BeckerKevinE1Phil100F2014
Kevin Becker
Phil100 Fall 2014
September 28, 2014
“Thales' Influence on philosophy; how a solar eclipse managed to shed new light on philosophical thought”
Thales of Miletus was perhaps one of the most influential thinkers of his time and played an integral role in developing philosophy. Prior to Thales, people attributed natural phenomena to the actions of supernatural beings and viewed the natural world as impulsive. This is evident in the numerous poetic stories written by Homer which typically involve the protagonist disobeying the gods and subsequently experiencing their spiteful wrath. For instance, in the Odyssey, Odysseus experiences rough seas and deadly sea monsters for angering the god of the sea, Poseidon. However, in the year 585 B.C., Thales correctly predicted the occurrence of a solar eclipse and changed the way in which philosophers viewed the world. Thales' prediction showed that events such as a solar eclipse do not occur due to a god's will but instead occur for natural reasons. Thales' prediction symbolized a dramatic shift in thought as it proved that nature followed a predictable order and could be studied for answers to various questions. Further, this shift in thought allowed later philosophers such as Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, and Socrates to question the validity of Homeric poetry and focus their thinking on science and human nature. Prior to Thales' prediction of the solar eclipse in 585 B.C., the world was thought to be ran by a multitude of emotion filled gods and goddesses. Nature was considered to be impulsive and spontaneous and events were a direct result of the god's reactions to various things. Homer wrote many stories detailing the nature of these gods, often describing how immoral and petty they could be. In the classic story, the Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus continually angers different gods and experiences their resulting wrath while traveling on an extravagant journey. Furthermore, many of Homer's
Phil100 Fall 2014
September 28, 2014
“Thales' Influence on philosophy; how a solar eclipse managed to shed new light on philosophical thought”
Thales of Miletus was perhaps one of the most influential thinkers of his time and played an integral role in developing philosophy. Prior to Thales, people attributed natural phenomena to the actions of supernatural beings and viewed the natural world as impulsive. This is evident in the numerous poetic stories written by Homer which typically involve the protagonist disobeying the gods and subsequently experiencing their spiteful wrath. For instance, in the Odyssey, Odysseus experiences rough seas and deadly sea monsters for angering the god of the sea, Poseidon. However, in the year 585 B.C., Thales correctly predicted the occurrence of a solar eclipse and changed the way in which philosophers viewed the world. Thales' prediction showed that events such as a solar eclipse do not occur due to a god's will but instead occur for natural reasons. Thales' prediction symbolized a dramatic shift in thought as it proved that nature followed a predictable order and could be studied for answers to various questions. Further, this shift in thought allowed later philosophers such as Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, and Socrates to question the validity of Homeric poetry and focus their thinking on science and human nature. Prior to Thales' prediction of the solar eclipse in 585 B.C., the world was thought to be ran by a multitude of emotion filled gods and goddesses. Nature was considered to be impulsive and spontaneous and events were a direct result of the god's reactions to various things. Homer wrote many stories detailing the nature of these gods, often describing how immoral and petty they could be. In the classic story, the Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus continually angers different gods and experiences their resulting wrath while traveling on an extravagant journey. Furthermore, many of Homer's