Arche of All Things

Steve is one of the leading philosophy professors of his time. His wisdom and intelligence shine
through the knowledge that he instills in his disciples. To his students in his evening philosophy
class, Steve put forth the idea that the arche of all things is thoughts. Here, he is an inquisitive
intellect, embarking on an arduous journey to discover if others see his philosophical viewpoint.
What brings Steve back to Miletus in 585 B.C. is the st in one man who is traditionally
considered to be the first Western philosopher Thales. Steve wants to know Thales position on
the much-debated topic of what everything is made of. Through their lengthy conversation,
Thales informs Steve that the very foundation of things is water as everything is made from
water. The dialogue begins with Steve trying to gain Thaless attention as Thales gazes upward,
staring at the sky. Steve and Thales pursue the idea of the foundation of everything and end with
the inconclusive conclusion of most Socratic dialogues.
STEVE: Ahoy, Thales! What are you up to on this fine evening?
THALES: Look here, son. Do you see the clouds in the sky, the smoke caused by fires,
and the stars illuminating the night? They are all made of one thing: water! Come here, son.
Look when I breathe. Do you see the moist particles in the air as I exhale? That is also made of
water. Everything around us is made of water. Because everything around us is made of water, it
is also made from water.
STEVE: Thales! What nonsense are you spouting about? First of all, what is made of
something is not also what is made from that same thing. Second of all, water is not the arche of
things.
THALES: Is that so? Well, then, let us observe the foundations of what your clothes are
made of and what they are made from. Is the shirt that you are wearing not made of cotton?
STEVE: Yes, my shirt is 100% cotton.
THALES: Is the shirt that you are wearing, which is made of cotton, also made from the
cotton that grows in the fields?
STEVE: Yes, I agree.

THALES: So too, if the shirt that you are wearing is made of cotton, then it is also made
from cotton. And, as you say, if water is not the arche of things, then what is? If you have the
time, please enlighten me with your argument.
STEVE: Thales. Before I state my argument, let me show you why water is not the arche
of things. Look at the blue chair you are sitting on. It may have water in it because it is slightly
moist since you have been outside for so long, but is it made from water? It is a solid piece of
material that can hold your weight. It does not change its shape easily and cannot melt at normal
temperatures. If I were to ask a toddler what this chair was made from, he would not say water
because it does not have the characteristics of water.
THALES: Steve, my boy! This blue chair can indeed carry my weight and does not show
the typical traits of water. However, does chair need to have the physical traits of something for it
to be made from that thing?
STEVE: Perhaps not.
THALES: And, if not everything needs to have the same traits with what it is made from,
then what material is the chair made of?
STEVE: Wood.
THALES: Where does that material of the chair come from?
STEVE: Trees.
THALES: So, the chair is made of wood, and this wood come from trees. Come, then, let
us examine the origins of this chair. If this chair is made of wood, then it is also made from what
makes wood. The question now lies upon what makes wood. The trees, as we both agreed upon,
produces the wood for the chair. And, the trees are, in turn, grown from the seeds that are
embedded in the ground. Furthermore, even though this chair is blue, and a tree is not blue, we
have just settled the idea that something does not need to have the same appearance as its
material -STEVE: Wait, wait, wait, Thales, my mind is running around in circles at the moment.
You keep on saying of something and from something. What is the distinction between of
and from?

THALES: The phrase of something refers to the final and most complete component,
like the wood that makes the chair. On the other hand, the phrase from something refers to the
most basic and fundamental unit of that thing, like the very essence of the wood. Steve, is this an
acceptable definition?
STEVE: Yes.
THALES: Alright, then, Steve. Back to the point. If trees are produced from seeds,
should we not assume that these trees do not need anything to become a tree?
STEVE: Certainly not. The seed needs sunlight, nutrients, and water in order to grow to
become a tree.
THALES: And, it seems appropriate to assume that the chair, which is produced of wood
that comes from trees, is, in essence, made also of water? As we have established, what is made
of something is also made from that thing.
STEVE: Yes, Thales, certainly. It is correct.
THALES: Then, my good Steve, do you still disagree that the chair is made from water?
STEVE: On that point, Thales, I did not ask you to show me that a chair, which is only
one instance, is made from water. In addition, you have not proved that everything is made from
water let alone that water is the arche of things. I take it that water is an important substance,
but can water not be broken down into smaller substance?
THALES: That would be the case if water was not the base of everything. However,
water is, unless you can propose another substance that forms the arche of things?
STEVE: I suggest that thoughts, rather than water, form the foundation of everything.
The things that we perceive in the world form a space in our minds, but the items presented to us
are not actually real. Thales, the physical world, including what you perceive as the arche of
things water is not actually the physical world but fragmentations of thoughts that have
solidified themselves in our minds. Our senses are lying to us, creating illusions, tricking us. As
human beings, although we are programmed to think, to inquire, and to question, we often miss
the most obvious answer to the question. We try to make sense of our world by assigning them
physical traits; however, these characteristics originated from our thoughts the arche of things.

In fact, the world does not actually exist because God is created from our thoughts. In order to
feel secure and stable, we forced our minds to conceptualize a Supreme Being, God, who created
a place for us to live in and to thrive. We needed a purpose for our existence, and our thoughts
quenched that thirst by deceiving us. However, returning back to your argument, Thales, the
chair, the wood, and the water are also just thoughts in our mind. Even though it seems like we
could see the chair, that we could smell its woody scent, that we could feel the dampness of it,
these sensations are all just illusions. In fact, my mind is playing tricks on me right now. I am not
actually talking to anyone. You are just a fictitious being in my mind, Thales. My thoughts make
it appear that you exist and my senses delude me.
THALES: Steve, let me ask you one question: which is older: mankind or the earth?
STEVE: Earth, of course.
THALES: So, something must have existed before humans, Steve. If Earth existed before
mankind, as you stated, and the thoughts are formed by human beings, then thoughts cannot be
the arche of things since human beings existed only after the creation of Earth. In addition, the
thoughts have to come from a source, a location. The thoughts cannot just arise without a source
for thoughts are ideas or opinions produced by thinking in the mind. And, the mind must belong
to a body else it would not be a mind. As a result, thoughts are not the arche of everything.
Water, which existed even before mankind and do not require a body, is more suitable to be the
arche of all things.
STEVE: Thales, I have more to converse with you regarding the arche of things, but I
need to go back and teach my philosophy class at Howard University. I, sadly, cannot stay longer
to discuss this matter with you, but I will return soon.
Winner of the Argument
Although it initially seemed like Steve would win the argument since Thales began the dialogue
and the destroyer of the initial argument is usually the second character, Thales won the
argument in the dialogue. Steve tried to break down the Thaless argument by stating that what is

made of something is not made from that thing and that water is not the arche. However, Thales
quickly rebutted the first part of Steves counterargument through the cotton shirt example.
Furthermore, Steve, to no avail, later tried to argue that the chair is not made from water because
it does not have the characteristics of water. Once again, Thales shot down that counterargument
by saying that the blue chair, made of wood, looks nothing like a tree, such that an item does not
need to have the characteristics of its material. Thales then clarifies for Steve the differences
between of something and from something and addresses the second part of Steves
counterargument. Thales emphasizes that water is the arche of things because the chair is made
from wood that comes from trees that developed from seeds, and these seeds need water in order
to grow. As a result, water is the arche of things. Steve then tries to present his argument, saying
that thoughts form the foundation for everything and our senses deceive us. Thales, however,
quickly demolishes this argument as he points out that humans, who form thoughts, comes after
the creation of Earth, such that thoughts cannot be the arche of everything since Earth came
before mankind. Consequently, since Thales takes control of the situation and break down the
points of Steves counterargument and arguments, Thales won the argument that water is the
arche of all things.