Editing Anaximander (section)

=== Meteorological phenomena ===

Anaximander attributed some phenomena, such as thunder and lightning, to the intervention of elements, rather than to divine causes.<ref>Pseudo-Plutarch (III, 3):

: "Anaximander claims that all this is done by the wind, for when it happens to be enclosed in a thick cloud, then by its subtlety and lightness, the rupture produces the sound; and the scattering, because of the darkness of the cloud, creates the light."</ref> In his system, thunder results from the shock of clouds hitting each other; the loudness of the sound is proportionate with that of the shock. Thunder without lightning is the result of the wind being too weak to emit any flame, but strong enough to produce a sound. A flash of lightning without thunder is a jolt of the air that disperses and falls, allowing a less active fire to break free. Thunderbolts are the result of a thicker and more violent air flow.<ref>According to [[Seneca the Younger|Seneca]], ''Naturales quaestiones'' (II, 18).</ref>

He saw the sea as a remnant of the mass of humidity that once surrounded Earth.<ref>Pseudo-Plutarch (III, 16)</ref> A part of that mass evaporated under the Sun's action, thus causing the winds and even the rotation of the celestial bodies, which he believed were attracted to places where water is more abundant.<ref>It is then very likely that by observing the Moon and the tides, Anaximander thought the latter were the cause, and not the effect of the satellite's movement.</ref> He explained rain as a product of the humidity pumped up from Earth by the sun.<ref name="Refutation" /> For him, the Earth was slowly drying up and water only remained in the deepest regions, which someday would go dry as well. According to Aristotle's ''[[Meteorology (Aristotle)|Meteorology]]'' (II, 3), Democritus also shared this opinion.