Editing Anaximenes of Miletus (section)

=== Milesian context ===
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Anaximenes's views have been interpreted as reconciling those of his two predecessors, Thales and Anaximander. Air as the ''arche'' is a limitless concept, which resembled Anaximander's theory that the ''arche'' was the abstract infinite that he called ''[[apeiron]]'' ({{Langx|grc|[[wikt:ἄπειρος|ἄπειρον]]|links=no}}, lit. 'unlimited, 'boundless'). At the same time, air as the ''arche'' was a defined substance, which resembled the theory of Thales that the ''arche'' was water.<ref name=":0">{{Harvnb|Algra|1999|p=57}}</ref> Anaximenes adopted a similar design of a flat Earth as Thales. Both proposed that the Earth was flat and that it rested on the substance they believed made up all things; Thales described a disc on water, while Anaximenes described a disc on air.{{Sfn|Algra|1999|p=55}}{{Sfn|Dye|2014|pp=74–75}} His cosmology also did not diverge significantly from the ideas of Anaximander, only changing it so that it reflected his variety of monism.{{Sfn|Dye|2014|pp=74–75}}{{Sfn|Eisman|2007|p=76}}

Anaximenes's philosophy was founded upon that of Anaximander,{{Sfn|Dye|2014|pp=74–75}} but tradition holds that he was also critical of his instructor in some areas.{{Sfn|Sandywell|1995|p=172}} Anaximenes also maintained that there must be an empirical explanation for why substances change from one form to another.{{Sfn|Vamvacas|2009|p=45}}

Anaximenes and Anaximander were similar in that they are not known to have justified why or how changes in physical things take place the way that they do.{{Sfn|Graham|2006|pp=45–46}}{{Sfn|Algra|1999|p=58}} Anaximander instead invoked metaphors of justice and retribution to describe change, and he made direct appeals to deities and the divine in support of his beliefs. Anaximenes deviated from Anaximander in both of these ideas.{{Sfn|Sandywell|1995|pp=172–174, 179}}