Anaximenes’ contributions

Anaximenes’ contributions: to philosophy, to atomic theory, to astronomy, what is it Anaximenes believe in. Introduction. Anaximenes was a great Greek Philosopher who is well known for the first principle of the universe and a significant contribution to the philosophical inquest into the “arche”. The Pre-Socratic

Anaximenes' contributions: to philosophy, to atomic theory, to astronomy, what is it Anaximenes believe in
Anaximenes’ contributions: to philosophy, to atomic theory, to astronomy, what is it Anaximenes believe in

The philosopher was ranked among the pioneers and legends of the Milesian School. This school was famous due to its innovative philosophies. According to the Anaximenes, the first principle of the universe in the air was mainly contributed by Milesian School. The first Greek philosopher who made a clear distinction between planets and stars was Anaximenes. He also provides scientific explanations of natural events such as earthquakes, lightning, and rainbows.

He was born to Eurystratos in the Greek city of Miletus 585 BC in Ionia. He was a companion of Anaximander and also his pupil. Besides this, there are also statements that he was a pupil of Parmenides of Elea. Anaximenes spent most parts of his life under Persian rule. He was an eyewitness of the durability of Greek occupation by the Ionian rebellion.

There were many philosophical energies and thoughts of Anaximenes, and he devoted them to identifying the single source of the universe and its basis. He was very confident that anything was controlling the course of the universe, and he thought that it was air. He proposed that perspective can change and produce all things without being directed by anything because air has different levels of density that can make everything.

Anaximenes proposed that the earth is floating on the circumambient air as a broad disk. He thinks that the Sun and stars formed with the processes of condensation and rarefaction. The velocity of motion is the cause of the flaming characteristics of the Sun and stars. He explained all these with the examples of thunder and lightning.

He described that this phenomenon occurs with wind-breaking out of clouds. He said that earthquakes come due to the cracking and drying of the earth, and when it becomes moisturized by rain, an earthquake occurs, when sun rays fall on clouds, a rainbow comes, and hail comes by frozen rainwater.

Anaximenes’ contributions to philosophy

The Anaxímenes contributed a lot to the naturalistic philosophers of Ancient Greece, and his great ideas will be remembered for centuries. There are the following contributions of his in philosophy.

Metaphysics of nature

Anaximenes never tries to explain the introspection of man in the world. Instead, he tries to explain the original qualities of the natural elements surrounding men and the inhibition of men in the world. Anaximenes also focuses on a worldly position that caused the formation of rest elements and bodies. In this way, he shows the natural phenomenon for the earth and human beings.

Explanation of the World with materials

Anaximenes explain the mechanisms of the world without discussing the supernatural conceptions. With the contribution of others, he discovers that everything has a materialistic origin. He was a practitioner of material monism that the Milesian school recently considered pre-Socratic thought. He keeps the superpositions on one side and logically explains the world.

The essential element is air.

The Anaximenes think that air is the material that gives birth to all elements. Anaximenes thought air could generate other details such as fire, earth and water with condensation and rarefaction, another physical process.

According to him, the original character of the air is not only natural or material; it is also closely related to individuals’ minds. According to the origin of Air with Air, man is also created by another man because it is considered that the soul of humans is the air that holds the human bodies together.

Origin of the World

According to the thoughts of Anaximenes, Air is a predominant element that maintains the earth’s position. The air forms clouds and celestial bodies with the process of condensation.

These features combine and include the globe, while it starts a fire from the perspective when refraction occurs. The Greek philosopher thinks that air has great importance in the life of humans, an original element.

Causal unification

The students and members of Milesia School agreed to a general perception of elements. Anaximenes does not think his honest thoughts are different from others. But, his real thoughts and various behaviors of nature disturbed him.

At that time, people believed the Sun was the lead power of the divine. But, the reviews of Anaximenes allowed people to reduce divine reflections and think differently.

Natural thoughts

The work of Anaximenes was related to nature’s scientific and mathematical approach. He does not allow supernatural suppositions to interpret natural phenomenons. On his first day of learning, he develops his work through his shadow projected in the surroundings. He compared his thoughts and prose to other Anaximander at the time. But the research of Anaximenes had a significant impact on later philosophers and scientists.

Anaximenes’ contribution to atomic theory

With the theory of Air, Anaximenes interpreted the atomic theory of the universe. Most Greek philosophers reject mythology. But he did not rather  Anaximenes rely on science and philosophy to describe the nuclear approach. He clarified that God is the creator of everything, and he created the air and that air is the creator of other things in the world.

Anaximenes considered that earth is a flat piece floating in the air. The stars and Other celestial bodies were formed on the earth due to excess air and the mixing of solid materials. He also explains the earth phenomenon with the air. He thinks that an earthquake occurs due to air, lack or overabundance of water, and then a crack of search appears in the form of an earthquake. He considered that light comes in clouds when wind and air violently strike.

Besides this, he has a great interest in meteorology and physics. He describes that the atmosphere keeps the plants held together, and sunlight reflects on the moon.

He was the first who correctly described the theory of the rainbow that is formed by the moonlight and also perfectly explained that snow and hail comes from frozen rainwater. He also tried to explain the eclipse of the Sun and earthquakes.

He explains that air is the immaterial thing responsible for creating everything, never exhaust, and its infinite flow creates incredible things in life.

Anaximenes’ thoughts on astronomy

Anaximenes proposed with the Anaximander that Earth is floating on air in the form of a flattened disk at the center of the universe. He came up with the astronomy theory that was different from all philosophers due to air density and its distribution in various forms.

He believed that the Sun revolves around the earth, and the ground was also a flat body made of fire. According to the thought of Anaximander, the inhabited portion of the earth is flat while the top face of the world is cylindrical, and its top has one-third diameter thickness.

He proposed that nothing supports the earth, poised aloft, remaining at one place. The form of the planet is equidistant from all other things. That’s why there is no chance of flying the earth in one direction. 

According to the Anaximander, the moon and Sun are filled with fire and are hollow rings. The disks of the Sun and moon contain holes or rings through which fire passes and they shine.

When these holes close up, the eclipses of the Sun, the Moon and phases of the moon occur. Anaximander set up a shadow-casting rod called gnomon that demonstrated the hours of the day. He drew the world map and also built a celestial globe.

What is it Anaximenes believe in

Anaximenes is famous for his suggestions of doctrine. According to this theory, the air is the source of creating everything in life. Many philosophers, such as Thales, suggested that water is the source of everything. But, Anaximander suggested that everything came from unspecified boundless stuff.

Anaximenes also thinks that “air is God” is the first material principle with the divine. He believes that air is infinite and eternal; he suggested that Greek gods are nothing but derivations of air’s truly divine.

The thought of Anaximenes was significantly related to the Anaxagoras and caused climax in the tales of Greeks about the divine forces.

The School of Milesia creates many supernatural ideas. But the Anaximenes was the one who changed the full fake views and tried to prove many things with logical proof. The physical and spiritual principles of nature were replaced by the current philosophical thoughts of this great philosopher.

According to the thought of Anaximenes, the earth is the first thing that came into existence from the heavenly body of air and takes its proper shape through condensation.

That’s why it floats and is flat. He thinks all heavenly bodies are the same based on indefinitely extended air. The second celestial body is a fire aroused by the refraction of water and air. He also describes that the earth is not a complete sphere.

Instead, it is hemispherical because stars pass around the planet. His research was very deep in astronomy and philosophy; many contributions are atomic theory and movement of various items in the atmosphere.

Read also: What is ontology?

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