Clitomachus (philosopher) facts for kids

Clitomachus (also spelled Cleitomachus) was an important Greek philosopher. He was born in Carthage, a city in North Africa, around 187 or 186 BC. When he was about 24 years old, he moved to Athens, Greece, in 163 BC.

In Athens, Clitomachus studied philosophy with a famous teacher named Carneades. He learned a lot from Carneades and became a very skilled philosopher himself. Later, around 127 BC, Clitomachus became the leader of the Academy. This was a famous school of philosophy in Athens. Clitomachus followed his teacher's ideas, which were part of a way of thinking called Academic skepticism. He wrote many books, but sadly, none of them have survived to today. However, a famous Roman writer named Cicero used Clitomachus's writings for some of his own books.

Clitomachus's Life Story

Clitomachus was born in Carthage with the name Hasdrubal. This name meant "Help of Baal" in his native language. When he arrived in Athens in 163 BC, he was still a young man. He quickly became a student of Carneades, who was the founder of the New Academy.

Clitomachus became one of Carneades's best students. He also studied other types of philosophy, like those taught by the Stoics and Peripatetics. After Carneades passed away, Clitomachus became the head of the Academy in 127 BC. He continued to teach in Athens until at least 111 BC. Clitomachus died around 110 or 109 BC. After his death, another philosopher named Philo of Larissa took over as the leader of the Academy.

Clitomachus's Writings

Clitomachus wrote a lot of books, about 400 in total! His main goal was to share the ideas of his teacher, Carneades. Clitomachus always agreed with Carneades's views.

Even though he lived in Athens for most of his life, Clitomachus always cared deeply for his home city of Carthage. When Carthage was destroyed in a war in 146 BC, he wrote a special book. This book was meant to comfort his fellow Carthaginians. It showed how philosophy could help people feel better, even during very sad times. The Roman writer Cicero read this book and thought it was very good. Cicero used Clitomachus's ideas in some of his own famous works, like De Natura Deorum and De Divinatione.

Clitomachus also wrote a book called On the Schools of Thought. This book probably talked about the history of different philosophical groups. Some of his books were even dedicated to important Romans, like the poet Gaius Lucilius. This shows that his work was known and liked in Rome.

See also

In Spanish: Clitómaco para niños