What was the Milesian school of philosophy?

The Milesian school consisted of the first three pre-Socratic philosophers—Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes—who lived in the mercantile city of Miletus during the sixth century BC. They sought to explain nature through abstract reasoning by identifying a single underlying substance, or arche, from which all matter derived. Because they replaced mythological explanations with natural laws, they are credited as the founders of Western philosophy and natural science.

What we know

• The Milesian school comprised Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes, all centered in the city of Miletus. [2, 4]
• The Milesians sought to explain nature by finding its fundamental element, known as the arche. [2, 4]
• Aristotle characterized the Milesians as material monists who believed all matter shared an unchanging common substance. [2]
• The Milesians used abstract reasoning instead of religion or mythology to arrive at their philosophical positions. [2]

Still open

• Sources note that the extent of Near Eastern or Egyptian influence on early Greek philosophy remains widely debated among scholars.

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWho were the major Pre-Socratic philosophers?
• a case in pointWhat did Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes argue?
• how we knowHow did Aristotle classify early Greek thinkers?
• compared withWhat was the wider Ionian school of philosophy?
• what caused itHow did ancient Near Eastern ideas influence early Greece?
• an unexpected connectionHow does the word philosopher connect to ancient Egypt?Modern research indicates that the Greek word philosophos may stem from and translate an ancient Egyptian concept for a lover of knowledge.

Sources

• [1]Ionian School (Wikidata Q1294550) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Ionian school (philosophy) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]List of philosophies · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Pre-Socratic philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Ancient Greek philosophy · CC BY-SA 4.0