Thales the Milesian  624-546 B.C.                       

  Thales is generally considered to be the first of the philosophers; however his most notable achievements were in Geometry. To this day the Thales Theorem (If A, B, and C are points on a circle, where the line AC is the diameter of the circle, then the angle B is a right angle) is attributed to the proofs of the ancient philosopher, and stands as testament to his work. Considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece, he is often regarded as the Father of Science.

    Thales entered the spotlight on May 28, 585 B.C. by predicting an eclipse in ancient Babylon. The method he used was more noted to a long series of empirical observations, than a scientific study as to the nature of the eclipse itself. When the eclipse did in fact occur, and happened to coincide with the battle of Alyattes II and Cyaxares, a truce was called, and the legend of Thales was born.

  Continuing his studies in astronomy, Thales noted the cycle of summer and winter solstices, and from observation, possibly developed the Zodiac Calendar based upon a 365 day year.

   As a mathematician Thales is noted for measuring the height of the pyramids, from thier shadows. The method was to use a person as a base reference. If we know a man’s height and the length of his shadow at a certain time, then we can use the same conversion to determine the height of any object at that point and time. The solution is surprisingly simple; and yet very effective. This type of deduction from experience became the building blocks upon which science was founded.

  As a philosopher, Thales is considered a naturalist, in that he attempted to find natural explanations for things. It should be noted, In Greek mythology, the earth is suspended in water. From this reference point, Thales, observed  the oceans, and  deduced that land masses floated in water. This and other observations, led to the conclusion, that water was the primary source of things. Why then is their an earthquake? To Thales, it was because the earth was rocked by waves.

  To take the theory further, Thales concludes that water is what the universe is made of. Though we have since discovered that this is probably not true, from a starting point it is a theory with two important insights. The first is that the universe is built in component parts, which guided the theories of the atomist’s soon to follow. The second is the observation that water is found in many things. Modern science has recently discovered that the universe is primarily composed of hydrogen, 2/3 of which is made up of water.