Since atheism was considered a capital offense by the Greeks, Greek thinkers beginning with Thales of Miletus, who lived circa 585 BCE, carefully avoided any outright rejection of religious belief.

由于无神论被希腊人视为死罪，从生活在公元前 585 年左右的米利都的泰勒斯开始，希腊思想家小心翼翼地避免任何直接拒绝宗教信仰的行为。