The History and Mystery of Diogenes Laertius

“The History and Mystery of Diogenes Laertius” examines the peculiar status of the Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. As literature, philosophy, and history, the Lives is a unique text, since it furnishes us with the only surviving attempt to construct an encyclopedia of philosophy from the ancient...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Prajñā Vihāra 2007-01, Vol.8 (1)
Main Author: Swift, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Philosophy
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:“The History and Mystery of Diogenes Laertius” examines the peculiar status of the Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. As literature, philosophy, and history, the Lives is a unique text, since it furnishes us with the only surviving attempt to construct an encyclopedia of philosophy from the ancient western world. This essay examines some of the influence this text has had on the history of philosophy, especially Nietzsche’s interpretation of philosophy. There are parts of the Lives which are widely regarded as accurate by specialists in philosophy (such as the Letter to Menoeceus by Epicurus), but there are also parts of the text which are historically unreliable and inaccurate. Diogenes veers from history into fiction at times and this essay addresses some of the difficulties involved in determining precisely where these transitions occur. Even when using the best scholarly methods, it is not always possible to know which parts of the Lives are trustworthy: thus there is a mystery, a legend which Diogenes preserves at the dawn of western philosophy.
ISSN:1513-6442