Anaxagoras Principal

Anaxagoras Principal

The doctrine of Anaxagoras is doubly strange: it is for the first time the distinction between materials, spirit and recognizing a principle reasonable. Because of the movement it separates from the Ionian School from which it came to form a special branch of a high originality. We briefly analyze this theory confining ourselves to the fragments left by Anaxagoras and leaving aside the interesting hypotheses no doubt but bit risky modern thinkers who have tried the full recovery of this philosophy (Guthrie, 1965).

Anaxagoras from this principle: there is neither creation nor destruction there's only union and separation of elements already existing so that birth is only the aggregation and death of separation of these elements. The material is eternal and it resolves itself into Homeomeries-that is to say in parts infinite in number and small size but still similar to each other. These are not Homeomeries atoms because the number of atoms it is infinite in all is finished in a body given.

Any object is composed of elements of all things which come in equal quantity. In a word, everything is in everything. Yet we recognize the differences between things for us, they are not identical and we give them different names. That is each thing contains the other in varying degrees of appearance. The thing that seems to dominate in the aggregate gives it its name. Thus defined material that are infinite in quantity and smallness is unable by itself to arrange those forming aggregates harmonious and dissolve .We must therefore look beyond and above the material principle of the movement. This ordering principle of the world because of the good and beauty that exist in the universe it is the Spirit (nous).

The Spirit (or intelligence or principle reason) is infinite independent and is prevalent in everything but it mixes with anything. Under its influence the world moves which resulted in a whirlwind earth occupies the center. Following this rotation masses of rock detached from the ground and launched into the sky are inflamed by the ether: they are the stars. They say it's a falling meteorite that has given birth in Anaxagoras sense of the materiality of the sky. Still the Sun for him is a globe of incandescent stone larger than the Peloponnese and the Moon receives light from the Sun: it has sea hills and valleys from what we said Origen. As for living beings they appeared when all the conditions necessary for their existence have occurred that is to say after the period of incandescence when the Earth was still hot saturated with moisture they were then reproduced by the coupling.

These are the main theories of Anaxagoras on the origin and development of the sensory world. The design of intelligence because of the first movement was seen as a great progress in the history of philosophy as it puts the mind above the matter and fatality. But it should not be deceived as to the scope of the word we. Let us not forget that Anaxagoras is primarily a physicist. The spirit of the world motor operates with a chain of effects mechanical. But he has no final goal; it does not act for the good. This is not a God or if you want it is not a commitment morality (Furth, 1991). 

Phaedo

"The Phaedo" dialogue written by Plato, chronicles the last hours of Socrates. It mainly addressed the issue of death, saying on the pre-existence ...