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Thales, an engineer by trade, was the first of the Seven Sages, or wise men of Ancient Greece. Thales is known as the first Greek philosopher, mathematician and scientist. He founded the geometry oflines, so is given credit for introducing abstract geometry.
He was the founder of the Ionian school of philosophy in Miletus, and the teacher of Anaximander. During Thales’ time, Miletus was animportant Greek metropolis in Asia Minor, known for scholarship. Several schools were founded in Miletus, attracting scientists, philosophers, architects and geographers.
It is possible that Thales hasbeen given credit for discoveries that were not really his. He is known for his theoretical as well as practical understanding of geometry. Thales is acknowledged by a number of sources as the one whodefined the constellation Ursa Minor and used it for navigation. Some believe he wrote a book on navigation, but it has never been found.
Two letters and some verses of Thales are quoted byDiogenes Laertius in his Lives of the Philosophers. Much of what we know of Thales as a philosopher comes from Aristotle. Herodotus, who lived approximately sixty years after Thales, also wrote about him, asdid Eudemus, the first major historian of mathematics. Proclus, who wrote in about 450 AD, cited Eudemus’ History of Geometry, now lost, as his source. Thales is credited with introducing theconcepts of logical proof for abstract propositions.
Thales went to Egypt and studied with the priests, where he learned of mathematical innovations and brought this knowledge back to Greece. Thales alsodid geometrical research and, using triangles, applied his understanding of geometry to calculate the distance from shore of ships at sea. This was particularly important to the Greeks, whether theships were coming to trade or to do battle. Thales advised Anaximander’s student Pythagoras to visit Egypt in order to continue his studies in mathematics and philosophy.
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While Thales was in...