On Nature
Encyclopedia
On Nature was a philosophical
poem which details Anaximander
's theories about the evolution
of the Earth
, plant
s, animal
s and humankind. Anaximander described his theory that humans and other animals descended from fish once the world's oceans began to dry up. Also he described a theory of abiogenesis
in his book in the way that he believed that the first life forms formed from mist. We know little about his book because it has been lost or destroyed, however it still remains important today because it describes one of the world's earliest theories of evolution.
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
poem which details Anaximander
Anaximander
Anaximander was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who lived in Miletus, a city of Ionia; Milet in modern Turkey. He belonged to the Milesian school and learned the teachings of his master Thales...
's theories about the evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
of the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s, animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s and humankind. Anaximander described his theory that humans and other animals descended from fish once the world's oceans began to dry up. Also he described a theory of abiogenesis
Abiogenesis
Abiogenesis or biopoesis is the study of how biological life arises from inorganic matter through natural processes, and the method by which life on Earth arose...
in his book in the way that he believed that the first life forms formed from mist. We know little about his book because it has been lost or destroyed, however it still remains important today because it describes one of the world's earliest theories of evolution.