Anaximander
Pre-Socratic philosopher who introduced the apeiron and advanced early science.
Anaximander was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus, in what is now Turkey. He belonged to the Milesian school, studied under Thales, and later became its second head. Among his students were Anaximenes and, some think, Pythagoras.
Very little is known about his life and work. He is considered the first philosopher to write down his studies, but only a single fragment of his writing survives. What we know comes from later authors. Anaximander promoted early scientific thinking, observing the universe and trying to explain it. He believed nature followed laws, much like human societies, and that anything upsetting nature’s balance would not last. His ideas spanned many fields. In astronomy, he described how celestial bodies move relative to Earth. In physics, he proposed that the “apeiron,” or the infinite, was the source of everything—a major step toward abstract thought. Using geometry, he introduced the gnomon (a sundial part) to Greece. He also made a map of the world, advancing geography. Politically active, he was sent as a leader to one of Miletus’s colonies.
Anaximander was born in 610 BC, the son of Praxiades. According to the grammarian Apollodorus, he was 64 in 547–546 BC and died soon after. No timeline of his work exists. The rhetorician Themistius called him the first known Greek to publish a written work on nature, making his texts among the earliest Western prose. By Plato’s time, his philosophy was nearly forgotten; Aristotle, Theophrastus, and a few doxographers preserved what remains. Aristotle confirms that Thales came before him. Whether Thales was his teacher is debated, but Anaximander was clearly influenced by Thales’ idea that everything comes from water. Ancient Greeks saw him as part of the Monist school, which began with Thales, continued with Anaximander, and ended with Anaximenes. The Roman writer Aelian described Anaximander as leading a Milesian colony to Apollonia on the Black Sea, suggesting he was a prominent citizen. He likely served as a legislator there. He spent his final years under Persian rule.
Anaximander’s theories drew on Greek myths, Thales’ ideas, and observations from older Near Eastern civilizations, especially Babylon. He developed these rationally. Seeking a universal principle, he assumed a cosmic order, using mythic language that ascribed divine control to different parts of reality—common among Greek philosophers in a world full of gods. Some scholars see a sharp break between myth and rational thought in the archaic period (8th–6th century BC), calling it the “Greek miracle.” But the change may not have been so sudden. The basic elements (water, air, fire, earth) that early philosophers believed made up the universe were actually primordial forces from earlier thinking. Their clash produced what myths called cosmic harmony. In old cosmogonies—by Hesiod and Pherecydes—Zeus establishes order by destroying threatening powers like the Titans. Anaximander, however, claimed the cosmic order was not monarchic but geometric, causing Earth’s equilibrium at the universe’s center. This reflected a new political order, with a central space (like the agora) where all forces are equal and transferable. This rational thinking also led him to propose the abstract apeiron (the indefinite, infinite, boundless) as the universe’s origin, likely influenced by the mythical Chaos from which everything emerged.
- born
- c. 610 BC
- died
- c. 546 BC
- field
- Philosophy, astronomy, physics, geography
- nationality
- Greek (Milesian)
- known_for
- First to write down philosophical studies; concept of the apeiron (infinite); introduced the gnomon to Greece; created a map of the world
Lore & Background
Little of his life and work is known today. According to available historical documents, he is the first philosopher known to have written down his studies, although only one fragment of his work remains. Fragmentary testimonies found in documents after his death provide a portrait of the man. Anaximander was an early proponent of science and tried to observe and explain different aspects of the universe, with a particular interest in its origins, claiming that nature is ruled by laws, just like human societies, and anything that disturbs the balance of nature does not last long. Like many thinkers of his time, Anaximander's philosophy included contributions to many disciplines. In astronomy, he attempted to describe the mechanics of celestial bodies in relation to the Earth. In physics, his postulation that the infinite (or apeiron) was the source of all things, led Greek philosophy to a new level of conceptual abstraction. His knowledge of geometry allowed him to introduce the gnomon in Greece. He created a map of the world that contributed greatly to the advancement of geography. Anaximander was involved in the politics of Miletus and was sent as a leader to one of its colonies.
Reader's Guide
Anaximander, son of Praxiades, was born in the third year of the 42nd Olympiad (610 BC). According to Apollodorus of Athens, Greek grammarian of the 2nd century BC, he was sixty-four years old during the second year of the 58th Olympiad (547–546 BC) and died shortly afterwards. Establishing a timeline of his work is impossible, since no document provides chronological references. Themistius, a 4th-century Byzantine rhetorician, mentions that he was the 'first of the known Greeks to publish a written document on nature.' Therefore, his texts would be amongst the earliest written in prose, at least in the Western world. By the time of Plato, his philosophy was almost forgotten, and Aristotle, his successor Theophrastus, and a few doxographers provide us with the little information that remains. However, we know from Aristotle that Thales, also from Miletus, precedes Anaximander. It is debatable whether Thales actually was the teacher of Anaximander, but there is no doubt that Anaximander was influenced by Thales' theory that everything is derived from water. One thing that is not debatable is that even the ancient Greeks considered Anaximander to be from the Monist school which began in Miletus, with Thales followed by Anaximander and which ended with Anaximenes. 3rd-century Roman rhetorician Aelian depicts Anaximander as leader of the Milesian colony to Apollonia on the Black Sea coast, and hence some have inferred that he was a prominent citizen. Indeed, Various History (III, 17) explains that philosophers sometimes also dealt with political matters. It is very likely that leaders of Miletus sent him there as a legislator to create a constitution or simply to maintain the colony's allegiance. Anaximander lived the final few years of his life as a subject of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.
Did You Know?
- Anaximander is the first philosopher known to have written down his studies, though only one fragment of his work remains.
- He introduced the gnomon in Greece, according to the source article.
- He created a map of the world that contributed greatly to the advancement of geography.
- He was sent as a leader to one of Miletus's colonies, likely Apollonia on the Black Sea coast.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"All things must in equity again decline into that whence they have their origin for they must give satisfaction and atonement for injustice each in the order of time." — Anaximander "On Nature, as quoted by Friedrich Ueberweg, History of Philosophy, from Thales to the Present Time (1885) Vol. 1, p. 35." — Anaximander "Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy (1958) pp. 60-61." — Anaximander "Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy (1958) p. 61." — Anaximander
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