“The sea is the source of all moisture, and moisture is the source of life.”
— Thales of MiletusCommonly cited paraphrase of Thales' cosmology in doxographical sources; no verbatim source identified
Commentary
This paraphrase links the sea to the origin of moisture and life, and it extends the Milesian doctrine of water as the first principle into an account of living things. The argument that moisture sustains life was a common observation in early Greek natural science, and its attribution to Thales fits his reputation as a natural philosopher. G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield note that the doxographical tradition credits Thales with views of this kind, but that the precise formulation is uncertain. Charles Kahn argues that the Milesian interest in the principle of moisture was connected to the observation of natural processes around the Aegean. Jonathan Barnes cautions that the paraphrase reflects a reconstruction of Thales' views and should not be quoted as his exact words. W. K. C. Guthrie treats the idea as part of the early attempts to explain the origin of living things by material causes. The sentence should be labelled as a paraphrase, with the doxography consulted before quotation.
Commentary
This paraphrase links the sea to the origin of moisture and life, and it extends the Milesian doctrine of water as the first principle into an account of living things. The argument that moisture sustains life was a common observation in early Greek natural science, and its attribution to Thales fits his reputation as a natural philosopher. G. S. Kirk, J. E. Raven, and M. Schofield note that the doxographical tradition credits Thales with views of this kind, but that the precise formulation is uncertain. Charles Kahn argues that the Milesian interest in the principle of moisture was connected to the observation of natural processes around the Aegean. Jonathan Barnes cautions that the paraphrase reflects a reconstruction of Thales' views and should not be quoted as his exact words. W. K. C. Guthrie treats the idea as part of the early attempts to explain the origin of living things by material causes. The sentence should be labelled as a paraphrase, with the doxography consulted before quotation.