Thales of Miletus: contributions in the different sciences

There are several contributions from Thales of Miletus of great interest to the different existing sciences, which were indispensable for some of the most important developments; among which we find contributions in the physics, astronomy, philosophy, mathematics and more.

This man was a Greek of antiquity (about 500 years before Christ) who served as legislator of his native city, he also considered himself a mathematician, physicist, philosopher and geometrist; which was part of the "Seven Sages of Greece”, A group made up of important Greek personalities who left a legacy in the population.

Contributions of Thales of Miletus in the different sciences

The contributions of Thales contribute in different fields of science, as the first man to use scientific speculation, contribute greatly to Greek philosophy and geometry, physics and mathematics. In summary, we will see some of his most outstanding contributions.

It is considered that Thales of Miletus was the first scientist on earth, since it is the first known that tried to explain why things happen in an objective and logical way, such as the creation of the universe, regardless of the divinities.

Therefore, it is important to highlight as his main contribution to humanity the fact of wanting to break the barriers of the time and go a step there, since thanks to him later more scientists emerged with the same interest and purpose of finding logical explanations.

One of the examples and his contributions in this area was the creation of a theory that explained that the earth was actually flat and floated on water, since natural elements depended on it in one way or another. Despite being uncertain, credit must be given for Thales' intention to attempt explain the origin of the universe or the elements that make it up.

Mathematical contributions

In mathematics Thales made various contributions thanks to his discoveries, which are possible to find in the "Elements of Euclid".

In addition, it is said that this scientist already knew various bases and principles on geometry; as well as a legend in which it is said that he could calculate the size of the pyramids (height) thanks to their shadows.

Philosophical contributions

The contributions of Thales of Mileto In the field of philosophy, they refer mainly to the intention of the scientist to explain the phenomena that surrounded him, that is, what we mentioned earlier. However, other contributions in this field are also known; The problem is that there is no writing that can validate it, only attributions made by other characters in the story.

Thales is also considered the first Western philosopher. However, not in an ethical or moral way like later philosophy, but rather by the mere fact of wanting to theorize and rationalize about the origin of the universe and the study of nature. Therefore, the philosophers of the time were rather physicists who used their philosophical thoughts to theorize, hypothesize and experiment.

Astronomical contributions

According to the findings, Thales was able to predict the appearance of an eclipse, contribute to navigation and calculate the year.

• Thales predicted an eclipse would happen, but at that time it was an impossible feat without the proper knowledge. However, it is thought that he could have been lucky or simply did not make an exact calculation, that is, he could indicate that a period of time would appear.
• In navigation, he advised the sailors that it was much easier and recommended to guide with the Little Bear, instead of the Major, as they used to do for years.
• He was the first person to determine how long the length of a year was.

The contributions of Thales of Miletus to society before and after Christ were of great importance, since as we saw along the entrance, he made his way in the West in the fields where he immersed himself and also, he was in charge of training students with same interests in the "School of Mileto", from which came characters known as Anaximenes y Anaximander.