The Cosmos and Logos
The Ionian thinkers insisted that the workings of the universe could be explained
because the phenomena of nature were neither random nor arbitrary. The universe, the
totality of things, they named
cosmos
1 because this word meant an orderly
arrangement that is beautiful (hence our word “cosmetic”). The order
characteristic of the cosmos, perceived as lovely
because it was ordered, encompassed not only the motions of the heavenly bodies but also
everything else: the weather, the growth of plants and animals, human health and
psychology, and so on. Since the universe was ordered, it was intelligible; since it was
intelligible, explanations of events could be discovered by thought and research. The
thinkers who conceived this view believed it necessary to give reasons for their
conclusions and to persuade others by arguments based on evidence. They believed, in
other words, in logic (a word derived from the Greek term
logos
2 meaning, among other things, a reasoned explanation). This way
of thought based on reason represented a crucial first step toward science and
philosophy as these disciplines endure today. The rule-based view of the causes of
events and physical phenomena developed by these thinkers contrasted sharply with the
traditional mythological view of causation. Naturally, many people had difficulty
accepting such a startling change in their understanding of the world, and the older
tradition explaining events as the work of gods lived on alongside the new ideas.
The ideas of the Ionian thinkers probably spread slowly because no means of mass
communication existed, and few men could afford to spend the time to become followers of
these thinkers and then return home to explain these new ways of thought to others.
Magic3 remained an
important preoccupation in the lives of the majority of ordinary people, who retained
their notions that gods and demons frequently and directly affected their fortunes and
health as well as the events of nature. Despite their perhaps limited immediate effect
on the ancient world at large, the Ionian thinkers had initiated a tremendously
important development in intellectual history: the separation of scientific thinking
from myth and religion. Some modern scholars call this development the birth of
rationalism, but it would be unfair to label myths and religious ways of thought as
irrational if that term is taken to mean “unthinking” or
“silly.” Ancient people realized that their lives were constantly
subject to forces beyond their control and understanding, and it was not unreasonable to
attribute supernatural origins to the powers of nature or the ravages of disease. The
new scientific ways of thought insisted, however, that observable evidence had to be
sought and theories of explanation had to be logical. Just being old or popular no
longer bestowed veracity on a story purporting to explain natural phenomena. In this
way, the Ionian thinkers parted company with the traditional ways of thinking of the
ancient Near East as found in its rich mythology and repeated in the myths of early
Greece.
