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Thales, an ancient Greek thinker, scientist and philosopher, was born in Mile, the capital of Ionia. He founded the earliest school of philosophy in ancient Greece and was the founder of Miletus School (also known as Ionian School). One of the seven sages of ancient Greece, the first thinker with a name in the history of western thought, is called "the father of science and philosophy". Thales was the first natural scientist and philosopher in ancient Greece and the West. Thales' students include anaximander and Anaximenes.

He was the first to ask, "What is the origin of the world?" This philosopher who initiated the "ontological turn" in the history of philosophy was called "one of the seven sages of Greece" and "the ancestor of philosophy and science" by later generations, and was recognized as "the first person in the history of philosophy" by academic circles. Thales' thought influenced philosophers such as Heraclitus.

Basic introduction Chinese name: Thales mbth: Greek: θ α λ? Thalês, English: Thales? Alias: Taylor Nationality: Ancient Greek Nationality: Greek Birthplace: Miletus Date of Birth: About 624 BC Date of Death: 547 or 546 BC Occupation: Thinker, Philosopher, Scientist, Mathematician Belief: ancient naive materialism's Major Achievements: The First Philosopher in the West, the Patriarch of Miletus School Influence: Homer, Hersius Influence: Heraclitus Brief Introduction, Thales Life, Personal Marriage, Thales Life Background. Astronomy, mathematics, philosophy, anecdotes of characters, stories of olives, astronomers who only look at the sky without looking at their feet, stories of mules, philosophical remarks, comments of characters, famous sayings and aphorisms, a brief introduction to Thales' life (Greek: θ α λ? Thalês, English: Thales, about 624- 546 BC), also translated as Thales, a thinker, scientist and philosopher in ancient Greece in the 7th-6th century BC, and the founder of the earliest school of philosophy in Greece-Miletus School (also known as Ionian School). The first of the seven sages in Greece, the first thinker with a name in the history of western thought, is called "the father of science and philosophy". Thales was born in Miletus, a prosperous port city in ancient Greece. His family belongs to the noble class of slave owners. It is said that he is a descendant of Hebrews or Jews or Phoenicians, so he received a good education from an early age. Thales was also a businessman in his early years. He has been to many eastern countries, learned the methods of observing solar eclipse and measuring the distance between ships at sea in Babylon, learned Inge Hiddinsky's original idea of exploring the composition of all things, and learned the methods and rules of measuring land in ancient Egypt. He also went to Mesopotamia, where he studied mathematics and astronomy. Later, he engaged in political and engineering activities, studying mathematics and astronomy. In his later years, he studied philosophy, enrolled students and founded Miletus School. Thales has made great achievements in many fields. In philosophy, Thales refused to rely on metaphysical or supernatural factors to explain natural phenomena, but tried to explain the world with the help of empirical observation and rational thinking. He put forward the theory of water origin, that is, "everything originated from water", and was the first person in ancient Greece to put forward the philosophical question of "what is the origin of everything". Also known as "the first person in the history of philosophy". In science, Thales used the solar shadow to measure the height of the pyramid and accurately predicted the solar eclipse in 585 BC. Thales theorem in mathematics is named after him. He also studied astronomy, confirmed Ursa minor, and was pointed out to be helpful to navigation. At the same time, he was the first Greek to change the length of a year to 365 days. He also estimated the size of the sun and the moon. Thales initiated the spirit of rationalism, the tradition of materialism and the principle of universality. He is a polytheist who thinks that there are gods everywhere in the world. Thales influenced other Greek thinkers, which had a far-reaching impact on western history. Some people think that anaximander and Anaximenes are Thales' students. Early sources reported that a famous student in anaximander, Pythagoras, was said to have visited Thales in his early years, and accepted his suggestion and went to Egypt for further study of his philosophy and mathematics. Many philosophers Thales followed the frontier to find the essence of explanation, not supernatural; Others return to supernatural explanations, but they use philosophical language instead of religion or myth. Personal Marriage When Thales entered middle age, when his mother urged him to marry a woman as soon as possible, he replied to her, "Not yet." After a long time, Thales was old and his mother was more worried about his marriage, but he answered his mother like that: "Not at that time." Thales' living background Ionia includes the islands in the middle of the west coast of Asia Minor (now Turkey) and the middle of the Aegean Sea. From 1200 BC to 1000 BC, the Greek tribe Ionians moved here, hence the name. There, the merchant rule replaced the clan aristocratic politics. The activity of businessmen creates favorable conditions for the free development of ideas. Greece has neither specialized clergy nor dogma that must be followed, which is very helpful for separating science and philosophy from religion. Miletus is a Greek city-state in Asia Minor on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, located at the mouth of the Mendels River. It is the transportation hub of the East and the West and the center of handicrafts, navigation and culture. It is easier to absorb the experience and culture accumulated by ancient oriental countries such as Babylon and Egypt than other places in Greece. In astronomy, Thales has done a lot of research. He measured and calculated the diameter of the sun. As a result, he announced that the diameter of the sun is about one twentieth of the diameter of the sun road. This figure is very different from the diameter of the sun measured today. After calculation, he learned that sailing in Ursa minor is much more accurate than sailing in Ursa major, and he told those who sailed. By observing and studying the sun, moon and stars, he determined that 365 days is a year. It was remarkable to make such a discovery without any astronomical observation equipment at that time. In the field of astronomy, people are more interested in his correct explanation of the causes of solar eclipse and his prediction of an eclipse. But people are more concerned about another important issue. How did Thales predict the solar eclipse? The descendants of Thales made all kinds of speculations and textual research, and it is generally believed that they applied the Sharo cycle discovered by the Chaldeans. A Sharon period is equal to 223 moons, that is, 6585.5438+0 124 days or 18 years and1day (if there is a five-year leap year in between, it is 18 years and 10) The sun and the moon run periodically, so does an eclipse. The solar eclipse must happen on a day in the north. If there is a solar eclipse in the north one day, that is, the day after 18 1, the sun and the moon will return to their original positions, so it is very likely that a similar phenomenon will occur. But after a period of time, the position of the sun and the moon is only roughly the same, so the place where the eclipse can be seen and the scene of the eclipse may change or even not happen at all. Thales probably knew that there was a solar eclipse on May 18, 603 BC, so he was lucky to guess. Of course, there are some other theories about this matter, and there is no unified conclusion. Mathematics Thales' epoch-making contribution in mathematics is to put forward the idea of proposition proof. It marks that people's understanding of objective things has risen from experience to theory, which is an unusual leap in the history of mathematics. The significance of introducing logical proof in mathematics lies in: ensuring the correctness of propositions; Reveal the internal relationship between theorems, make mathematics form a strict system and lay the foundation for further development; Make mathematical propositions fully convincing and persuasive. He discovered many plane geometry theorems: Thales 1) The diameter bisects the circumference; 2) Equiangles of two equilateral sides of a triangle; 3) Two straight lines intersect and the vertex angles are equal; 4) The two corners of the triangle and its clamping edges are known, and the triangle is completely determined; 5) The circumference angle of a semicircle is a right angle 6) The inscribed triangle on the diameter of a circle must be a right triangle. Although these theorems are simple, the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians may have known them for a long time, Thales organized them into general propositions, demonstrated their rigor, and widely used them in practice. Mathematically, Thales theorem is named after him. Its content is: If A, B and C are three points on the circle and AC is the diameter of the circle, then ∠ ABC must be a right angle. In other words, the circumferential angle of the diameter is a right angle. The third volume of Euclid's Elements of Geometry mentioned and proved this theorem. The inverse theorem of Thales theorem also holds, that is, in a right triangle, the vertex of the right angle is on a circle with the hypotenuse as its diameter. It is said that one spring, Thales came to Egypt, and people wanted to test his ability and asked him if he could solve this difficult problem. Thales confidently agreed, but on one condition-Pharaoh must be present. The next day, Pharaoh arrived as promised, and many onlookers gathered around the pyramid. Before Thales came to the pyramid, the sun cast his shadow on the ground. Every once in a while, he lets others measure the length of his shadow. When the measured value is completely consistent with his height, he immediately marks the projection of the Great Pyramid on the ground, and then measures the distance from the bottom of the Pyramid to the projection spire. In this way, he quoted the exact height of the pyramid. At the request of Lao Wang, he explained how to push the principle from "shadow length equals body length" to "tower shadow equals tower height". Which is today's similar triangles theorem. In science, he advocates rationality, is not satisfied with intuitive and perceptual expertise, and advocates abstract and rational general knowledge. For example, two isosceles triangles with equal base angles do not refer to a single isosceles triangle we can draw, but to "all" isosceles triangles. This requires argumentation and reasoning to ensure the correctness of mathematical propositions, so that mathematics is rigorous in theory and widely used. Thales' active advocacy laid the foundation for Pythagoras to establish rational mathematics. Thales' philosophy can be summarized in one sentence: "Everything is aquatic, and everything belongs to water". He thinks that the world is water. The seven sages of ancient Greece each had a particularly famous motto. His motto was: "Water is the best". Thales learned to observe floods from the Egyptians. He has a lot of experience. He carefully read the records of the annual flood and ebb of the Nile and witnessed the phenomenon of the river retreating. He found that every time the flood receded, not only fertile silt was left, but also countless tiny germs and larvae were left in the silt. He combined this phenomenon with the primitive Egyptian myth that God created the universe and came to the conclusion that everything is made of water. For Thales, water was the first basic element in the world. Egyptian priests claimed that the earth rose from the bottom of the sea, while Thales thought that the earth was floating on the water. Thales also has a very important point of view that "everything is animistic". According to this theory, even stones are creatures with souls. Thales repeatedly emphasized to Pythagoras, the antithesis of his philosophy, that the whole universe is alive, and it is the soul that makes everything full of vitality. This statement was very popular at that time. Thales once experimented with magnets and amber and found that these two objects were attractive to other objects, so he thought they had vitality inside, but this life was invisible to the naked eye. From this, Thales concluded that any stone looks cold, hard and lifeless, but it also contains a soul. Until 300 BC, the Stoic philosophers used Thales' experiment to prove that everything in the world was attracted by life. Taylor is a businessman, but his business is not good and he can't make money. He is always exploring useless things, so he is poor and can't make money. He spent all his money when traveling, so some people say that philosophers are useless people, people who can't make money and poor people. One year, Thales made a fortune with his knowledge. Of course, this statement may have the meaning of fabrication. He knew that there would be a bumper harvest of olives in Athens that year, and then rented out all the olive juicers in the village, so he took the opportunity to raise the monopoly price and made a profit. In order to prove that philosophers and wise men have more important things to do, he is more willing to pursue and make money. If he wants to make money, he is. Thales, an astronomer who only cares about the sky and doesn't look at his feet, walked in the wilderness one night and looked up at the stars. But he predicted that it would rain the next day. Just when he predicted that it would rain, he fell into a pit and almost died. Someone saved him. He said to the man, "It will rain tomorrow." So there is another joke about philosophers. Philosophers are people who only know what is going on in the sky and don't know what is going on under their feet. But two thousand years later, the German philosopher Hegel said, "Only those who lie in the pit forever and never look up at the sky will not fall into the pit." Thales was the first person to symbolize Greek wisdom. Later, Oscar Wilde of Britain once said, "We all live in the sewer, but some people are still looking up at the stars." . The story of mule Thales is a successful businessman. His business life has made him understand the local customs and broadened his horizons. He used mules to transport salt. Once, a mule slipped into a stream, and part of the salt dissolved, which lightened a lot of burdens. So every time the mule crosses the stream, it rolls. In order to change the bad habit of this animal, Thales changed it to carry a sponge. After sucking water, its weight doubled, and the mule never dared to be lazy again. Philosophical remarks Thales' humorous remarks are not very philosophical. He is interested in "how to live a philosophical and upright life?" The answer is: "Don't do what you hate others to do." This is similar to China's "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you" (The Analects of Confucius). Someone asked, "What is the strangest thing you have ever seen?" His answer is: "Long live the tyrant." Another question: "What do you want from an astronomical discovery?" The answer is: "when you tell others, don't say it's your discovery, say it's mine." This is my highest reward. " Thales has made great achievements in astronomy, mathematics and philosophy. His theories and theorems have been used to this day. He laid the foundation for the development of science in later generations and was praised by later generations as the earliest scientist in human history. He is worthy of the title of "Father of Science". If future generations want to study philosophers before Socrates, Thales is an unavoidable person. It seems that ancient Greece was very interested in mathematics, especially geometry. This should be attributed to Pythagoras and Plato to some extent. They are all admirers and advocates of mathematics. It is said that Plato had a sign at the entrance of the college he founded, which said, "Scholars who don't know geometry are not allowed to enter", which shows the importance of mathematics in ancient Greece. In other ancient countries, mathematics was basically a practical subject, while in ancient Greece, as we saw in astronomy, they focused on the development of theory. The earliest mathematician in ancient Greece was probably Thales, who was called "the father of science" by the west. It is said that he put forward and proved the following basic geometric propositions: 1, a circle is equally divided by any diameter; 2. The circumference angle of the semicircle is a right angle; 3. The two base angles of the isosceles triangle are equal; 4. The corresponding sides of similar triangles are proportional; 5. If two angles and one side of two triangles are equal, then the two triangles are congruent. These theorems are known to every modern middle school student and can't be simpler. However, it is these simple theories that form the basis of today's extremely complex and profound theories. Imagine, today's spherical geometry, projective geometry, non-Euclidean geometry and so on, which one is not derived from this simplest theorem? Thales went to Egypt when he was young, where he learned geometry from the Egyptians. But the geometry of the Egyptians was only studied at that time in order to divide real estate. There, people in Egypt only know how to plan and calculate on a specific piece of land to find out the boundary of people's real estate. Because every year when the Nile rises, the traces of the ground will be washed away, and people have to re-measure and calculate after the rise. Egyptians knew in practice a long time ago that "all diameters are equally divided into circles;" If the two sides of a triangle are equal, then the angles they subtend are also equal, but it has not been theoretically summarized and scientifically proved. Thales was not content to learn from the Egyptians. After thinking, he abstracted and theorized these concrete and practical knowledge and summarized them into scientific theories. The theorem summarized above was learned by Egyptians in practice hundreds of years ago, but it did not raise the specific knowledge to the theoretical level. Thales has made outstanding contributions in this respect. The famous saying Thales thanked the goddess of fate and said, "First, I was born a human being, not an animal;" Secondly, I was born a man, not a woman; Third, I was born a Greek, not a barbarian. "He thinks there is no difference between life and death. A man asked him, "Then why don't you die?" He said, "Because there is no difference. When asked what is difficult, he said, "Know yourself." "What's easy?" "Give advice to others." "What is the happiest thing?" "It was a success. ""How can a person best bear misfortune? " "If he can recognize his enemy in a worse predicament." "How will we live the best and most upright life?" "Never do what we condemn others to do." "What kind of people are happy?" "The kind of person who is healthy, witty and docile. "