- Born:
- c. 500 bce, Clazomenae, Anatolia [now in Turkey]
- Died:
- c. 428, Lampsacus
Anaxagoras
-
Who was Anaxagoras?
Anaxagoras (c. 500–428 BCE) was a Greek philosopher from Clazomenae, Anatolia, known for his cosmology and discovering the cause of eclipses. Around 480 BCE, he moved to Athens, introducing philosophical practices and scientific inquiry from Ionia.
After three decades in Athens, Anaxagoras faced impiety charges for claiming the Sun was an incandescent stone larger than the Peloponnese region. Though his associate Pericles saved him, Anaxagoras was compelled to leave Athens and spent his last years in Lampsacus.
Anaxagoras posited infinite elements, including flesh and bone, asking how flesh could come from non-flesh. His most original concept was nous (mind or reason), suggesting the cosmos formed via mind in revolving and mixing stages, developing living things by attracting "like to like." Aristotle commended Anaxagoras for this concept of mind.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
When and where did Anaxagoras live?
Anaxagoras, a Greek philosopher known for his cosmology, was born circa 500 BCE in Clazomenae, Anatolia (now in Turkey). Around 480 BCE, he relocated to Athens, where he introduced philosophical practices and scientific inquiry. After about 30 years in Athens, Anaxagoras faced prosecution for impiety due to his assertion that the Sun was an incandescent stone larger than the Peloponnese region. Though Pericles intervened, Anaxagoras was compelled to leave Athens and spent his remaining years in Lampsacus, where he died around 428 BCE.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What were some main ideas Anaxagoras is known for?
Anaxagoras was a Greek philosopher known for his cosmology and discovering the cause of eclipses.
Main ideas of Anaxagoras:
* Cosmology Anaxagoras posited an infinite number of elements to explain the physical universe.
* Doctrine of Nous The cosmos was formed by mind in two stages: first, by a revolving and mixing process, and second, by the development of living things.
* Explanation of Change Anaxagoras stated that "there is a portion of every thing, i.e., of every elemental stuff, in every thing," but "each is and was most manifestly those things of which there is most in it".1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Anaxagoras explain the origin and nature of matter?
Anaxagoras, a Greek philosopher, posited an infinite number of elements to explain the physical universe, including those found in living bodies. He argued that everything contains a portion of every elemental stuff, with each thing being most manifestly those things of which there is most in it.
Anaxagoras introduced the concept of nous (mind or reason) as the driving force behind the cosmos. Nous initiated a revolving and mixing process, separating particles and recombining them to form the world. This nous foresaw and intended the production of the cosmos, including living and intelligent beings.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the concept of 'Nous' or 'Mind' in Anaxagoras's philosophy?
In Anaxagoras's philosophy, nous (mind or reason) is the most original aspect of his system. Anaxagoras posited that the cosmos was formed by mind in two stages: first, by a revolving and mixing process, and second, by the development of living things. In the initial stage, elements such as the dark and the fluid came together to form the night and the oceans, respectively. The second stage involved the attraction of like to like, where flesh and other elements were brought together by mind in large amounts through animal and plant seeds inherent in the original mixture. According to Anaxagoras, the growth of living things depends on the power of mind within the organisms that enables them to extract nourishment from surrounding substances. Aristotle commended Anaxagoras for this concept of mind, but both Plato and Aristotle objected that his notion of mind did not include a view that mind acts ethically.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Anaxagoras influence later philosophers and scientific thinking?
Anaxagoras, a Greek philosopher, significantly influenced subsequent philosophers and scientific thought through his cosmology and concept of nous (mind or reason).
Anaxagoras introduced philosophy and scientific inquiry to Athens, positing an infinite number of elements as the foundation of the physical universe, influencing later pluralistic theories. His most original concept, nous, suggested that the cosmos was formed in stages by mind, which initiated a revolving and mixing process, and later fostered the development of living things.
Although commended by Aristotle for his concept of mind, both Plato and Aristotle criticized Anaxagoras for not attributing ethical considerations to nous, indicating that mind does not act for the universe's best interests.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Anaxagoras (born c. 500 bce, Clazomenae, Anatolia [now in Turkey]—died c. 428, Lampsacus) was a Greek philosopher of nature remembered for his cosmology and for his discovery of the true cause of eclipses. He was associated with the Athenian statesman Pericles.
About 480 Anaxagoras moved to Athens, then becoming the centre of Greek culture, and brought from Ionia the new practice of philosophy and the spirit of scientific inquiry. After 30 years’ residence in Athens, he was prosecuted on a charge of impiety for asserting that the Sun is an incandescent stone somewhat larger than the region of the Peloponnese. The attack on him was intended as an indirect blow at Pericles, and, although Pericles managed to save him, Anaxagoras was compelled to leave Athens. He spent his last years in retirement at Lampsacus.
Only a few fragments of Anaxagoras’s writings have been preserved, and several different interpretations of his work have been made. The basic features, however, are clear. His cosmology grows out of the efforts of earlier Greek thinkers who had tried to explain the physical universe by an assumption of a single fundamental element. Parmenides, however, asserted that such an assumption could not account for movement and change, and, whereas Empedocles sought to resolve this difficulty by positing four basic ingredients, Anaxagoras posited an infinite number. Unlike his predecessors, who had chosen such elements as heat or water as the basic substance, Anaxagoras included those found in living bodies, such as flesh, bone, bark, and leaf. Otherwise, he asked, how could flesh come from what is not flesh? He also accounted for biological changes, in which substances appear under new manifestations: as men eat and drink, flesh, bone, and hair grow. In order to explain the great amount and diversity of change, he said that “there is a portion of every thing, i.e., of every elemental stuff, in every thing,” but “each is and was most manifestly those things of which there is most in it.”
The most original aspect of Anaxagoras’s system was his doctrine of nous (“mind” or “reason”). The cosmos was formed by mind in two stages: first, by a revolving and mixing process that still continues; and, second, by the development of living things. In the first, all of “the dark” came together to form the night, “the fluid” came together to form the oceans, and so on with other elements. The same process of attraction of “like to like” occurred in the second stage, when flesh and other elements were brought together by mind in large amounts. This stage took place by means of animal and plant seeds inherent in the original mixture. The growth of living things, according to Anaxagoras, depends on the power of mind within the organisms that enables them to extract nourishment from surrounding substances. For this concept of mind, Anaxagoras was commended by Aristotle. Both Plato and Aristotle, however, objected that his notion of mind did not include a view that mind acts ethically—i.e., acts for the “best interests” of the universe.