Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
- Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
"Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers" ( _el. Βίοι καὶ γνῶμαι τῶν ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ εὐδοκιμησάντων) is a biography of the Greek philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius, written in Greek, perhaps in the first half of the third century AD.
It professes to give an account of the lives and sayings of the Greek philosophers. Michel de Montaigne once wrote that he wished that instead of one Laërtius there had been a dozen. [Montaigne, "Essays" II.10 [http://www.uoregon.edu/~rbear/montaigne/2x.htm "Of Books"] .]
Organization of the work
Laërtius treats his subject in two divisions which he describes as the Ionian and the Italian schools. The biographies of the former begin with Anaximander, and end with Clitomachus, Theophrastus and Chrysippus; the latter begins with Pythagoras, and ends with Epicurus. The Socratic school, with its various branches, is classed with the Ionic; while the Eleatics and sceptics are treated under the Italic. He also includes his own poetic verse, albeit pedestrian, about the philosophers he discusses.
The whole of the last book is devoted to Epicurus, and contains three letters addressed to Herodotus, Pythocles and Menoeceus. His chief authorities were Diocles of Magnesia's "Cursory Notice of Philosophers" and Favorinus's "Miscellaneous History and Memoirs". From the statements of Burlaeus (Walter Burley, a 14th-century monk) in his "De vita et moribus philosophorum" the text of Diogenes seems to have been much fuller than that which we now possess.
Notes
External links
* [http://classicpersuasion.org/pw/diogenes/ On-line version of Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers]
* [http://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/manuscripts/diogenes_laertius.htm Article]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20031229222152/http://www.southalabama.edu/philosophy/coker/PHL_240/Web_Hellenistic_Philosophy/Stoics+(Zeno,+et+al).htm Diogenes Laërtius The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers trans. C.D. Yonge (London: George Bell & Sons, 1895: Public Domain)]
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Lives of the Most Eminent Literary and Scientific Men — The Lives of the Most Eminent Literary and Scientific Men were five volumes of Dionysius Lardner’s 133 volume Cabinet Cyclopaedia (1829 ndash;46). Aimed at the self educating middle class, this encyclopedia was written during the nineteenth… … Wikipedia
Successions of Philosophers — or Philosopher s Successions is a lost book written by Alexander Polyhistor, and referenced several times in Diogenes Laërtius book Vitae philosophorum ( Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers ) … Wikipedia
Diogenes Laërtius — For other uses, see Diogenes (disambiguation). Diogenes Laertius (ancient Greek: Διογένης Λαέρτιος, Diogenes Laertios; fl. c. 3rd century AD) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Nothing is known about his life, but his surviving Lives and … Wikipedia
Thales — Infobox Philosopher color = #B0C4DE Thales image caption = Thales name = Thales of Miletos (Θαλής ο Μιλήσιος) birth = ca. 624–625 BC death = ca. 547–546 BC school tradition = Ionian Philosophy, Milesian school, Naturalism main interests = Ethics … Wikipedia
Anaximander — otheruses4|the Pre Socratic philosopherInfobox Philosopher region = Western Philosophy era = Pre Socratic philosophy color = #B0C4DE image caption = Detail of Raphael s painting The School of Athens , 1510–1511. This could be a representation of… … Wikipedia
Diogenes of Sinope — (Διογένης ὁ Σινωπεύς) Diogenes by John William Waterhouse, depicting his lamp, tub, and diet of onions Full name Diogenes of Sinope (Διογένης ὁ Σινωπεύς) Born … Wikipedia
Twelfth Letter (Plato) — The Twelfth Letter of Plato , also known as Epistle XII or Letter XII , is an epistle that tradition has ascribed to Plato, though it is almost certainly a literary forgery. Of all the Epistles , it is the only one that is followed by an explicit … Wikipedia
Democritus — Full name Democritus Born ca. 460 BC Abdera, Thrace Died ca. 370 BC (Aged 90) Era … Wikipedia
Zeno of Elea — (pronEng|ˈziːnoʊ əv ˈɛliə, Greek: Ζήνων ὁ Ἐλεάτης) (ca. 490 BC? – ca. 430 BC?) was a pre Socratic Greek philosopher of southern Italy and a member of the Eleatic School founded by Parmenides. Aristotle called him the inventor of the dialectic… … Wikipedia
Cleanthes — Full name Cleanthes Born c. 330 BC Assos Died c. 230 BC Athens Era Ancient philosophy Region Western Philosophy School … Wikipedia
