Thales of Miletus was a very brilliant man from Greece. He was very respected and was named the first of
the "seven sages" of Greece. This title was given to seven men of Greece considered to be wise.
He was an innovator and was the first recorded person to explain the origins of our earth without attributing
it to any supernatural influence. In this area, he departed from traditional Greek thinking. He did not believe
in the myths which used anthropomorphic gods, or gods resembling humans but with supernatural qualities, to explain the creation
of our earth.
Thales was at the center of the Greek shift from mythology into philosophy and science. In fact, one of
his pupils was Anaximander who brought the Greeks the first map of their known world. Thales also mentored a man named Pythagoras,
who brought to you, the Pythagorean Theorem.
What effect did Thales have on the shift from a mythological culture to a culture that began to rely on
philosophy, mathematics, and scientific discoveries to explain their world?
