Who Was The First Philosopher?
Is Philosophy Uniquely Greek?
Philosophy originated in ancient Greece. Well, the word “philosophy” originates in Greece. Translating literally to “lover of wisdom,” it is, at least linguistically, accurate to attribute the concept of philosophy as we know it to the ancient Greeks. Scholars like Bertrand Russell and the first four pages of your Google search will insist that Thales of Miletus, was the first philosopher. Has Thales earned this rank through more than a technicality, or does his ostensive title come with undue prestige?
Was Thales the first philosopher or simply the first Greek philosopher?
Who Was Thale’s of Miletus?
Thales of Miletus. was a pre-Socratic (before Socrates) Greek philosopher who historians believe lived in the early 6th century. Plato, the poster child of philosophy, discusses The “Seven Sages,” renowned Wisemen from the 7th-6th Century. He first lists them in his Protagoras (387 BCE) and includes Thales among their ranks.
…There some, both at present and of old, who recognized that Spartanizing is much more a love of wisdom than a love of physical exercise, knowing that the ability to utter such remarks belongs to a perfectly educated man. Among these were Thales of Miletus,.-Socrates, Protagoras
