Material Monism During The Pre-Socratic Movement

During the pre-Socratic movement, many philosophers turned away from polytheism and started asking why. Philosophers wanted to know where things came from. To gain more knowledge, they used observations. Thus, developing theories based on inquiry, reasoning, and evidence. As a result, many advances were made in technology and the method of critical inquiry was introduced. Material monism is a pre-Socratic belief which explains that everything in the universe is made from one material or substance. Greek philosophers from Miletus called Milesians practiced material monism. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes were material monists. Each believed that one substance which stands under everything else makes up the universe. Their ideas were influential in the development of science and philosophy. Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes were Greek philosophers that made up the Milesian school. It wasn’t rare for philosophers to build on each others ideas. In fact, the pre-Socratic was dependent on this idea. Thus, “Thales is reported to have been the teacher of Anaximander, who was, in turn, the teacher of Anaximenes” (8). As students, they

It has influenced philosophers and scientists to stop looking into the supernatural for explanations, but to rely on observations of the natural world for answers. It provided a fundamental framework which makes it easier to compare and make connections to other things. Due to the fact that, material monism explains that the cosmos is made up of one material, scientists and philosophers can study that material and either critique or expand the theory. It provides a developmental sense of explaining things. Thus, we know where to start when we have questions. Material monism allows us to explain how everything in the universe started. It answers how the earth was created and where humans come from. It gives us explanations to questions that go beyond the natural