THALES OF MILETUS: Für unsere amerikanischen Fans

At the beginning of the sixth century B. C. great innovations began in the city of MILETUS. The city was a great seafaring power with colonies around the Black Sea.
We possess only limited information about THALES. There was an anecdote of THALES falling into a well because he was so occupied with looking at the stars. A female servant laughed at him! In this moment she felt superior to the great thinker! What a blasphemy!
HERODOTUS tells us that THALES successfully predicted an eclipse visible in Asia Minor in May 585 B. C.-
For THALES the fundamental substance from which all things proceed is water.
And water is the best, as ARISTOTLE speaks.
With this fundamental idea THALES anticipated a lot (see HIOMAR V. DITFURTH'S bestseller from the seventies: IM ANFANG WAR DER WASSERSTOFF).
Today, we know THALES was right with his concept of water. In his lifetime they knew little to nothing about hydrogen, but contemplating the sea (he thalatta) great thinkers created such theories. Some questions, however, remain: Was there water in the well or not?-How did he get out of it?-
Was the female servant punished?-I hope so!
Not everyone falling down (into a well) is automaticly THALES.
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WILL DURANT: THE STORY OF PHILOSOPHY, New York, 1934.
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The SIR (thinker)