Thales of Miletus (pronounced /ˈθeɪliːz/; Greek: Θαλῆς, Thalēs; c. 624 BC – c. 546 BC) wis a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher frae Miletus in Asie Minor, an ane o the Seiven Sages o Greece. Mony, maist notably Aristotle, regard him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition. Accordin tae Bertrand Russell, "Western philosophy begins with Thales." Thales attemptit tae explain natural phenomena athoot reference tae meethology an wis tremendously influential in this respect. Amaist aw o the ither pre-Socratic philosophers follae him in attemptin tae provide an explanation o ultimate substance, chynge, an the existence o the warld—athout reference tae meethology. Those philosophers wur an aa influential, an eventually Thales' rejection o meethological explanations became an essential idea for the scientific revolution. He wis an aa the first tae define general principles an set forth hypotheses, an as a result haes been dubbed the "Faither o Science".
In mathematics, Thales uised geometry tae solve problems such as calculatin the height o pyramids an the distance o ships frae the shore. He is creditit wi the first uise o deductive reasonin applied tae geometry, bi derivin fower corollaries tae Thales' Theorem. As a result, he haes been hailed as the first true mathematician an is the first kent individual tae whom a mathematical discovery haes been attributit.
- Aristotle, Metaphysics Alpha, 983b18.
- Russell, Bertrand. "The History of Western Philosophy". 1945
- Singer, C. A Short History of Science to the 19th century. Streeter Press, 2008. p. 35.
- Needham, C.W. Cerebral Logic: Solving the Problem of Mind and Brain. Loose Leaf, 1978. p. 75.
- (Boyer 1991, "Ionia and the Pythagoreans" p. 43)
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