Lives of the Eminent Philosophers

by Pamela Mensch

  Callias(fifth century BC): Athenian comic poet who was active until around 430 BC. In 446 he won first place at the City Dionysia for one of his comedies. Diogenes quotes from his play Captives in the life of Socrates (see 2.18).

  Callimachus of Cyrene(fl. 279–245 BC): Greek poet and scholar who was renowned for writing the Pinakes, a list of all the texts in the Library of Alexandria, alphabetized by author. This work was probably the first library catalogue. He once said that “a big book is a big evil.”

  Carneades of Cyrene(214/13–129/28 BC): Skeptical philosopher credited with having founded the New Academy. Diogenes reports that he was often so engrossed in his studies that he neglected personal hygiene and declined social invitations. Carneades had an excitable lecture style, and was known for his boisterous voice. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 4.62–66.

  Cassius the Skeptic(dates unknown): Otherwise unknown philosopher. Diogenes reports that he was a staunch critic of Zeno (7.32).

  Cercidas of Megalópolis(fl. 225 BC): Poet, philosopher, and disciple of Diogenes the Cynic. He devised laws for his native city of Megalópolis. A papyrus containing fragments from some of his Cynic poems was discovered in 1906.

  Chamaeleon(c. 350–after 281 BC): Peripatetic writer of books on ancient poets, comedy, and morality. He is said to have written philosophical works in the style of Aristotle, including a treatise On Drunkenness.

  Chilon(sixth century BC): Spartan who was counted among the Seven Sages. He was known for his laconic character, and was elected a Spartan ephor in 556 BC. Chilon is said to have died of joy upon his son’s boxing victory at the Olympic games. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 1.68–73.

  Choerilus:Three ancient poets bear this name: a tragic poet from Athens (sixth century BC), an epic poet from Samos (late fifth century BC), and an epic poet who traveled with Alexander the Great (fourth century BC). It is unclear which one Diogenes is referencing.

  Chrysippus(c. 280–207 BC): One of the most prominent Stoic philosophers after Zeno. He succeeded Cleanthes as head of the Stoa. Chrysippus is said to have written 705 books, none of which are extant. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 7.179–202.

  Claudius Thrasyllus of Alexandria(d. AD 36): Author and astrologer whom the Roman emperor Tiberius greatly admired. His works include treatises on philosophy and music. Thrasyllus was also credited with establishing the canonic form of Plato’s corpus, organizing his written works into groups of four ostensibly related texts (known as tetralogies).

  Cleanthes of Assos(331–232 BC): Stoic philosopher and successor of Zeno as head of the Stoa. Cleanthes was deeply interested in physics and expanded his predecessors’ doctrines on the nature of the cosmos. His Hymn to Zeus survives, and some scholars note his incorporation of Heraclitean ideas into Stoic doctrines. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 7.168–76.

  Clearchus of Soli(fourth and third centuries BC): Polymath who wrote paradoxes, erotica, zoological texts, and mystical works. Clearchus was a student and follower of Aristotle.

  Cleobulus(fl. sixth century BC): Greek poet counted among the Seven Sages. According to legend, he was a descendant of Heracles and known for his strength and beauty. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 1.89–93.

  Cleomenes(dates unknown): Likely a disciple of the Cynic philosopher Crates. Diogenes uses his work On Pedagogy as a source at 6.75.

  Clitarchus(fl. c. 310 BC): Historian who wrote about the life of Alexander the Great in a work consisting of twelve books. He is said to have emphasized episodes of human suffering and slaughter in his accounts. His work survives only in fragments.

  Clitomachus(187/86–110/09 BC): Philosopher of Carthaginian birth whose original given name was Hasdrubal. He was a student of Carneades, the second‐century philosopher and founder of the New Academy. After a brief time leading his own school, Clitomachus succeeded Carneades as the head of the Academy in 127 BC. Sextus Empiricus reports that Clitomachus was notoriously long‐winded. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 4.67.

  Crates(dates unknown): According to Croton, Crates introduced Heraclitus’ work to Greece (see 9.12). Not much else is known about him. This is not Crates of Thebes, who lived in the fourth and third centuries, after Heraclitus’ reputation had already been well established.

  Crates of Thebes(c. 368/65–288/85 BC): Philosopher, poet, and follower of Diogenes the Cynic. Among the fragments of his work that survive are reformulations of Homer and Solon in a Cynic idiom. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 6.85–93.

  Cratinus(fifth century BC): Comic poet who competed in festivals with Aristophanes. His works spanned the genres of Old and Middle Comedy. Cratinus was an infamous drunkard who occasionally included comical representations of himself in his plays. Only fragments of his works remain.

  Cratinus the Younger(fourth century BC): Poet of Middle Comedy. Diogenes uses his The False Changeling (3.28), The Tarantines (8.37), and The Woman Who Followed Pythagoras (8.37) as sources. Diogenes also appeals to Cratinus’ Archilochoi as evidence that the ancient wise men were referred to as sophists (see 1.12).

  Croton(dates unknown): Otherwise unknown author of a work titled The Diver, in which he reports that a certain Crates introduced Heraclitus’ book to Greece (see 9.12).

  Daimachus the Platonist(dates unknown): Some have proposed changing “the Platonist” to “of Plataea” in order to make the Daimachus quoted in the life of Thales (1.30) the same as Daimachus the Boeotian. Otherwise, this Daimachus is unknown outside of Diogenes’ text.

  Damon of Cyrene(dates unknown): Author of a work titled On the Philosophers. Diogenes makes reference to this work in the life of Thales (1.40).

  Demetrius of Byzantium(fourth century BC): Peripatetic philosopher and supposed pupil of Crito. Not much is known about this Demetrius.

  Demetrius of Magnesia(fl. 50 BC): Author who wrote on towns and prominent figures that shared the same name, as well as a work on concord. Diogenes often references one of his works, known variously as On Poets and Writers of the Same Name and Men of the Same Name.

  Demetrius of Phalerum(b. c. 350 BC): Athenian politician, orator, and Peripatetic philosopher who studied under Theophrastus. He is the author of Lists of Archons and On Old Age. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 5.75–85.

  Demetrius of Troezen(dates unknown): Author of a work on philosophers titled Against the Sophists. The passage that Diogenes quotes is adapted from Odyssey 11.278 (see 8.74). Odysseus there describes the death of Epicaste (more commonly, Jocasta), the mother of Oedipus, who killed herself when she discovered she had married her son.

  Democritus of Abdera(b. 460/57 BC): Philosopher known for introducing an atomistic view of reality. His doctrines are often reported along with those of Leucippus. His theories were vehemently rejected by Aristotle, but developed further by Epicurus and Lucretius. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 9.34–49.

  Demodicus of Leros(fl. c. sixth century BC): Ancient poet. Diogenes quotes one of his verses, which alludes to Bias’s renowned ability to plead a case (1.84).

  Diagoras of Melos(fl. late fifth century BC): Lyric poet and infamous atheist. While extant fragments of his work do not express his atheist views, Sextus Empiricus attests that the deathblow to Diagoras’s faith was an episode in which the gods failed to punish a man who went back on an oath. Diagoras was condemned to death for his impiety but fled before the sentence could be carried out. It has been suggested that he might have authored the Dervéni papyrus discovered in 1962.

  Dicaearchus of Messana(fl. c. 320–300 BC): Polymath who wrote about culture, geography, philosophy, and literary history. He was a contemporary of Theophrastus and a student of Aristotle. His philosophical works include a treatise on how humans cause more harm to themselves than do natural disasters.

  Didymus(first century BC): Alexandrian grammarian and scholar, who supposedly wrote thirty‐five hundred to four thousand works. His nickname was Bibliolathas (the Book‐Forgetting), which he earned because
he was so prolific that he often forgot what he had written in earlier books and would occasionally contradict himself.

  Dieuchidas of Megara(fourth century BC): Author who wrote a history of his native city. Diogenes cites his Megarian History in the life of Solon (1.57).

  Dinarchus(c. 360–c. 290 BC): Student of Theophrastus and the last of the so‐called Ten Orators. He made his living in Athens as a speechwriter for prominent Athenians. While his famous speech against Xenophon is not extant, his prosecutions of Demosthenes, Philocles, and Aristogeiton are.

  Dinon of Colophon(fourth century BC): Greek historian who wrote a history of Persia and was the father of Clitarchus. Diogenes cites him in the life of Protagoras (9.50).

  Diocles of Magnesia(b. c. 75 BC): Author of Compendium of the Philosophers and Lives of the Philosophers. In his early philological studies of Diogenes Laertius, Friedrich Nietzsche claimed that Diogenes’ Lives was merely an epitome of Diocles’ original Compendium.

  Diodorus(dates unknown): Author of Reminiscences that Diogenes cites in the life of Speusippus (see 4.2). There were a number of ancient authors named Diodorus who might have written this work; it is unclear to which of them Diogenes is referring.

  Diodorus of Ephesus(dates unknown): Author who wrote about Anaximander and Empedocles. This Diodorus is unknown apart from Diogenes’ mention of him (see 8.70).

  Diodotus(dates unknown): Presumably, the Diodotus that Diogenes quotes in the life of Heraclitus (9.12) is the grammarian and commentator who claimed that the latter’s work was not about physics but about politics (see 9.15).

  Diogenes of Apollonia(fl. 425 BC): Generally considered to be the last of the Pre‐Socratic philosophers. He is known for his claim that air is the source of all being, and his ideas may bear the influence of Anaxagoras. Aristophanes parodies Diogenes in his Clouds. Some scholars believe that Diogenes Laertius (or his source) confused Diogenes of Apollonia with Diogenes of Smyrna. Diogenes discusses the life and views of Diogenes of Apollonia at 9.57–59.

  Diogenes of Babylon(c. 240–152 BC): Pupil of Chrysippus and successor of Zeno of Tarsus as head of the Stoa. In 156 BC he traveled to Rome, where he helped to stimulate interest in Stoicism. Diogenes Laertius refers to him when he distinguishes Diogenes the Cynic (Diogenes of Sinope) from other philosophers with the same name (see 6.81).

  Diogenes of Ptolemais(dates unknown): Otherwise unknown Stoic philosopher. Diogenes Laertius reports that he thought philosophical education should begin with ethics (see 7.41).

  Diogenes of Tarsus(dates unknown): Epicurean philosopher who wrote Epitome of Epicurus’ Ethical Doctrines. Little is known about this Diogenes.

  Dionysius(c. 328–248 BC): Student of Zeno the Stoic. He is referred to as Dionysius the Turncoat and Dionysius of Heraclea in Diogenes’ text. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 7.166–67.

  Dionysius of Chalcedon(fl. 320 BC): Philosopher of the Megarian school. He was the first to call its followers Dialecticians, thereby earning the epithet for himself.

  Dionysius of Halicarnassus(c. 60–after 7 BC): Greek historian and rhetorician. It is thought that this Dionysius is the author of Critical Writings (1.38). He is known for his love of Rome, where he lived and taught for much of his adult life. Among his more well‐known works is a chronicle of Roman culture and history titled Roman Antiquities, much of which has survived.

  Dionysodorus(dates unknown): Otherwise unknown. Diogenes appeals to him as an authority in the life of Socrates (2.42).

  Dioscurides(dates unknown): Author whose Memoirs survive only in fragments, which present brief notes about various eminent Athenians at least up to the time of Plato.

  Diotimus the Stoic(fourth and third century BC): Reputed enemy of Epicurus (see 10.3). In an attempt to stain Epicurus’ reputation, Diotimus cited fifty letters of an unsavory nature allegedly written by the tranquil philosopher.

  Duris(c. 340–c. 260 BC): Historian, student of Theophrastus, and tyrant of Samos. He was a sensationalist who sought to excite the emotions of his readers.

  Eleusis(dates unknown): Author of a work titled On Achilles (see 1.29). Eleusis was also the name of a town in Attica, known for its celebration of the mysteries of Demeter and Persephone.

  Empedocles of Agrigentum(c. 492–c. 432 BC): Pre‐Socratic philosopher influenced by Pythagoreanism. He posits six principles: the four material elements (earth, fire, air, and water) and two cosmic forces, Love and Strife. According to legend, Empedocles died by casting himself down into the volcanic belly of Mt. Etna. His death was later the subject of an unfinished drama by the German romantic poet Friedrich Hölderlin. The English poet Matthew Arnold also wrote a dramatic poem called “Empedocles on Etna.” Diogenes discusses Empedocles’ life and views at 8.51–77.

  Ephorus of Cyme(c. 405–330 BC): Student of Isocrates and author of a work on universal history.

  Epicharmus(fl. early fifth century BC): Sicilian comic poet. He is mentioned in Plato’s Gorgias and Theaetetus. By the early fourth century BC, a number of philosophical works attributed to Epicharmus were regarded as forgeries. Diogenes reports that Alcimus accused Plato of stealing a number of his ideas from Epicharmus (3.9).

  Epictetus(mid‐first to second century AD): Stoic philosopher who was a slave of Epaphroditus in Rome. His writings had a major influence on the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, and he remains one of our principal sources for Stoic thought. Diogenes reports that Epictetus found Epicurus’ writings most distasteful (see 10.6). Despite Epictetus’ being a major Stoic figure, Diogenes did not produce a life of him.

  Epicurus of Samos(341–270 BC): One of the most influential philosophers of antiquity. He opened his school in Athens on purchased land that became known as the Garden, and for that reason he became known as the Philosopher of the Garden. Epicurus espoused an empiricist theory of knowledge and an atomistic account of nature. He placed friendship above all other relationships and is best known for claiming that pleasure is the beginning and end of the happy life. Diogenes discusses his life and views in Book 10.

  Epimenides of Crete(sixth century BC): Religious teacher who accumulated many stories to his name, such as his sleeping for fifty‐seven years and living to be nearly three hundred years old. In Plato’s Laws (642d), it is stated that Epimenides visited Athens ten years before the Greco‐Persian wars, and there he performed religious rites and made prognostications. Diogenes discusses his life and views at 1.109–15.

  Eratosthenes of Cyrene(c. 285–194 BC): Greek mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and literary critic who succeeded Apollonius of Rhodes as head of the Library of Alexandria. Before becoming royal tutor and head of the Library, Eratosthenes studied with Arcesilaus and Ariston in Athens. He calculated the circumference of the earth to a high degree of accuracy. He also created the first classical map of the known world, which later served as the paradigm for the mappae mundi of the Middle Ages.

  Euanthes of Miletus(dates unknown): Otherwise unknown. Diogenes reports that Euanthes discussed the wisdom of Thales (1.29).

  Eubulides of Miletus(fl. fourth century BC): Philosopher and dialectician of the Megarian school who taught in Athens. He is reputed to have taught Demosthenes and was well‐known for identifying logical paradoxes. Aristotle discussed the philosophy of the Megarians in Book 9 of his Metaphysics, and Eubulides wrote a satire of Aristotle.

  Eubulus:There was a renowned Athenian statesman of this name, as well as an Athenian writer of comedies, but it is not known to which, if either, Diogenes is referring when he cites The Sale of Diogenes by Eubulus (6.30).

  Eudemus of Rhodes(second half of the fourth century BC): Friend and student of Aristotle who compiled histories of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and theology. Eudemus is thought to have been Theophrastus’ rival as potential head of the Lyceum after Aristotle.

  Eudoxus of Cnidus(c. 390–c. 340 BC): Gifted mathematician whose contributions include the theory of proportions as outlined in Book 5 of Euclid’s Elements. He traveled to Athens to join Socr
ates’ circle and later became an associate of Plato and the Academics. Eudoxus also wrote detailed descriptions of the risings and settings of constellations, as well as books on geography.

  Eudoxus of Cyzicus(second century BC): Mariner and navigator who was determined to find the route to India. He was convinced that he could sail around Africa and that this path would lead him to his desired destination. After numerous famed voyages, Eudoxus sailed down the coast of West Africa, never to be seen again.

  Eudromus(dates unknown): Stoic philosopher of whom little is known. He is the author of Elements of Ethics, which Diogenes references in the life of Zeno (see 7.39–40).

  Eumelus(dates unknown): Unknown apart from Diogenes’ reference to him in the life of Aristotle (5.6). Given that Diogenes cites him as a source reporting the life (and death) of Aristotle, this Eumelus cannot be the Corinthian poet of the same name who lived centuries before the Stagirite.

  Euphantus(fourth century BC): Scholar, Megarian philosopher, and native of the city of Olynthus. He wrote histories and a number of tragedies. His works include On Kingship, a treatise that he dedicated to his pupil King Antigonus II.

  Euphorion of Chalcis(b. 275 BC): Poet, historian, and grammarian who studied philosophy in Athens. Later in his life he was invited to the court of Antiochus III, the king of Persia, and became head of the royal library at Antioch. Euphorion devotes a number of his poems to wishing ill to his detractors and those perceived to have committed wrongs against him.

  Eupolis(fifth century BC): One of the most renowned poets of Old Comedy. His works survive only in fragments; among the titles of his plays that have been handed down to us are Flatterers and Cities.

  Euripides(c. 480–c. 406 BC): The youngest of the three great tragedians of classical Athens. Ten out of some ninety of his plays have survived, many of which are still performed today. He was known as a stylistic innovator in his own time, often emphasizing the inner conflicts of his characters and incorporating new philosophical ideas into his plays. Euripides was apparently not as successful as the other tragedians while alive, but his plays soon became among the most influential after his death.