Diogenes of Apollonia

Diogenes of Apollonia (dīoj'unēz ăpulō'nēu) [key], 5th cent. B.C., Greek philosopher. An eclectic, he reverted to the Milesian tradition of a century earlier in seeking to explain the constitution of all matter in terms of a single basic stuff. He believed, with Anaximenes, that this substance was air and, with Anaxagoras, that a principle of intelligence, or Nous, was responsible for governing and diffusing air. Some of Diogenes' extensive work in physiology was preserved by Aristotle.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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