Arete of Cyrene facts for kids

Marble head of a woman, possibly Arete. Roman copy of a 4th century BC original.

Arete of Cyrene (Greek: Ἀρήτη; fl. 5th–4th century BC) was a smart woman who lived a long time ago in a place called Cyrene, Libya. She was a Cyrenaic philosopher, which means she loved to think deeply about life and knowledge. Arete was the daughter of another famous philosopher, Aristippus of Cyrene.

Life and Teachings

Arete learned all about philosophy from her dad, Aristippus of Cyrene. He had learned from the very famous Greek philosopher, Socrates. Arete then passed her knowledge on to her own son, Aristippus the Younger. Because his mom taught him so well, her son was even nicknamed "Mother-taught" (Greek: μητροδίδακτος).

After her father passed away, Arete is believed to have taken charge of the School of Cyrene. Many ancient writers mentioned her, like Diogenes Laërtius and Strabo. She also taught many students, including Theodorus the Atheist.

Even though we don't have her exact writings, we know what the Cyrene School believed. They thought that pleasure and pain were very important in life. They taught that being disciplined, gaining knowledge, and doing good things were more likely to bring happiness and pleasure. On the other hand, feelings like anger and fear would only bring more pain. This way of thinking was one of the first ideas about hedonism, which is the idea that pleasure is the most important goal in life. But for the Cyrenaics, this pleasure came from living a thoughtful and virtuous life.

Historic Mentions

Some old, fictional letters from the 1st century mention Arete. One of these letters was supposedly written by her father, Aristippus, to her.

A scholar named John Augustine Zahm (who wrote under the name Mozans) said that a 14th-century writer, Giovanni Boccaccio, had read some early Greek books. These books allowed Boccaccio to praise Arete greatly for how much she knew and achieved.

It was said that Arete taught natural and moral philosophy in schools in Attica for 35 years. She was also believed to have written 40 books and taught 110 philosophers! People in her country thought so highly of her that they wrote a special message on her tomb. This message said she was the "splendor of Greece" and had the beauty of Helen, the goodness of Penelope, the writing skill of Aristippus, the mind of Socrates, and the speaking ability of Homer.

Death

Arete lived to be 77 years old. When she died, the message on her tomb also said that she was the first woman to create a philosophical work.

See also

In Spanish: Areta de Cirene para niños