Diogenes Laertius Greek writer Country: Greece

1. Biography of Diogenes Laertius
2. Summary of the Work
3. Evaluation of Diogenes' Work

Biography of Diogenes Laertius

Diogenes Laertius was a Greek writer who most likely lived in the 3rd century BCE. The name "Laertius" does not indicate Diogenes' origin or native city; it is believed to be a nickname or epithet. Diogenes is known as the author of "Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers," a comprehensive history of Greek philosophy in ten books. This work is the only one of its kind that has survived in its entirety and serves as a valuable source of unique information.

Summary of the Work

In the first book, Diogenes emphasizes the purely Greek origins of philosophy and recounts the stories of the first semi-legendary Greek poets. He then provides a brief overview of the further development of philosophy, followed by a narrative about Thales and the Seven Sages.

Books II to VII focus on the "Ionian" philosophers, such as Anaximander, Anaximenes, Anaxagoras, and finally Socrates, followed by other philosophers of this group. Here, we encounter the likes of Xenophon, the founder of hedonism Aristippus, the creator of the dialectical school Eucleides of Megara, a chapter dedicated to Plato (whom Diogenes dedicates a whole book to, possibly due to the woman for whom he wrote the treatise having an interest in Plato), Aristotle and the Peripatetic school, Antisthenes and his followers, the Cynics, Zeno and his Stoic school.

The eighth book is devoted to the "Italian" philosophers, primarily Pythagoras, Empedocles, the astronomer Eudoxus, and others. The ninth book provides a characterization of philosophers who stand apart, such as Heraclitus and Xenophanes, followed by accounts of Parmenides, Zeno of Elea, Democritus, Protagoras, Pyrrho, and other skeptics up to Saturninus (2nd century BCE). The tenth book is entirely dedicated to Epicurus and his school. It appears that Diogenes constructs his scheme of the development of philosophy around two key figures - Socrates and Pythagoras.

Evaluation of Diogenes' Work

Diogenes' writings contain many unclear and often artificial or doubtful elements, although the history of Greek philosophy still relies heavily on them. The book as a whole is a compilation of existing histories of philosophy, biographies, bibliographies, and more. It is based on poorly arranged excerpts, disjointed and occasionally contradictory. Diogenes refers to hundreds of sources, but he was only familiar with most of them second or even third-hand. However, contemporary researchers have yet to identify his own sources. The content of the book is quite diverse, ranging from speculative ideas of little value to competent presentations. The book also contains priceless testimonies, such as three letters from Epicurus.