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The Origin of the World according to Anaximander

Publication at Faculty of Science |
2010

Abstract

The conception of cosmogony by Anaximander of Miletus is actually preserved almost only in Stromateis of pseudo-Plutarch (Strom. 2). The separation off of the opposites conceived as the process of the coming-to-be in the following stages of the cosmogony have a concrete manifestation in the sphere of flame around the air, which surrounds the earth.

When the sphere of flames broke off, the celestial bodies, the circles of the fire enclosed in the air, were formed. The other term in question is gonimon, which might indicate that Anaximander described the cosmogony using the language of biology.

Similarly the term floios which is used as the analogy to the description of the sphere of flames have a close relation to the description of the first animals. Althought we can consider that Anaximander described the coming-to-be of the world in terms of biology we have no certainty that the origin of the world was conceived as a birth of living organism.