Peripatetic school
The Peripatetic school was a philosophical school founded in 335 BC by
History
The term peripatetic is a transliteration of the ancient Greek word περιπατητικός (peripatētikós), which means "of walking" or "given to walking about".
Unlike
Originally at least, the Peripatetic gatherings were probably conducted less formally than the term "school" suggests: there was likely no set curriculum or requirements for students or even fees for membership.
Sometime shortly after the death of Alexander the Great in June 323 BC, Aristotle left Athens to avoid persecution by anti-Macedonian factions in Athens, due to his ties to Macedonia.[14] After Aristotle's death in 322 BC, his colleague Theophrastus succeeded him as head of the school. The most prominent member of the school after Theophrastus was Strato of Lampsacus, who increased the naturalistic elements of Aristotle's philosophy and embraced a form of atheism. After the time of Strato, the Peripatetic school fell into a decline. Lyco was famous more for his oratory than his philosophical skills, and Aristo for his biographical studies.[15] Although Critolaus was more philosophically active, none of the Peripatetic philosophers in this period seem to have contributed anything original to philosophy.[16] The reasons for the decline of the Peripatetic school are unclear. Stoicism and Epicureanism provided many answers for those people looking for dogmatic and comprehensive philosophical systems, and the scepticism of the Middle Academy may have seemed preferable to anyone who rejected dogmatism.[17] Later tradition linked the school's decline to Neleus of Scepsis and his descendants hiding the works of Aristotle and Theophrastus in a cellar until their rediscovery in the 1st century BC, and even though this story may be doubted, it is possible that Aristotle's works were not widely read.[18]
The names of the first seven or eight scholarchs (leaders) of the Peripatetic school are known with varying levels of certainty. A list of names with the approximate dates they headed the school is as follows (all dates BC):[19]
- Aristotle (c. 334 – 322)
- Theophrastus (322–288)
- Strato of Lampsacus (288 – c. 269)
- Lyco of Troas (c. 269 – 225)
- Aristo of Ceos (225 – c. 190)
- Critolaus (c. 190 – 155)
- Diodorus of Tyre (c. 140)
- Erymneus (c. 110)
There are some uncertainties in this list. It is not certain whether Aristo of Ceos was the head of the school, but since he was a close pupil of Lyco and the most important Peripatetic philosopher in the time when he lived, it is generally assumed that he was. It is not known if Critolaus directly succeeded Aristo, or if there were any leaders between them. Erymneus is known only from a passing reference by Athenaeus.[20] Other important Peripatetic philosophers who lived during these centuries include Eudemus of Rhodes, Aristoxenus, Dicaearchus, and Clearchus of Soli.
In 86 BC,
Whereas the earlier Peripatetics had sought to extend and develop Aristotle's works, from the time of Andronicus the school concentrated on preserving and defending his work.
Influence
The last philosophers in classical antiquity to comment on Aristotle were Simplicius and Boethius in the 6th century AD.[citation needed] After this, although his works were mostly lost to the west, they were maintained in the east where they were incorporated into early Islamic philosophy. Some of the greatest Peripatetic philosophers in the Islamic philosophical tradition were Al-Kindi (Alkindus), Al-Farabi (Alpharabius), Avicenna (Ibn Sina) and Averroes (Ibn Rushd). By the 12th century, Aristotle's works began being translated into Latin (see Latin translations of the 12th century), and Scholastic philosophy gradually developed under such names as Thomas Aquinas, taking its tone and complexion from the writings of Aristotle, the commentaries of Averroes, and The Book of Healing of Avicenna.[24]
See also
Notes
- A Greek-English Lexicon.
- ^ a b Grön, Arne; et al. (1988). Lübcke, Poul (ed.). Filosofilexikonet (in Swedish). Stockholm: Forum förlag.
- ^ Furley 2003, p. 1141; Lynch 1997, p. 311
- ^ Nussbaum 2003, p. 166; Furley 2003, p. 1141; Lynch 1997, p. 311
- Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers 5.2. Some modern scholars discredit the legend altogether; see p. 229 & p. 229 n. 156, in Hegel 2006, p. 229
- ^ a b Furley 2003, p. 1141
- ^ 336 BCE: Furley 2003, p. 1141; 335 BCE: Lynch 1997, p. 311; 334 BCE: Irwin 2003
- ^ Barnes 2000, p. 14
- ^ Ostwald & Lynch 1982, p. 623, citing Diogenes Laërtius, 5.39 & 5.52.
- ^ Barnes 2000, p. 9
- ^ Barnes 2000, pp. 7–9
- ^ Irwin 2003
- ^ Ostwald & Lynch 1982, pp. 623–4
- ^ Barnes 2000, p. 11
- ^ Sharples 2003, p. 150
- ^ a b Drozdek 2007, p. 205
- ^ Sharples 2003, p. 151
- ^ Sharples 2003, p. 152
- ^ Ross & Ackrill 1995, p. 193
- ^ Athenaeus, v. 211e
- ^ Ammonius, In de Int. 5.24
- ^ Ammonius, In An. Pr. 31.11
- ^ Sharples 2003, p. 153
- Center for the Study of Language and Information.
References
- ISBN 0-19-285408-9.
- Drozdek, Adam (2007), Greek Philosophers as Theologians: The Divine Arche, Ashgate publishing, ISBN 978-0-7546-6189-4.
- Furley, David (1970), "Peripatetic School", in Hammond, N. G. L.; Scullard, H. H. (eds.), The Oxford Classical Dictionary (2nd ed.), Oxford University Press.
- Furley, David (2003), "Peripatetic School", in Hornblower, Simon; Spawforth, Antony (eds.), The Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-860641-9.
- ISBN 0-19-927906-3.
- Irwin, T. (2003), "Aristotle", in Craig, Edward (ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Routledge.
- Lieber, Francis; Wigglesworth, Edward; Bradford, T. G. (1832), Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 10.
- Lynch, J. (1997), "Lyceum", in Zeyl, Donald J.; Devereux, Daniel; Mitsis, Phillip (eds.), Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy, Greenwood Press, ISBN 0-313-28775-9.
- ISBN 0-19-860641-9.
- Ostwald, M.; Lynch, J. (1982), "The Growth of Schools & the Advance of Knowledge", in Lewis, D. M.; Boardman, John; Hornblower, Simon; et al. (eds.), The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 6: The Fourth Century BCE, Cambridge University Press.
- Ross, David; Ackrill, John L. (1995), Aristotle, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-12068-3.
- Seyffert, Oskar (1895), A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities.
- Sharples, Robert W. (2003), "The Peripatetic school", in Furley, David (ed.), From Aristotle to Augustine: Routledge History of Philosophy, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-30874-7.
- Wehrli, Fritz (ed.), Die Schule des Aristoteles. Texte und Kommentare. 10 volumes and 2 Supplements. Basel 1944–1959, 2. Edition 1967–1969.
- I. Dikaiarchos (1944); II. Aristoxenos (1945); III. Klearchos (1948); IV. Demetrios von Phaleron (1949); V. Straton von Lampsakos (1950); VI. Lykon und Ariston von Keos (1952); VII: Herakleides Pontikos (1953); VIII. Eudemos von Rhodos (1955); IX. Phainias von Eresos, Chamaileon, Praxiphanes (1957); X. Hieronymos von Rhodos, Kritolaos und seine Schuler, Rückblick: Der Peripatos in vorchlisticher Zeit; Register (1959); Supplement I: Hermippos der Kallimacheer (1974); Supplement II: Sotio (1978).
External links
