Definition

Proper noun A pre-Socratic Greek philosopher from Miletus, a student of Thales and teacher of Anaximenes. He is known for proposing that the origin of all things is the apeiron (the boundless or infinite), an indefinite, eternal substance from which the cosmos and all opposites (like hot/cold, wet/dry) emerge and to which they eventually return.

Examples of Usage

• Proper noun:
  • Anaximander is considered one of the first speculative scientists.
  • The philosophical concept of the apeiron was introduced by Anaximander.
  • Unlike Thales, who believed water was the fundamental substance, Anaximander argued for an indefinite, boundless principle.

Advanced Usage

• Anaximandrian (adj): Pertaining to the philosophy or ideas of Anaximander.
  • The scholar presented an Anaximandrian interpretation of cosmic justice.

Variants and Related Words

• Anaximandrian: (adjective) Of or relating to Anaximander or his philosophy.
• Apeiron: (noun, from Greek) The central concept in Anaximander's philosophy, meaning "the boundless," "the infinite," or "the indefinite."

Synonyms

• Pre-Socratic philosopher
• Milesian philosopher

Related Phrases and Concepts

• The Boundless (Apeiron): The fundamental, eternal, and infinite source of all things in Anaximander's cosmology.
• Cosmic Justice (Dike): In Anaximander's thought, the idea that things which emerge from the must eventually return to it as a form of natural recompense or order.
• Pre-Socratic Philosophy: The period of Greek philosophy before Socrates, to which Anaximander belongs.

Noun

1. a presocratic Greek philosopher and student of Thales who believed the universal substance to be infinity rather than something resembling ordinary objects (611-547 BC)