Anaxagoras (500-428 BC)

Biography

World explanation

Interesting facts

He believed there are not only 4 elements, but innumerable
variety, which he calls “seeds.”

Objects are a combination of all variety of seeds and some of them are dominant.

First philosopher to distinguish between mind and matter

Born into a wealthy aristocratic family

Objects can change their characteristics as mixture of seeds changes.

The philosopher doesn't believe there is a "smallest part" of an object

showed no interest in money, but devoted his life to philosophy

To the question "Why is it better to be alive than not to be alive, Anaxagoras says that being alive enables people to study the heavens and the whole universe

He did not take great pride in being Greek like many people in Ancient Greece

No value of "love ad strife"

"Citizen of the Unierse"

A great vortex that operates continually causes the reordering of the "seeds"

He abided to Parminedes Law that "Somthing cannot arise from what it is not"

The mind is the cause of vortex

Mind has control over everything- animated objects and the cosmos as a whole

As Aristotle says "Anaxagoras plausably says that the flesh from the food is added to our flesh."

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An interesting form of "seeds" cause by frequency(vortex)


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From Clazomenae, but lived in Athens

Agrees with Empedocles that change is a process in which more basic unchanging realities are being combined and separated.