thales of Miletus, For many, it is The first philosopher From history. The origins of Western philosophy are located in Miletus, a port city in Anatolia in the sixth century BC Full of merchant ships and temples where Thales lived.
It is known as “Father of Philosophy” Because he was the first to present a vision of the world based on reason and not on the traditions of myths and gods.
With anecdotes, stories passed down from generation to generation give way to logical and grounded thinking. Throughout his life he left behind one of the most important lessons about self-knowledge.
This thinker is one of the so-called Seven wise men from GreeceNothing is written. This is why it is difficult to know what he said and what was attributed to him after his death.
Centuries after 545 BC, the date on which he is estimated to have died, philosophers such as Aristotle, Herodotus and Diogenes Laertius They started naming him in their works.
Among these references appears Teaching about life and self-knowledge“The hardest thing in life is to know yourself, and the easiest thing is to speak ill of others.”
Some scholars believe that this phrase It comes from popular proverbs Not from Thales. However, this lesson reflects the central ideas of Pre-Socratic thought.
The first part of the lesson refers to one of the most famous mottos of antiquity, “Know Thyself”, an inscription found in Temple of Apollo at Delphiin Greece.
The message of Thales of Miletus remains valid even Socrates He turned it into the focus of his philosophical life with another famous phrase: “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
The second part of the phrase (about which there are also doubts about the authorship), focuses specifically on everyday life. It is usually easier to speak ill of others than to speak ill of others Look at yourself honestly. The teaching, although short, seeks to make people uncomfortable and asks open-ended questions about how a person knows and judges themselves.