Diogenes Laertius facts for kids

Diogenes Laërtius was a writer from Ancient Greece who wrote about the lives and ideas of many famous philosophers. We don't know much about his own life, but his book, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, is a very important source for learning about early Greek philosophy.

Some experts disagree about how good his work is. He sometimes repeated information without checking it carefully. He also often focused on small, unimportant details about philosophers' lives instead of their main ideas. However, Diogenes Laërtius usually shared philosophical teachings without changing them. This means his accounts are often very close to the original writings. Because many original writings from that time are now lost, his book has become the main way we learn about the history of Greek philosophy.

Who Was Diogenes Laërtius?

Diogenes Laërtius lived after a writer named Sextus Empiricus (around 200 AD) and before other writers who quoted him (around 500 AD). He didn't mention a later style of philosophy called Neoplatonism. Because of this, people believe he lived in the early 200s AD, during the time of Emperor Alexander Severus.

The exact way his name is written can be confusing. Old writings often say "Laertius Diogenes." The name "Laertius" might mean he came from a town called Laerte, or it could be a nickname. Many people in ancient times were named Diogenes, so "Laertius" helped tell him apart.

We don't know for sure where he was from. Some think he might have been from Nicaea. It's also been suggested that he followed the ideas of Epicurus or the Pyrrhonists. He strongly supported Epicurus in one part of his book. He also seemed fair to all schools of thought, like the Pyrrhonists. But it's also possible he just copied from his sources without picking a side. He seemed more interested in people's life stories.

Besides his famous Lives book, Diogenes also wrote another work in poetry about famous people. He called it Epigrammata.

His Famous Book: Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers

Diogenes Laërtius is best known for his book, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers. It was written in Greek and tells the stories and ideas of Greek philosophers.

Even though his book isn't always perfect and sometimes just collects information without deep analysis, it's very valuable. It gives us a look into the lives of these ancient thinkers. One famous writer, Michel de Montaigne, even wished there were a dozen writers like Laërtius!

However, modern experts say we should be careful when reading his book, especially when he doesn't say where his information came from. His book became super important because many other older writings about Greek philosophy were lost.

How the Book is Organized

Diogenes divided the philosophers into two main "schools": the Ionian and the Italian. This division isn't always clear, but it was likely based on an older lost book.

The "Ionian school" section starts with Anaximander and includes famous names like Socrates and Plato. The "Italian school" begins with Pythagoras and ends with Epicurus. He also included his own poems about the philosophers he wrote about.

The book also mentions many other philosophers. Book 7 is not complete, and Book 10 is entirely about Epicurus. It even includes three long letters written by Epicurus himself, explaining his ideas.

Diogenes used many different sources for his book, including writings by Favorinus and Diocles of Magnesia.

Oldest Copies of the Book

Many copies of Lives still exist today, but none are extremely old. They all come from one original copy, which is missing the end of Book 7. The three most important copies are from the 1100s and 1200s.

There were also some early Latin translations of the book, but they are now lost. The first printed versions of the book were in Latin in the 1400s. The first full Greek version was printed in 1533. Today, there are many modern editions and English translations available.

Legacy and Importance

Diogenes Laërtius's book has had a mixed reaction over time. While some, like the French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, loved it for its insights into the lives of Greek thinkers, others have been more critical.

For example, the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said Diogenes Laërtius wasn't a great philosopher himself. He saw the book as just a collection of other writers' ideas. Still, Hegel admitted the book was important because of the information it contained.

More recently, experts have started to see Diogenes Laërtius's work in a new light. They understand that he was writing in a specific style common in his time.

However, modern scholars still advise caution when using his book, especially when he doesn't say where his information came from. One expert, Herbert S. Long, noted that Diogenes's book became important mostly because many other original sources were lost.

Another scholar, Robert M. Strozier, has a slightly more positive view. He points out that many other ancient writers would change or add to the philosophical ideas they described. Diogenes Laërtius rarely did this. Strozier believes that Diogenes Laërtius is reliable because he was less likely to change the original texts, especially those of Epicurus. He just simplified things.

Despite his importance, some experts believe Diogenes Laërtius's work still hasn't been studied enough. His book is often criticized for focusing too much on small details of philosophers' lives and not enough on their deep philosophical ideas. However, some old records suggest that the original text of Diogenes's book might have been much longer than what we have today.

How Reliable is His Work?

Even though Diogenes tried to be fair and check facts, his work is often seen as not completely reliable from a historical point of view. He isn't always consistent, and some details he mentions have clear mistakes. Some errors might have been made by people copying the book over time, but Diogenes himself probably made some mistakes too. He even used funny poems as sources, which might not be the most accurate.

Experts suggest that readers should use modern scholarly help when reading Diogenes's biographies, as they can be "notoriously unreliable." Some scholars also say that his unreliability isn't entirely his fault, but rather the fault of the sources he used.

Images for kids

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  17th-century engraving of Diogenes Laërtius.

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  A 13th-century manuscript from Dionysiou Monastery, showing parts of Diogenes Laërtius's work.

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  The title page of a 1594 edition of Diogenes Laërtius's book, in Greek and Latin.

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  An Italian edition of the book from 1611.

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  Leon Battista Alberti, a famous Italian Renaissance scholar, used Diogenes Laërtius's Life of Thales as a model for his own autobiography.

See also

In Spanish: Diógenes Laercio para niños