Anaximenes of Miletus
He believed that air was the primary element from which all things are derived through rarefaction and condensation.
Most quoted
"When it is thinned it becomes fire, when it is thickened it becomes wind, then cloud, then water, then earth, then stones; and from these come the rest."
— from As reported by later doxographers
"The form of air is as follows: when it is most even, it is invisible to sight, but is revealed by the cold and the hot and the damp and by movement."
— from As reported by later doxographers
"When air is dilated so as to be rarer, it becomes fire; when it is condensed, it becomes wind, then cloud, then water, then earth, then stones."
— from As reported by later doxographers
All quotes by Anaximenes of Miletus (99)
The moon is of fire.
Winds are produced when the condensed air, being set in motion, is dissolved.
Clouds are produced from air by felting.
Water is produced from clouds by compression.
Stones are produced from water by solidification.
All things are generated by a certain condensation or rarefaction of air.
The infinite air is god.
The things that are come into being by the thickening and thinning of air.
The earth rests on air.
The sun is fiery.
The moon is earthy.
The stars move like a millstone.
Thunder is produced by the collision of clouds.
Earthquakes happen when the earth is excessively dried by the sun and cracks.
The sea had its origin from the moisture on the earth's surface evaporated by the sun.
Air is the source of both life and consciousness.
The soul knows by means of air.
The principle, being air, is always in motion; for if it were not in motion, the things that change would not change.
The cosmos is a living being, animated by air.
Contemporaries of Anaximenes of Miletus
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Anaximenes of Miletus (-585–-528).