Anaxagoras of Clazomenae
Anaxagoras of Clazomenae
499 av. J.-C. — 427 av. J.-C.
Greek pre-Socratic philosopher (c. 500–428 BC), born in Ionia. He introduced the concept of Nous (Cosmic Mind) as the organizing principle of the universe and was the first to offer a rational explanation for solar eclipses. A close friend of Pericles, he lived in Athens before being banished on charges of impiety.
Famous Quotes
« All things were together, infinite in number and infinite in smallness. »
« Nous is infinite, self-ruled, and mixed with nothing. »
« The appearances of things that are not seen are a vision of the unseen. »
Key Facts
- c. 500 BC: born in Clazomenae in Ionia (present-day Turkey)
- c. 461–430 BC: settled in Athens, close friend and advisor to Pericles
- c. 434 BC: charged with impiety for claiming that the Sun is a fiery rock
- He proposed that matter is infinitely divisible and that everything contains a portion of everything else
- 427 BC: died in Lampsacus, where he had taken refuge after his exile from Athens
Works & Achievements
The only known work of Anaxagoras, surviving only in fragments quoted by later authors. In it, he develops his theory of the infinite composition of matter and the role of Nous as the organizing principle.
A revolutionary philosophical concept holding that a pure and infinite Intelligence set in motion the primordial vortex from which the cosmos was born. This idea profoundly influenced Plato and Aristotle, both of whom engaged with it at length.
The doctrine that all matter is composed of infinitely small particles containing every quality within them, called 'seeds'. Everything contains a portion of everything else; only the predominance of one quality determines its apparent nature.
The first scientific explanation of solar and lunar eclipses through the interposition of celestial bodies. This discovery, made without any appeal to the gods, stands as a landmark in the history of science.
Anaxagoras argued that the Sun was a mass of incandescent molten rock and the Moon an opaque body of earth reflecting sunlight. These hypotheses, heretical to his contemporaries, foreshadow the discoveries of modern astronomy.
Anecdotes
Anaxagoras was the first philosopher to settle in Athens, transforming the city into the intellectual capital of the Greek world. He lived there for about thirty years, gathering around him a community of thinkers whose influence on Western philosophy would prove lasting.
Charged with impiety for claiming that the sun was not a god but a burning rock, roughly the size of the Peloponnese, Anaxagoras was tried and convicted. His friend Pericles, then at the height of his power, managed to save his life but could not prevent his exile. This affair reveals the limits of free thought, even in Athenian democracy.
According to the tradition recorded by Diogenes Laërtius, when Anaxagoras was asked why it was better to be born than not to be born, he replied: 'To contemplate the heavens and the order of the entire universe.' This answer perfectly captures the ideal of the contemplative philosopher who devotes his life to understanding the cosmos.
Anaxagoras explained solar eclipses by the interposition of the Moon between the Earth and the Sun, and lunar eclipses by the shadow cast by the Earth. This purely mechanical explanation, with no appeal to the gods, was revolutionary for his contemporaries, who were accustomed to seeing such phenomena as divine signs.
At the end of his life, having withdrawn to Lampsacus after his exile from Athens, the townspeople asked what favor he wished for. Anaxagoras requested that children be given a holiday every year in the month of his death — which was granted. This anecdote, reported by Plutarch, shows the high regard in which he was held by his contemporaries.
Primary Sources
All things were together, infinite in number and in smallness. For the small too was infinite. And since all things were together, nothing was distinguishable on account of smallness. For air and aether dominated everything.
Mind is infinite and self-ruled, and is mixed with nothing, but is alone itself by itself. For if it were not by itself, but were mixed with anything else, it would partake of all things.
Anaxagoras of Clazomenae, whom the Athenians called 'the Mind,' was the teacher of Pericles. Through him, Pericles acquired not only an elevation of thought and a nobility of expression, but also that serenity of spirit which never deserted him.
I once heard someone reading from a book by Anaxagoras, in which it was claimed that Mind is the organizer and cause of all things. I was delighted by this explanation, and it seemed right to me that Mind should be the cause of all things.
Anaxagoras of Clazomenae, son of Hegesibulus, held that the sun was a fiery mass, larger than the Peloponnese. He was the first to write on the composition of the heavenly bodies. He lived in Athens as a friend of Pericles.
Key Places
Greek city in Asia Minor where Anaxagoras was born, at the mouth of the Gulf of Smyrna. This Ionian cultural center was renowned for its naturalist philosophical tradition, inherited from Thales and Anaximenes.
The city where Anaxagoras lived for about thirty years, founding a school and influencing Pericles, Euripides, and the young Socrates. It was here that he was put on trial for impiety, marking a turning point in the history of freedom of thought.
Greek city on the European shore of the Dardanelles where Anaxagoras went into exile after his trial. He founded a school there that flourished long after his death, and the townspeople honored him with lasting funeral rites.
The religious and political heart of Athens, symbol of Pericles' power. Anaxagoras moved in Pericles' inner circle as the statesman oversaw the construction of the Parthenon, embodying the connection between philosophy, art, and power.