism? Come meet Thales, the Father of Philosophy! Thales also introduced the Basic Proportionality theorem, which is one of the highly used concepts in geometry. The converse of this is also true. Several advances in philosophical thought came from his theories, including the idea that there were natural explanations of phenomena, that water was the most important aspect of life, his concept of arche, and that everything had a purpose, or soul. In other words, Thales thought the world was rational, orderly, and understandable through inquiry. Using an early form of scientific inquiry, Thales observed the prominence of water in the world and thus concluded that land floated on water. credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. Thales predicted an eclipse in 585 BCE. Many of his theories and beliefs will sound strange to us, but they were considered groundbreaking at that time. He is known to have introduced the idea of scientific philosophy. Thales wanted to explain life by this. credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. Philosophy Major: Information and Requirements, Philosophy: An Introduction to Philosophy Adult Education Programs, 5 Sources for Free Greek Philosophy Education Online, List of Free Online Philosophy Lectures, Courses and Classes, Best Schools with Graduate Programs in Philosophy: List of Schools.

Create an account to start this course today. Thales of Miletus was the Father of Philosophy and a prominent figure of the esteemed Pre-Socratic group of thinkers, called the Seven Wise Men. To say the least, this father of philosophy was a busy guy. flashcard set{{course.flashcardSetCoun > 1 ? He used geometry to calculate the height of pyramids and the distance between a ship and the shore. The phrase, 'all things are full of gods', which Thales may or may not have actually said, is nevertheless famously associated with this theory of soul and movement. For example, according to mythology, earthquakes occurred because Poseidon, the god of the sea and earthquakes, was angry. According to him, for any two equiangular triangles, the ratio of any two corresponding sides is always the same. Based in Miletus, he studied geometry in Egypt. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. In ancient times, laws of physics were not well understood.

Quiz & Worksheet - What is Risk Exposure? Circa 624 BCE, Thales was born into a Greek culture that explained the world through mythology. A further benefit of Thales’ ideas (mercifully) was they required no sacrifices to be made. Not to mention he also used mathematics to predict an eclipse, made several observations about weather and meteorological phenomenon (such as his idea that the movement of the seas on our floating land and was what caused earthquakes, not an angry Poseidon) and even advanced techniques in sea navigation. Because of this paradigm-shifting concept, Thales is considered the foremost of the famous Seven Wise Men, Pre-Socratic Greek sages who became famous amongst later philosophers for their wisdom in logic, law, ethics, and science. Rivers flow to the seas, waves crash, tides went in and out, and as they did not know gravity, the water seemed to move independently. If there exists a circle with points A, B, and C about it's circumference, and AC is a diameter, then ∠ABC is a right angle. Several stories have survived about this early Greek philosopher, geometer and astronomer.