Definition
Anaximander was a Presocratic philosopher from Miletus. Ancient Greek historians of philosophy usually listed him as the second philosopher after Thales. Nonetheless, Anaximander has the greatest claim to be considered the first Greek scientist and to have founded the ancient Greek tradition of naturalistic inquiry into nature.
Overview
Anaximander of Miletus may have been the first Greek scientist. Nonetheless, ancient Greeks typically considered him the second philosopher after Thales. The most secure date for Anaximander comes from the ancient Greek historian of philosophy Diogenes Laertius, who says that Anaximander was 64 years old in 547 BCE. Anaximander is said to have drawn the first map of the world, perhaps created a spherical model of the heavens, and is credited with introducing the gnomon. A gnomon is a stick set vertically in the ground to measure the sun’s shadow and, thus, its altitude, paving the way for complex astronomical observations of the sun’s...
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References and Further Reading
Algra K (1999) The beginnings of cosmology. In: Long A (ed) The Cambridge companion to early Greek philosophy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 45–65
Aristotle (1939) On the heavens. Loeb Classical Library (trans: Guthrie WKC). Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Aristotle (1957) The physics: books I–IV. Loeb classical library (trans: Wicksteed PH, Cornford FM). Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Campbell G (2014) Origins of life and origins of species. In: Campbell GL (ed) The oxford handbook of animals in classical thought and life. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 233–247
Censorinus (2007) Censorinus. The birthday book. (trans: Parker H). University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Clement of Alexandria (2005) Stromateis: books 1–3 (trans: Ferguson J). Catholic University of America Press, Washington D.C
Graham D (2002) Explaining the Cosmos: the Ionian tradition of scientific philosophy. Princeton University Press, Princeton
Hippolytus (2016) Refutation of all Heresies (trans: David Litwa M). SBL Press, Atlanta
Hussey E (2006) The beginnings of philosophy and science in Archaic Greece. In: Gill ML, Pellegrin P (eds) Blackwell companions to philosophy: a companion to ancient philosophy, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, pp 3–19
Kahn C (1994/1960) Anaximander and the origins of Greek cosmology. Columbia University Press New York; reprint Hackett
Kirk GS, Raven JE, Schofield M (1983) The Presocratic philosophers: a critical history with a selection of texts, 2nd edn. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
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Laks A (2018) The concept of presocratic philosophy: its origin, development, and significance (trans: Most G). Princeton University Press, Princeton
Laks A, Most G (2016) Early Greek philosophy, vol II, Loeb classical library. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
McKirahan R (2001) Anaximander’s Apeiroi Cosmoi. In: Preus A (ed) Essays in ancient Greek philosophy VI. Philosophy before Socrates. State University of New York Press, pp 49–65
Rovelli C (2011) The first scientist: Anaximander and his legacy (trans: Rosenberg ML). Westholme Publishing, Yardley
Schofield M (1997/2008) The Ionians. In: Taylor CCW (ed) Routledge history of philosophy, volume 1, from the beginning to Plato. Routledge London, pp 47–87
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Hutchins, R. (2019). Anaximander. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_5425-1
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