PLS1501
ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 2 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 2025
, Introduction to Western Philosophy
1. The Milesians and the First Cause (archē)
The Milesian philosophers – Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes were among the
earliest thinkers to ask what the archē, or first principle, of all things was. Thales (c.
624–546 BCE) proposed that water was the archē, reasoning that life depends on
moisture and that water can transform into different states (Burnet, 2010). His
successor, Anaximander (c. 610–546 BCE), rejected a specific element and instead
posited the apeiron (the indefinite or boundless) as the origin of all, arguing that the
underlying principle must be eternal and without limits to give rise to all opposites
(Guthrie, 1980). Anaximenes (c. 586–528 BCE) returned to a tangible substance,
claiming air was the archē because it could condense and rarefy to produce all forms of
matter (Kirk, Raven & Schofield, 1983).
This debate illustrates several key features of philosophy as a practice. First, philosophy
involves critical inquiry: each thinker built on and questioned the ideas of predecessors
rather than simply accepting them. This shows philosophy’s self-correcting nature,
where reasoning and evidence replace mythological explanations. Second,
philosophical ideas develop historically through dialogue, disagreement, and refinement
– what Karl Popper later called “conjectures and refutations” (Popper, 1963). The
Milesian discussion also reveals the importance of abstraction. Moving from a tangible
substance (water, air) to an abstract principle (apeiron) marks an early recognition that
the ultimate cause might not be directly observable.
The evolution of the archē debate demonstrates that philosophy is dynamic rather than
static. New theories emerge when existing explanations are found inadequate, and the
progression from Thales to Anaximander to Anaximenes reflects an ongoing quest for
more comprehensive accounts of reality. This early intellectual exchange laid the
foundation for later metaphysics and natural philosophy in ancient Greece and beyond.
References
Burnet, J. (2010). Early Greek Philosophy. New York: Cosimo Classics.
ASSIGNMENT 1 SEMESTER 2 2025
UNIQUE NO.
DUE DATE: 2025
, Introduction to Western Philosophy
1. The Milesians and the First Cause (archē)
The Milesian philosophers – Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes were among the
earliest thinkers to ask what the archē, or first principle, of all things was. Thales (c.
624–546 BCE) proposed that water was the archē, reasoning that life depends on
moisture and that water can transform into different states (Burnet, 2010). His
successor, Anaximander (c. 610–546 BCE), rejected a specific element and instead
posited the apeiron (the indefinite or boundless) as the origin of all, arguing that the
underlying principle must be eternal and without limits to give rise to all opposites
(Guthrie, 1980). Anaximenes (c. 586–528 BCE) returned to a tangible substance,
claiming air was the archē because it could condense and rarefy to produce all forms of
matter (Kirk, Raven & Schofield, 1983).
This debate illustrates several key features of philosophy as a practice. First, philosophy
involves critical inquiry: each thinker built on and questioned the ideas of predecessors
rather than simply accepting them. This shows philosophy’s self-correcting nature,
where reasoning and evidence replace mythological explanations. Second,
philosophical ideas develop historically through dialogue, disagreement, and refinement
– what Karl Popper later called “conjectures and refutations” (Popper, 1963). The
Milesian discussion also reveals the importance of abstraction. Moving from a tangible
substance (water, air) to an abstract principle (apeiron) marks an early recognition that
the ultimate cause might not be directly observable.
The evolution of the archē debate demonstrates that philosophy is dynamic rather than
static. New theories emerge when existing explanations are found inadequate, and the
progression from Thales to Anaximander to Anaximenes reflects an ongoing quest for
more comprehensive accounts of reality. This early intellectual exchange laid the
foundation for later metaphysics and natural philosophy in ancient Greece and beyond.
References
Burnet, J. (2010). Early Greek Philosophy. New York: Cosimo Classics.
