The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers

by Diogenes Laertius, Charles Duke Yonge

Overview

"The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers" by Diogenes Laërtius offers an unparalleled glimpse into the world of ancient Greek philosophy. A cornerstone of philosophical history, this collection presents biographies and doctrines of the most influential thinkers from antiquity.

Explore the diverse schools of thought, from the Presocratics to the Stoics, through meticulously researched accounts of their lives and teachings. Diogenes Laërtius chronicles the philosophical journeys of these eminent figures, providing invaluable insights into their personal lives and the development of their groundbreaking ideas.

This volume serves as an essential resource for anyone interested in the history of philosophy and the lives of the philosophers who shaped Western thought. Delve into the world of ancient Greece and discover the wisdom of those who sought to understand the universe and our place within it.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781023530682
Publisher:	Anson Street Press
Publication date:	03/29/2025
Pages:	510
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 1.03(d)

Read an Excerpt

in the city of the Prieneans, then we ourselves will come thither and settle near you. LIFE OF SOLON. I. Solon the son of Execestides, a native of Salamis, was the first person who introduced among the Athenians, an ordinance for the lowering of debts; for this was the name given to the release of the bodies and possessions of the debtors. For men used to borrow on the security of their own persons, and many became slaves in consequence of their inability to pay; and as seven talents were owed to him as a part of his paternal inheritance when he succeeded to it, he was the first person who made a composition with his debtors, and who exhorted the other men who had money owing to them to do likewise, and this ordinance was called enadna; and the reason why is plain. After that he enacted his other laws, which it would take a long time to enumerate; and he wrote them on wooden revolving tablets. II. But what was his most important act of all was, when there had been a great dispute about his native land Salamis, between the Athenians and Megarians, and when the Athenians had met with many disasters in war, and had passed a decree that if any one proposed to the people to go to war for the sake of Salamis lie should be punished with death, he then pretended to be mad and putting on a crown rushed into the market place, and there he recited to the Athenians by the agency of a crier, the elegies which he had composed, and which were all directed to the subject of Salamis, and by these means he excited them; and so they made war again upon the Megarians and conquered them by means of Solon. And the elegies which had the greatest influence on the Athenians were these: Would that Iwere a man of Pholegandros,t Or small Sicinna,J rather than of Athens : Vide Thirlwall, ...