Thales"all things are composed of water"Thales of Miletus (580 b.c.): Thales (thay-leez) was one of the first recorded philosophers. His idea was that a oneness undermined all other things in the world. Like the others of his time, Thales was familiar with the four elements: air, fire, water and earth. He believed that all matter must be able to be reduced to a single element. He concluded that all must be reduceable to water, because water can turn into ice then back into water and water can turn into steam, which becomes air and air in the form of wind can fan fire. This theory of course is not true, but his idea that "all things are composed of water" is not far from "all things are composed of atoms." |
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Last Updated Date: 10/6/01
