Anaxagoras | |
|---|---|
 Anaxagoras; part of a fresco in the portico of the National University of Athens. | |
| Born | c. 500 BC |
| Died | c. 428 BC |
| Era | Ancient philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Ionian school |
Main interests | Natural philosophy |
Notable ideas | Nous, or Mind ordering all things |
Anaxagoras (/ˌænækˈsæɡərəs/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: Ἀναξαγόρας, Anaxagóras, "lord of the assembly"; c. 500 – c. 428 BC) was a Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. Born in Clazomenae at a time when Asia Minor was under the control of the Persian Empire, Anaxagoras came to Athens. In later life he was charged with impiety and went into exile in Lampsacus.
Responding to the claims of Parmenides on the impossibility of change, Anaxagoras introduced the concept of Nous (Cosmic Mind) as an ordering force. He also gave several novel scientific accounts of natural phenomena, including the notion of panspermia, that life exists throughout the universe and could be distributed everywhere. He deduced a correct explanation for eclipses and described the Sun as a fiery mass larger than the Peloponnese, and also attempted to explain rainbows and meteors. He also speculated that the sun might be just another star.[1]