PLS1501
Assignment 1
Due 2025
, Introduction to Western Philosophy
1. The Milesians and the Search for the First Principle (archē)
The earliest Greek philosophers from Miletus—Thales, Anaximander, and
Anaximenes—are often credited as pioneers in the quest to identify the fundamental
principle (archē) underlying all existence. Thales (c. 624–546 BCE) argued that water
was the primary element of reality, reasoning that life depends on moisture and that
water possesses the ability to transform into various states (Burnet, 2010).
His successor, Anaximander (c. 610–546 BCE), rejected the idea of a single, tangible
substance as the origin. Instead, he proposed the apeiron—a term meaning “the
infinite” or “the boundless”—as the source of all things. Anaximander believed that only
something unlimited and eternal could generate the opposing forces that constitute the
natural world (Guthrie, 1980).
Anaximenes (c. 586–528 BCE), however, returned to a specific material element,
identifying air as the fundamental principle. He maintained that through processes such
as condensation and rarefaction, air could give rise to all other forms of matter (Kirk,
Raven & Schofield, 1983).
This early intellectual debate illustrates key features of philosophy. First, it highlights the
discipline’s critical and progressive nature, where each thinker evaluates previous ideas
rather than accepting them blindly. This demonstrates philosophy’s rational and self-
correcting character, distinct from mythological explanations. Second, the transition
from Thales to Anaximander and Anaximenes reflects the historical development of
thought through dialogue, critique, and refinement—a process later described by Karl
Popper as “conjectures and refutations” (Popper, 1963).
The shift from concrete elements like water and air to the abstract concept of the
apeiron marks an early recognition that the ultimate foundation of reality might not be
directly observable. This dynamic exchange of ideas laid the groundwork for later
developments in metaphysics and natural philosophy in Greece and beyond.
Assignment 1
Due 2025
, Introduction to Western Philosophy
1. The Milesians and the Search for the First Principle (archē)
The earliest Greek philosophers from Miletus—Thales, Anaximander, and
Anaximenes—are often credited as pioneers in the quest to identify the fundamental
principle (archē) underlying all existence. Thales (c. 624–546 BCE) argued that water
was the primary element of reality, reasoning that life depends on moisture and that
water possesses the ability to transform into various states (Burnet, 2010).
His successor, Anaximander (c. 610–546 BCE), rejected the idea of a single, tangible
substance as the origin. Instead, he proposed the apeiron—a term meaning “the
infinite” or “the boundless”—as the source of all things. Anaximander believed that only
something unlimited and eternal could generate the opposing forces that constitute the
natural world (Guthrie, 1980).
Anaximenes (c. 586–528 BCE), however, returned to a specific material element,
identifying air as the fundamental principle. He maintained that through processes such
as condensation and rarefaction, air could give rise to all other forms of matter (Kirk,
Raven & Schofield, 1983).
This early intellectual debate illustrates key features of philosophy. First, it highlights the
discipline’s critical and progressive nature, where each thinker evaluates previous ideas
rather than accepting them blindly. This demonstrates philosophy’s rational and self-
correcting character, distinct from mythological explanations. Second, the transition
from Thales to Anaximander and Anaximenes reflects the historical development of
thought through dialogue, critique, and refinement—a process later described by Karl
Popper as “conjectures and refutations” (Popper, 1963).
The shift from concrete elements like water and air to the abstract concept of the
apeiron marks an early recognition that the ultimate foundation of reality might not be
directly observable. This dynamic exchange of ideas laid the groundwork for later
developments in metaphysics and natural philosophy in Greece and beyond.
