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Anaxagoras
Biography
Notable contributions: Anaxagoras introduced the concept of "nous" (mind) as a cosmic force. He was exiled from Athens due to his views challenging traditional religious beliefs, such as suggesting the sun was a fiery mass rather than a deity.
Education: Influenced by Ionian philosophy; brought philosophical ideas to Athens.
Birthplace: Clazomenae (modern-day Turkey)
500 - 428 BCE
Infinite Seeds (Homoioi Merai) - Anaxagoras rejected the notion of a single element as the arché. Instead, he proposed that the universe is composed of infinite, divisible particles or "seeds" (spermata). These seeds contain portions of everything, and their combinations and separations create the world we know.
World Explanation
The universe began as a chaotic mixture. Motion was introduced by "nous" (mind or intellect), a separate and self-contained force that initiated the rotation and separation of elements.
Every substance contains a portion of every other substance, meaning no pure element exists in isolation.
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Anaxagoras was the first philosopher to reside in Athens, bringing Ionian scientific thought to the city.
He was a mentor to Pericles, the great Athenian statesman.
His theory about the moon's reflection of sunlight and eclipses prefigured modern astronomy.
Connections to Contemporary Understanding
Anaxagoras' concept of infinite seeds parallels modern ideas of particles and quarks as the building blocks of matter.
His description of chaos organized by nous mirrors scientific theories about entropy and the role of external forces in shaping order in the universe.
The idea that all things contain parts of everything aligns with systems thinking and ecological interdependence.
Sources
Images
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/clazomenae
https://eppursimuov3.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/reflections-in-cosmology-6-finite-or-infinite-universe/
https://www.philosophybasics.com/philosophers_anaxagoras.html
Information:
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Anaxagoras". Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Feb. 2024,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anaxagoras
. Accessed 25 November 2024.
Chapter 2 “The Beginnings of Western Philosophy: The Pre-Socratics” pp 12-34, in Evans, C. Stephen, A History of Western Philosophy: From Pre-socratics to Postmodernism, Downers Grove, Illinois, InterVarsity Press, 2018
Sisko, John E. “Anaxagoras.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, Fall 2023 Edition, Stanford University, 2023,
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/anaxagoras/
.
Anaxagoras | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. iep.utm.edu/anaxagoras/.
“Anaxagoras (500–428 BC) - Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy.” Routledge.com, 2024, www.rep.routledge.com/articles/biographical/anaxagoras-500-428-bc/v-1. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Arché
Interesting facts
