Thales of Miletus · Philosophy

The Practical Sage

Thales was not a remote theorist but a working engineer, astronomer, and statesman - the first of the Seven Sages of Greece. His life shows philosophy born not in retreat from the world but in mastery of it.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Thales was the first of the Seven Sages of Greece, a working engineer and statesman whose practical feats (the eclipse, the olive presses, measuring the pyramids) showed that early philosophy was tied to mastery of the world. Explain how his life embodies the Greek ideal of sophia .

Leads to Socrates.

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