Diogenes of Apollonia Quotes
Diogenes of Apollonia was a Greek pre-Socratic natural philosopher of the late fifth century BC and the last great representative of the early Ionian tradition of inquiry into the principles of nature. Working in Athens during the high classical period, he revived and refined the thesis of his Milesian predecessor Anaximenes that air is the principle of all things, arguing that this single underlying substance, when differentiated by greater and lesser thickness, produces every visible body, and that the intelligence ordering the cosmos is itself a modulation of air. The quotes below are attributed to Diogenes of Apollonia, organized by topic.
Diogenes of Apollonia on Mind
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Attributed to Diogenes of Apollonia:
“Thought and life are themselves modulations of air.”
Diogenes of Apollonia on Nature
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Attributed to Diogenes of Apollonia:
“Air is the principle of all things.”
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Attributed to Diogenes of Apollonia:
“The same air that we breathe is the soul of the world.”
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Attributed to Diogenes of Apollonia:
“Without intelligence in nature, the world could not be ordered as it is.”
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Attributed to Diogenes of Apollonia:
“All living things share a common breath.”