Anaximenes, Testimonia, Part 2: Doctrine (D)

LCL 525: 338-339

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EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHY II

ANAXIMENES [13 DK]

D Three Summaries Deriving Ultimately from Theophrastus (D1–D3)

D1 (< A5) Simpl. In Phys., p. 24.26–25.1 (= Theophr. Frag. 226A FHS&G)

Ἀναξιμένης δὲ [. . .] μίαν μὲν καὶ αὐτὸς1 τὴν ὑποκειμένην φύσιν καὶ ἄπειρόν φησιν ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος,2 οὐκ ἀόριστον δὲ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνος, ἀλλὰ3 ὡρισμένην, ἀέρα λέγων αὐτήν· διαφέρειν δὲ μανότητι καὶ πυκνότητι κατὰ τὰς οὐσίας, καὶ ἀραιούμενον4 μὲν πῦρ γίνεσθαι, πυκνούμενον δὲ ἄνεμον, εἶτα νέφος, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον ὕδωρ, εἶτα γῆν, εἶτα λίθους, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα ἐκ τούτων· κίνησιν δὲ καὶ οὗτος ἀίδιον ποιεῖ, δι᾽ ἣν καὶ τὴν μεταβολὴν γίνεσθαι.

D2 (A6) Ps.-Plut. Strom. 3 (= Eus. PE 1.8.3)

Ἀναξιμένην δέ φασι τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἀρχὴν τὸν ἀέρα

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ANAXIMENES

ANAXIMENES

D Three Summaries Deriving Ultimately from Theophrastus (D1–D3)

D1 (< A5) Simplicius, Commentary on Aristotle’s Physics

Anaximenes [. . .] says too, as he [i.e. Anaximander] does, that the underlying nature is [scil. only] one and unlimited, but not that it is indeterminate, as he [i.e. Anaximander] does, but rather that it is determinate, for he says that it is air. It differs by its rarefaction or density according to the substances: rarefied, it becomes fire; condensed, wind, then cloud; even more, water, then earth, then stones; and everything else comes from these last. As for motion, he too considers it to be eternal; and it is because of it that change too comes about.

D2 (A6) Ps.-Plutarch, Stromata

They say that Anaximenes affirms that the principle of all things is air and that this is unlimited in kind but limited

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DOI: 10.4159/DLCL.anaximenes-doctrine.2016