An examination of the many contributions of the philosopher, Thales.
An examination of the life and times of the Pre-Socratic thinker, Thales. Thales’ theory was that life was dependent upon water and that water itself, changes form. He was the one to introduce the idea of water being a primary element in the universe and how it was an crucial factor to life. He was also the originator of the critical tradition and was said to have introduced geometry to Greece,
Epicurus explains perception in terms of the interaction of atoms with the sense organs. Objects continually throw off one-atom-thick layers, like the skin peeling off of an onion. These images, or eidola, fly through the air and bang into one’s eyes, from which one learns about the properties of the objects that threw off these images. This explains vision. Other senses are analyzed in similar terms. (Mitsis, 1985, pp.34) While these ideas have been shown to be incorrect, the scientific reasoning behind them is another positive aspect of atomism. These ideas led science to examine the world from an individualized perspective, noting the need for relativity. By looking at the environment from a sensory perspective, we better understand how our world is transmitted to our brain.