Peter discusses two very early Greek philosophers, both from Miletus: Anaximander and Anaximenes.
Anaximander-was slightly younger than Thales (maybe his student), made a Sundial, the principle of all things is infinite (in both time and space), ‘Things come to be and are destroyed according to necessity. For they meet out penalty and retribution for one another for injustice ordering and time’, the different substances separated out of the infinite generate and destroy each other in a type of cycle that seeks balance, a ball of fire came to exist around the mist like bark surrounding a tree round holes in the mist allow us to see this fire (stars) counter forces of hot and cold are what pay retribution to each other, may have theorized an infinite number of worlds or infinite # of cycles, he thought the earth was drying out, theorized first animals were gestated in moisture and then broke out and that humans were gestated inside of and then burst out as adults, thought of earth was squat cylinder like a drum and did not move in any direction because it was at center of cosmos.
Anaximenes- instead of infinite as nothing like Anaximander he theorizes that it is limitless air and when it gets thinner it becomes hotter and turns into fire while when it cools it condenses into wind then clouds then water then earth, he chose that infinite is air (rather than starting with either its thinnest or thickest form) in order to extenuate the dynamism and stressing the opposing forces of nature like Anaximander, he thought that the earth is formed from the condensing of around it as a disk that floats like a frisbee in this infinite air, the stars a made of fire that like leaves or a hat spin around the earth, the soul is made of air or breath, may have thought of the human body as a microcosm which was a popular idea leading through middle ages.
Both philosophers claim divine nature behind designs but with a subtle change, Anaximenes claims that the gods are also made of breath rather than gods existing apart from nature they are also ruled by it.
Source: http://www.historyofphilosophy.net/anaximander-anaximenes
Apeiron Musings 