Essay On Animism And The Contributions Of Thales, Anaximander, And Ana

In the early times, before the beginning of human civilization and development of philosophy, people believed in the idea that Gods, who basically controlled every individual aspect of human existence, controlled the world. Some primitive people believed in the idea of Animism, or Hylozoism. (The belief that everything in the universe, curiously material objects, have some kind of sole or is a living being.) These people believed that rocks, trees, and water had some kind of sole. Animism can still be seen today in Native American tribes as well as the Aboriginal people of Australia.Although the Greek culture didnt believe in Animism, an Ionian named Thales adopted this idea in his own way. Thales was born in the Greek city-state of Ionia in the mid 620s(BC.) Thales did not only study knowledge philosophy, but in like manner practiced science, history, engineering, geography, and politics. Thales was the first of his time to propose theories of a primary substance that causes chan ge, and supports the universe. Thales believed that water was this substance, and the essence of life. He also believed that it was made up of small Gods. Although his theories didnt prove to be right, such as spontaneous generation, or the theory that earthquakes were caused by waves, Thales is considered to be the father of philosophy.Anaximander was another Ionian who happened to be a philoso...