Thales, Father of Philosophy?

This chapter examines whether Thales is indeed the “father of philosophy” as declared by Aristotle. It first considers the theories of two interpreters, Francis MacDonald Cornford and Walter Burkert, regarding the origin of Greek philosophy before discussing the concept of muthos. In particular, it explores the problem of the cognitive status of myth in Greek thought and Aristotle's position regarding myth as articulated in the first book of Metaphysics. In reflecting upon the origin of the philosophical enterprise, Aristotle ascribes to “those who first philosophized” an interest in the “principle” (archē) of things. The chapter explains how the search for the archē started by Thales contributed to an understanding of the nature of things. Finally, it analyzes the pluralism of knowledge and styles of reasoning that characterize the intellectual enterprise of the sixth and fifth centuries BCE.