Everyone wants to live a meaningful life. Long before our own day of self-help books offering twelve-step programs and other guides to attain happiness, the philosophers of ancient Greece explored the riddle of what makes a life worth living, producing a wide variety of ideas and examples to follow. This rich tradition was recast by Diogenes Laertius into an anthology, a miscellany of maxims and anecdotes, that generations of Western readers have consulted for edification as well as entertainment ever since the Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, first compiled in the third century AD, came to prominence in Renaissance Italy. To this day, it remains a crucial source for much of what we know about the origins and practice of philosophy in ancient Greece, covering a longer period of time and a larger number of figures-from Pythagoras and Socrates to Aristotle and Epicurus-than any other ancient source. This new edition of the Lives, in a faithful and eminently readable translation by Pamela Mensch, is the first rendering of the complete text into English in nearly a century. Lavishly illustrated with a vast array of artwork that attests to the profound impact of Diogenes on the Western imagination, this edition also includes detailed notes and a variety of newly commissioned essays by leading scholars that shed light on the work's historical and intellectual contexts as well as its rich legacy. The result is a capacious, fascinating, and charming compendium of ancient inspiration and instruction.
Diogenes Laertius’ compendium on the lives and doctrines of Greek and Italian philosophers ranges over three centuries, from Thales to Epicurus, carefully compiled from hundreds of sources and enriched with numerous quotations. This comprehensive eBook presents Diogenes’ complete extant works, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Diogenes’ life and works * Features the complete extant works of Diogenes, in both English translation and the original Greek * Concise introductions to the poetry and other works * Includes Hicks’ celebrated translation, previously appearing in the Loeb Classical Library edition * Excellent formatting of the texts * Easily locate the sections you want to read with individual contents tables * Provides a special dual English and Greek text, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph – ideal for students * Features a bonus Testimonia section – discover Diogenes’ ancient world * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Translation LIVES OF THE EMINENT PHILOSOPHERS The Greek Text CONTENTS OF THE GREEK TEXT The Dual Text DUAL GREEK AND ENGLISH TEXT The Testimonia TESTIMONIA Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles
Everyone wants to live a meaningful life. Long before our own day of self-help books offering twelve-step programs and other guides to attain happiness, the philosophers of ancient Greece explored the riddle of what makes a life worth living, producing a wide variety of ideas and examples to follow. This rich tradition was recast by Diogenes Laertius into an anthology, a miscellany of maxims and anecdotes, that generations of Western readers have consulted for edification as well as entertainment ever since the Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, first compiled in the third century AD, came to prominence in Renaissance Italy. To this day, it remains a crucial source for much of what we know about the origins and practice of philosophy in ancient Greece, covering a longer period of time and a larger number of figures-from Pythagoras and Socrates to Aristotle and Epicurus-than any other ancient source.
These brief biographies of more than eighty philosophers of ancient Greece were assembled by Diogenes Laërtius in the early third century. He based these on a variety of sources that have since been lost. Because of this, his biographies have become an invaluable source of information on the development of ancient Greek philosophy, and on ancient Greek culture in general. Most of what we know about the lives and otherwise lost doctrines of Zeno the Stoic and Diogenes the Cynic, for example, come from what Diogenes Laërtius preserved in this book. Mourning what else we have lost, Montaigne wrote: “I am very sorry we have not a dozen Laërtii.” Steamy romance, barbed humor, wicked cattiness, tender acts of humanity, jealous feuds, terrible puns, sophistical paradoxes, deathbed deceptions, forgery, and political intrigue ... while the philosophers of ancient Greece were developing their remarkable and penetrating philosophies, they were also leading strange and varied lives—at times living out their principles in practice, at other times seeming to defy all principle. Diogenes Laërtius collected as much biographical information as he could find about these ancient sages, and tried to sift through the sometimes contradictory accounts to find the true story. He shares with us anecdotes and witty remarks and biographical details that reveal the people behind the philosophies, and frequently adds a brief poem of his own construction that comments sardonically on how each philosopher died.
The Stoics provides fascinating insight into the private lives of the Greek Stoics, giving a voice to those early trailblazers whose influential works have long since been lost: Zeno of Citium Ariston of Chios Herillus of Carthage Dionysius the Renegade Cleanthes of Assos Sphaerus of Bosphorus Chrysippus of Soli
Translated by Robert Drew Hicks. A marvelous treatise which summarizes the lives, works and basic teachings of every famous ancient Greek philosopher. Written by a third century AD scholar, this is the full, unexpurgated version of a classic work will introduce the reader to the names, thoughts, and ideas of the people who created the very concept of higher Western philosophical thinking. Learn about Thales, Solon, Bias, Anacharsis, Anaximander, Socrates, Xenophon, Euclides, Glaucon, Plato, Crates, Aristotle, Zeno, Pythagoras, Epicharmus, Eudoxus, Xenophanes, Democritus, Protagoras, Epicurus, and many more-82 philosophers in total. All this has been presented in an easy-to read format which has stood the test of time. It is one of the most widely-referenced classical works highlighting one of the greatest early periods of European civilization. Completely reformatted and beautifully presented. Cover image: Periander, one of the Seven Sages of Greece, seventh century B.C. VOLUME I contains Books 1 to 5. VOLUME II contains Books 6 to 10.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.