623 BC - 546 BC
Thales of Miletus ( THAY-leez; Greek: Θαλῆς (ὁ Μιλήσιος), Thalēs; c. 624/623 – c. 548/545 BC) was a Greek mathematician, astronomer and pre-Socratic philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. He was one of the Seven Sages of Greece. Many, most notably Aristotle, regarded him as the first philosopher in the Greek tradition, and he is otherwise historically recognized as the first individual in Western civilization known to have entertained and engaged in scientific philosophy.Thales is recognized for breaking from the use of mythology to explain the world and the universe, and instead explaining natural objects and phenomena by naturalistic theories and hypotheses, in a precursor to modern science. Read more on Wikipedia
Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Thales of Miletus has received more than 1,473,677 page views. His biography is available in 102 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 98 in 2019). Thales of Miletus is the 25th most popular philosopher (up from 26th in 2019), the 7th most popular biography from Turkey and the 2nd most popular Turkish Philosopher.
Thales of Miletus is most famous for his belief that everything in the world is made up of water, air, earth, and fire.
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Among philosophers, Thales of Miletus ranks 25 out of 1,089. Before him are Arthur Schopenhauer, Thomas Hobbes, Epicurus, Heraclitus, Baruch Spinoza, and Erasmus. After him are Seneca the Younger, Friedrich Engels, Averroes, Democritus, Diogenes, and David Hume.
1788 - 1860
HPI: 88.67
Rank: 19
1588 - 1679
HPI: 88.52
Rank: 20
341 BC - 269 BC
HPI: 88.36
Rank: 21
535 BC - 470 BC
HPI: 87.83
Rank: 22
1632 - 1677
HPI: 87.56
Rank: 23
1466 - 1536
HPI: 87.56
Rank: 24
623 BC - 546 BC
HPI: 87.50
Rank: 25
4 BC - 65
HPI: 87.37
Rank: 26
1820 - 1895
HPI: 87.10
Rank: 27
1126 - 1198
HPI: 86.62
Rank: 28
460 BC - 360 BC
HPI: 86.38
Rank: 29
404 BC - 322 BC
HPI: 86.10
Rank: 30
1711 - 1776
HPI: 86.05
Rank: 31
Among people born in 623 BC, Thales of Miletus ranks 1. Among people deceased in 546 BC, Thales of Miletus ranks 1. After him are Anaximander and Croesus.
623 BC - 546 BC
HPI: 87.50
Rank: 1
610 BC - 546 BC
HPI: 82.87
Rank: 2
596 BC - 546 BC
HPI: 81.56
Rank: 3
Among people born in Turkey, Thales of Miletus ranks 7 out of 1,128. Before him are Homer (-800), Paul the Apostle (5), Herodotus (-484), Suleiman the Magnificent (1494), Saint George (280), and Heraclitus (-535). After him are Selim II (1524), Mehmed the Conqueror (1432), Osman I (1254), Selim I (1470), Diogenes (-404), and Ahmed I (1590).
800 BC - 750 BC
HPI: 92.32
Rank: 1
5 - 66
HPI: 92.16
Rank: 2
484 BC - 425 BC
HPI: 90.91
Rank: 3
1494 - 1566
HPI: 90.22
Rank: 4
280 - 303
HPI: 88.41
Rank: 5
535 BC - 470 BC
HPI: 87.83
Rank: 6
623 BC - 546 BC
HPI: 87.50
Rank: 7
1524 - 1574
HPI: 86.45
Rank: 8
1432 - 1481
HPI: 86.30
Rank: 9
1254 - 1327
HPI: 86.19
Rank: 10
1470 - 1520
HPI: 86.18
Rank: 11
404 BC - 322 BC
HPI: 86.10
Rank: 12
1590 - 1617
HPI: 85.76
Rank: 13
Among philosophers born in Turkey, Thales of Miletus ranks 2. Before him are Heraclitus (-535). After him are Diogenes (-404), Anaximander (-610), Anaxagoras (-500), Epictetus (50), Xenophanes (-570), Gregory of Nazianzus (329), Ibn Taymiyyah (1263), Chrysippus (-281), Posidonius (-135), and Anaximenes of Miletus (-585).
535 BC - 470 BC
HPI: 87.83
Rank: 1
623 BC - 546 BC
HPI: 87.50
Rank: 2
404 BC - 322 BC
HPI: 86.10
Rank: 3
610 BC - 546 BC
HPI: 82.87
Rank: 4
500 BC - 428 BC
HPI: 81.75
Rank: 5
50 - 135
HPI: 81.57
Rank: 6
570 BC - 475 BC
HPI: 81.49
Rank: 7
329 - 389
HPI: 80.08
Rank: 8
1263 - 1328
HPI: 79.65
Rank: 9
281 BC - 208 BC
HPI: 77.57
Rank: 10
135 BC - 51 BC
HPI: 76.33
Rank: 11
585 BC - 525 BC
HPI: 76.28
Rank: 12