Anaximander of Miletus and His Philosophy on the Origin of All Things

Anaximander of Miletus was a Pre-Socratic philosopher who belonged to the Milesian school. As indicated by its name, this school of thought was based in the city of Miletus on the western coast of Anatolia, modern day Turkey. Anaximander is one of the three prominent figures in this philosophical school, the other two being Thales and Anaximenes, the former commonly thought to have been Anaximander’s teacher, whilst the latter, his student.

It has been pointed out that these three early philosophers held quite distinct views on most subjects, and that their grouping is based on geographical convenience rather than on shared opinions. Nevertheless, it may also be said that these philosophers focused on questions regarding nature (for example, what is the quintessential substance of the universe?) which allows them to be grouped together.

Anaximander is thought to have been born in 610 BC. This year of birth is reckoned based on a piece of work known as The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, which was written by an ancient author by the name of Diogenes Laertius. Quoting another source, Diogenes wrote thus,

“And Apollodorus, in his Chronicles, states, that in the second year of the fifty-eighth Olympiad, he (Anaximander) was sixty-four years old.”