In the intellectual tapestry of Ancient Greece, few figures loom as large or as controversial as Anaxagoras of Clazomenae, the man credited with bringing philosophy from Ionia to Athens. Born around 500 BCE on the coast of Asia Minor, Anaxagoras emerged during a time when the explanation of natural phenomena was slowly shifting from the whim of the gods to the logic of the physical world. He was a pioneer of the scientific method, a close confidant of the great statesman Pericles, and a thinker whose radical ideas would eventually lead to his prosecution for impiety. His arrival in Athens marked the beginning of the city's golden age of philosophy, setting the stage for Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Yet, his life was one of intellectual solitude; he famously neglected his inheritance and political standing to devote himself entirely to the contemplation of nature, famously declaring that his purpose in life was "to investigate the sun, the moon, and the heavens."
Anaxagoras introduced a revolutionary concept that would forever alter the trajectory of metaphysics: *Nous*, or Mind. Unlike his predecessors who sought a single material element like water or air as the source of all things, Anaxagoras proposed that the cosmos was a mixture of infinite ingredients, ordered and set in motion by an infinite, distinct, and intelligent force. This introduced a dualism between matter and mind that had never been articulated with such clarity. He posited that "in everything there is a portion of everything," a theory of matter that suggested the building blocks of reality were infinite in number and divisibility. His universe was not governed by the anthropomorphic deities of Homeric legend but by mechanical forces and cosmic intelligence, a view that was as dazzling to the intelligentsia as it was heretical to the traditionalists.
Ultimately, the very rationalism that endeared him to Pericles became a weapon for the statesman's political enemies. Anaxagoras was accused of impiety, specifically for asserting that the sun was not a god but a red-hot stone larger than the Peloponnese. Though Pericles managed to save him from execution, Anaxagoras was forced into exile in Lampsacus, where he spent his final years teaching and honored by the locals. His legacy is that of the quintessential scientist-philosopher: a man who dared to strip the universe of its mythology to reveal the terrifying and beautiful machinery beneath. His work bridges the gap between the material monism of the early Ionians and the teleological systems of the later Athenian schools, making him a pivotal figure in the history of human thought.
50 Popular Quotes from Anaxagoras
The Nature of Nous (Mind)
"All things were together; then Mind came and arranged them."
This is perhaps the most famous summary of Anaxagoras's cosmogony. It describes the primordial state of the universe as a chaotic mixture where all substances were indistinguishably combined. The introduction of "Mind" (Nous) serves as the catalyst for order, transforming chaos into the structured cosmos we observe. It highlights the necessity of an external, intelligent force to initiate motion and differentiation in a static universe.
"Mind is infinite and self-ruled, and is mixed with nothing, but is alone, itself by itself."
Here, Anaxagoras defines the unique ontological status of Nous. Unlike material substances which contain portions of everything else, Mind must remain pure and unmixed to maintain its power and autonomy. If it were mixed with matter, it would be hindered by the other elements and lose its ability to control and order the cosmos. This establishes the first clear distinction between a ruling intellect and the matter it governs.
"Mind has power over all things, both greater and smaller, that have life."
This quote extends the influence of Nous beyond the initial cosmic rotation to the biological realm. It suggests that the same force responsible for the movement of the stars is also the animating principle of living creatures. By linking the macrocosm of the universe with the microcosm of biological life, Anaxagoras posits a unified theory of governance where intelligence is the defining characteristic of vitality.
"Mind is the finest of all things and the purest, and it has all knowledge about everything and the greatest power."
Anaxagoras attributes the qualities of fineness and purity to Nous to explain its ability to penetrate and control matter. The assertion that it possesses "all knowledge" foreshadows later theological concepts of omniscience, though for Anaxagoras, this knowledge is mechanical and architectural. It implies that to order the universe effectively, the ordering force must fully understand the nature of what it arranges.
"And Mind set in order all things that were to be, and all things that were and are not now and that are, and this revolution in which now revolve the stars and the sun and the moon."
This passage emphasizes the temporal scope of Nous; it is not just a creator but a sustainer of the past, present, and future. The "revolution" refers to the cosmic vortex that separates the elements, creating the physical world. It frames the movement of celestial bodies not as divine wanderings, but as a calculated, ongoing process initiated by intelligence.
"Mind causes motion, but is not moved by anything else."
This principle identifies Nous as the "Unmoved Mover," a concept that Aristotle would later famously adopt and adapt. It establishes a hierarchy of causality where the ultimate source of action must itself be stable and independent. This separation prevents an infinite regress of causes, anchoring the physical processes of the universe in a singular, autonomous origin.
"For if it were not by itself, but were mixed with anything else, it would partake in all things wherever it was mixed; for in everything there is a portion of everything."
Anaxagoras uses a logical deduction here to defend the purity of Nous. Since his theory of matter states that all matter contains traces of all other matter, if Mind were material, it would become diluted and powerless. Its separation is therefore a physical necessity for it to function as a ruler; contamination by matter would strip it of its sovereign nature.
"Mind creates the rotation, which separates the dense from the rare."
The mechanism of creation in Anaxagorean physics is centrifugal force. By initiating a rotation, Nous causes heavy, dense elements to congregate in the center (Earth) and lighter, rare elements to move outward (Ether/Air). This quote provides a purely mechanical explanation for the formation of the world, stripping away the need for mythological genealogies of the earth and sky.
"Mind is all alike, both the greater and the smaller."
This statement suggests a homogeneity in the nature of intelligence. Whether it is the cosmic Mind ordering the stars or the mind within a human being, the substance of Nous remains the same in quality, differing only in quantity or location. This democratizes the concept of intelligence, linking human cognition directly to the divine force that structures the universe.
"Nothing can be separated from Mind except for Mind itself."
This cryptic phrase reinforces the ubiquity of Nous in its domain of control while maintaining its distinctness. While matter is divisible and mixable, Mind is a singular, cohesive entity. It implies that while we can distinguish between different manifestations of intelligence, we cannot physically chop it up like we can with matter; it remains a unified field of force.
The Theory of Matter and Seeds
"In everything there is a portion of everything."
This is the central tenet of Anaxagoras's theory of matter. He believed that matter is infinitely divisible and that every particle, no matter how small, contains the "seeds" or ingredients of all other substances. This explains how nutrition works (e.g., how bread becomes flesh); the flesh was already present in the bread in minute quantities.
"Nor is there a least of what is small, but there is always a smaller; for it cannot be that what is should cease to be by being cut."
Anaxagoras argues for the infinite divisibility of matter, opposing the atomist view that there is a smallest, uncuttable particle. He posits that existence is continuous; you can slice a particle forever and it will still be matter containing portions of everything. This mathematical approach to physical reality was centuries ahead of its time in conceptualizing infinity.
"All things are in all things, but each is characterized by the predominant ingredients."
This clarifies why we perceive distinct substances despite the "everything in everything" rule. Gold looks like gold not because it is purely gold, but because the "gold seeds" are the most abundant component in that mixture. Perception is determined by the dominance of specific elements, while the latent elements remain invisible to the naked eye.
"The things that are in one world are not separated from one another, nor cut off with an axe."
Here, Anaxagoras emphasizes the continuity of nature. There are no voids or absolute breaks between substances; the hot grades into the cold, and the wet into the dry. The metaphor of the axe suggests that nature is a seamless tapestry, rejecting the idea of isolated, discrete compartments of reality.
"How can hair come from what is not hair, or flesh from what is not flesh?"
This rhetorical question underpins his rejection of generation from nothing (ex nihilo). If hair grows from the human body, which is fed by food, then the food must contain "hair" in some form. It is a logical demand for the conservation of qualities, insisting that a property cannot emerge unless it was already present in the source material.
"The dense and the wet and the cold and the dark came together where the earth is now, while the rare and the hot and the dry went out to the further part of the ether."
This quote details the result of the cosmic rotation initiated by Nous. It provides a scientific taxonomy of the elements, grouping them by their physical properties rather than mythological associations. It explains the structure of the universe—Earth in the center, fiery ether above—through the mechanics of separation and density.
"There is a portion of everything in everything except Mind; and there are some things in which there is Mind also."
This qualifies his general theory of matter. While all material objects are mixtures of every element, Mind is the exception to the rule of mixture. However, "some things" (living beings) possess Mind, which grants them animacy. This distinction creates a tripartite ontology: the mixture, the pure Mind, and the beings that house Mind.
"The seeds of all things have all sorts of shapes and colors and savors."
Anaxagoras describes the primordial "seeds" (spermata) as possessing qualitative properties inherent to them. Unlike the atoms of Democritus, which differ only in shape and size, Anaxagoras's seeds carry sensory qualities like color and taste. This suggests that sensory properties are fundamental to reality, not just secondary effects of atomic interaction.
"Things in this one cosmos are not separated from one another."
This reiterates the interconnectedness of the physical world. It serves as a reminder that despite the separation caused by the cosmic vortex, the underlying unity of the mixture remains. It implies a holistic view of the universe where every part is inextricably linked to every other part through shared composition.
"When these things are thus distinguished, we must know that all are not less nor more; for it is not possible for there to be more than all, but all are always equal."
This statement functions as a law of conservation of matter. The total quantity of "stuff" in the universe is constant; it cannot increase or decrease. The rearrangement of elements creates the illusion of change, but the sum total of existence remains a fixed, eternal constant.
Cosmology and the Heavens
"The sun is a mass of red-hot metal."
This is the statement that likely led to Anaxagoras's trial for impiety. By reducing the divine Helios to a physical object—a hot stone or metal—he stripped the heavens of their divinity. It represents a bold leap into scientific naturalism, asserting that celestial bodies are subject to the same physical laws as terrestrial objects.
"The moon does not have its own light, but derives it from the sun."
Anaxagoras was one of the first to correctly understand the mechanism of moonlight. This insight required a profound understanding of geometry and spatial relationships in the cosmos. It demystified the phases of the moon and eclipses, turning them from omens into predictable interplay of shadow and reflected light.
"The moon has plains and ravines."
By asserting that the moon had geological features similar to Earth, Anaxagoras challenged the Aristotelian view (later adopted) that the heavens were made of a perfect, immutable substance. He proposed that other worlds might be terrestrial in nature, implying that Earth is not unique in its composition, just one of many bodies in the void.
"We must suppose that there are many worlds and many things."
This fragment suggests a form of cosmic pluralism. While it is debated whether he meant simultaneous parallel universes or regions within the vast cosmos, it highlights the scale of his thinking. He envisioned a reality far grander and more populous than the geocentric, singular world of Greek myth.
"The earth is flat and remains suspended because of its size and because there is no void."
While incorrect by modern standards, this quote shows his attempt to explain the Earth's stability through physics (air pressure and density) rather than Atlas holding it up. He believed the Earth rode on a cushion of air, a theory that demonstrates his commitment to material explanations for gravitational phenomena.
"Eclipses of the moon are caused by the earth blocking the light of the sun."
Building on his understanding of reflected light, Anaxagoras correctly identified the cause of lunar eclipses. This knowledge was transformative; it allowed for the prediction of celestial events and removed the fear associated with the darkening of the moon, proving that the universe operates on intelligible laws.
"The stars are fiery stones, which are invisible to us because of their distance."
Anaxagoras extended his theory of the sun to the stars, viewing them as similar incandescent bodies. His realization that distance affects visibility and perception was a crucial step in astronomy. It suggests a universe of immense depth, where objects exist even if human senses cannot immediately detect them.
"The milky way is the light of certain stars."
He theorized that the Milky Way was a concentration of distant stars whose light blended together. While his specific explanation involved the shadow of the earth (which was incorrect), the intuition that the galaxy is composed of individual stellar bodies was a brilliant deduction that anticipated the telescopic discoveries of millennia later.
"Thunder is produced by the collision of clouds, and lightning by their friction."
Bringing meteorology into the realm of physics, Anaxagoras explained storms as mechanical events. This direct challenge to Zeus's thunderbolt reduced the king of the gods' primary weapon to a mere consequence of atmospheric friction. It exemplifies his relentless drive to find natural causes for terrifying phenomena.
"Rainbows are reflections of the sun in the clouds."
Continuing his meteorological studies, he correctly identified the rainbow as an optical phenomenon involving reflection (and refraction, though less understood). This stripped the rainbow of its status as a divine messenger (Iris) and reclassified it as a predictable behavior of light and water.
Perception and Knowledge
"From the weakness of our senses we are not able to judge the truth."
Anaxagoras was a rationalist who believed that sensory perception was limited and often deceptive. While we see the "dominant" ingredient in a mixture, we fail to see the infinite other ingredients present. This skepticism of the senses drove him to rely on reason and intellect (Nous) to deduce the true nature of reality.
"Appearances are a glimpse of the unseen."
This famous aphorism bridges the gap between observation and theory. While the senses are weak, they provide the data points necessary to infer the underlying reality. We observe the changes in the physical world (appearances) and use reason to understand the invisible processes (the unseen) that cause them.
"We give the name of Iris to the reflection in the cloud, which is a sign of storm."
This quote illustrates his analytical approach to language and mythology. He acknowledges the name "Iris" (the rainbow goddess) but redefines it as a physical "reflection." It shows his method of retaining cultural terminology while hollowing out its supernatural content and replacing it with observational science.
"The mind is the sight of the unseen."
This is a poetic reformulation of his epistemology. Since the eyes cannot see the "seeds" or the infinite divisibility of matter, the Mind must act as the organ of perception for abstract truth. It elevates the intellect to a sensory status, suggesting that thinking is a form of seeing that penetrates deeper than light.
"Visible existences are a sight of the unseen."
Similar to his other maxims, this reinforces the scientific method. The visible world is the evidence board; the laws of nature are the solution. We must look at what exists to understand the fundamental principles that are hidden from immediate view, effectively using the visible as a map to the invisible.
"Experience is a mastery of memory."
Anaxagoras understood that knowledge is cumulative. Observation leads to memory, and organized memory becomes experience or technique (*techne*). This highlights the importance of retaining and categorizing sensory data to build a coherent understanding of the world over time.
"All learning is remembering."
While this concept is most famously associated with Plato, Anaxagoras touched upon the idea that recognizing the truth involves a connection between the internal Mind and the external order. It suggests that since we are part of the cosmic mixture, understanding the cosmos is a form of self-realization or recollection of our nature.
"The senses are pained by the intensity of their objects."
Anaxagoras argued that all sensation involves a degree of pain or irritation, as it is a physical interaction where the object imposes itself on the sense organ. This physiological view of perception underscores the mechanical nature of his philosophy—seeing and hearing are physical impacts, not just passive reception.
"We are superior to the beasts in this: that we use experience and memory and wisdom and art."
He places humanity at the top of the biological hierarchy not because of strength, but because of cognitive capacity. The ability to manipulate the environment through "art" (techne) and wisdom is the direct result of possessing a greater share or more focused application of Mind.
"Because we have hands, we are the wisest of animals."
This fascinating quote links biology with intelligence. Anaxagoras suggests that human intelligence developed because we have hands to manipulate the world. It is a proto-evolutionary thought, proposing that physical anatomy facilitates and drives cognitive development, rather than intelligence being a purely abstract gift.
Life, Death, and the Human Condition
"The Greeks do not rightly use the terms coming into being and perishing."
Anaxagoras objected to the concepts of birth and death as creation and destruction. Since matter is eternal and conserved, nothing is ever truly "born" or "destroyed." He sought to correct language to reflect physical reality, arguing for a terminology of rearrangement rather than existential beginning and ending.
"For nothing comes into being nor perishes, but is rather compounded or dissolved from things that are."
This is the explanation of the previous quote. "Birth" is merely the mixing of pre-existing seeds, and "death" is their separation. This offers a form of immortality to the material self; the components that make up a human will exist forever, merely in different configurations.
"So they ought to call coming into being mixing, and perishing separating."
Anaxagoras prescribes a new vocabulary for life. By viewing death as "separating," he removes some of the horror associated with non-existence. It frames the life cycle as a chemical process of association and dissociation, objective and eternal.
"I would rather have a drop of wisdom than a whole barrel of gold."
Attributed to him by later biographers, this quote encapsulates his values. He famously abandoned his patrimony to pursue philosophy. It serves as a moral instruction that the understanding of the cosmos is the only true wealth, and material riches are a distraction from the cultivation of Mind.
"The descent to Hades is the same from every place."
When asked if he wanted to be buried in his homeland, Anaxagoras replied with this wit. It signifies a cosmopolitan view of the earth and death. It implies that geographical attachment is meaningless in the face of the universal nature of death and the cosmos; the earth is one, and the afterlife (or the void) is equally accessible from anywhere.
"It is necessary to contemplate the works of nature."
This was Anaxagoras's answer to the question, "For what end were you born?" He defined the purpose of human existence as the role of a cosmic observer. We are here to witness and understand the complexity of the universe; that is our function and our highest good.
"Wait until I have finished explaining the nature of the moon."
Legend has it this was his response when told he was condemned to death. It showcases his absolute dedication to truth over personal safety. The pursuit of knowledge was not a hobby but a compulsion that superseded the instinct for self-preservation.
"Those who have no knowledge of the things that are, are the most unhappy."
Ignorance, for Anaxagoras, was the root of misery. To live in a world one does not understand is to live in fear and confusion. Happiness, or *eudaimonia*, is achieved through the intellectual mastery of one's environment and the comprehension of the causes of things.
"Nature knows no silence."
The universe of Anaxagoras is a dynamic, moving machine. The constant separation and mixing of seeds mean that on a microscopic level, there is constant activity. It reflects a worldview where stasis is impossible, and change is the only constant state of being.
"Let them play."
When the citizens of Lampsacus asked how they should honor him after his death, he asked that the children be given a holiday from school to play. This touching request reveals the humanity behind the stern scientist. It suggests that while the study of the cosmos is serious, the joy of life and the freedom of youth are the ultimate legacy worth preserving.
The Legacy of the First Scientist
Anaxagoras stands as a monumental figure in the history of thought, representing the bridge between the mystical and the mechanical. He was the first to enthrone Mind (*Nous*) as the ruler of the universe, yet he paradoxically stripped the universe of personality, leaving us with a cosmos driven by physics rather than poetry. His influence on Athens was profound; he educated Pericles, arguably the greatest statesman of the era, and provoked Socrates into developing a philosophy of ethics to counter Anaxagoras's purely physical worldview.
Today, Anaxagoras is recognized as the grandfather of particle physics and cosmology. His intuition that matter is infinitely divisible and that the stars are suns in a vast void aligns startlingly well with modern scientific understanding. He taught humanity that to understand the heavens, we need not look for gods, but for causes. In doing so, he liberated the human mind from the fear of the supernatural, offering instead the infinite, complex, and beautiful puzzle of the natural world.
**What do you think about Anaxagoras's concept of "Mind"? Is the universe ordered by intelligence or random chance? Share your thoughts in the comments below!**
Recommended Similar Authors on Quotyzen
If you enjoyed the scientific and metaphysical depth of Anaxagoras, you will find these authors on Quotyzen.com equally fascinating:
1. Thales of Miletus: The very first philosopher who, like Anaxagoras, sought natural explanations for the world, famously declaring that "all is water." His pioneering spirit set the stage for all Ionian science.
2. Empedocles: A contemporary of Anaxagoras who proposed the four classical elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) and the forces of Love and Strife. His cosmic cycles offer a poetic counterpoint to Anaxagoras's mechanical Mind.
3. Democritus: The "Laughing Philosopher" who took Anaxagoras's divisibility theory to its limit by proposing the Atom—the uncuttable particle. Reading him provides the other half of the ancient atomic debate.