Diogenes Laërtius - Biography

Diogenes Laërtius (in Greek Διογένης Λαέρτιος / Diogenês Laertios) was a biographer for many of the Greek philosophers and while little is known about his life, his biographical work entitled Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers would be one of the main lasting document that would continue to reveal the history of Greek Philosophy through the ages. We can more or less safely infer that he lived around the beginning of the third century AD. It is largely agreed upon, moreover, that he lived in Nicaea in Bithynia (now Turkey). It would appear that he did not belong to any specific school of philosophy. To be precise, Diogenes Laërtius was in fact a doxographer, that is, a classical historian who describes the viewpoints of past philosophers or scientists. He has transcribed the doctrines and biographies of the philosophers considered the most important in his day. Furthermore, there is also some evidence that he was a poet as well as a interested in studying philosophy for its own sake as well.

Two of the many more books he might have written remain. One is a collection of epigrams where he shows great technical skills. We know some fifty of his epigrams, which he cites in his second more famous book Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers. There he tells the biographies, doctrines and maxims of each philosopher, starting with the founder of it all, Socrates, and classifying each and every single one of the philosophers considered by schools of philosophy.

His model for telling those histories is quite consistent. Diogenes Laërtius usually begins by recounting the life of the philosopher, including an abundance of various anecdotes, which he makes sure are relevant to telling us something about the kind of conceptual relationship, similarities or differences, each philosopher had with other philosophers. Then he discusses the doctrine in broad strokes, sometimes with a few inconsistencies it has been commented. Following that Diogenes Laërtius gives a list of the philosopher’s works, the circumstances of death and finally an epigram.

It is important to stress again that the origins of Diogenes Laërtius are poorly known. One of the questions surrounding him is whether is name means on the one hand that he was both Laertes, a Greek colony of Cilicia. This colony is in fact mentioned by Strabo, the historian and geographer who was born 63 BC. Geographica, the latter’s work in 17 volumes, details the ancient world’s historical and physical geography. Or if on the other hand, Diogenes Laërtius’ name could simply refer to the one his father bore, as in Diogenes son of Laërtius. In any case, interestingly British epigraphists have also located a city on top of Mount Celebireç Dağı in Greece where they found coins bearing the possibly quite telling inscription of “Laerteiôn.n". Coincidence or real link there? It is unclear but the evidence is compelling to many.

Similarly, as quickly mentioned above, we can only know the time during which Diogenes Laërtius lived by deduction. Indeed, it is clear from his writings for example that he knows classical philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato. Diogenes Laërtius does mention their direct heirs as well. However, Diogenes Laërtius does not mention either neoplatonic philosophers such as Plotinus, nor Neopythagoreanic ones. It has therefore been inferred that he lived in the first half of the third century AD.

As for his life, his teaching is also so unknown that it is not clear whether he indeed had one. Diogenes Laërtius does seem to appreciate Epicurus, a claim backed up by the German Classical Philologist Ulrich von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff. Diogenes Laërtius would, however, have apparently been quite tough on Plato, but no specific clues allow us to classify him as being part of a particular school of philosophy. And yet in Book IX of his main work Diogenes Laërtius speaking of Apollonides of Nicaea, who is known for having commented about Timon of Phlius, said: “o gar emôn", meaning “one of us". This has been inferred to indicate that since both Apollonides of Nicaea and Timon of Phlius were skeptic philosophers, so must have been Diogenes Laërtius. However, such conclusion based on one interpretive reading of the translation has been deemed by some as being inconclusive. Indeed, “one of us" could simply have meant that Diogenes Laërtius was from Nicaea in Bithynia, a fact which is is generally accepted, or it could even have meant that Diogenes Laërtius belonged to Apollonides’ family.

In the preface of his Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers we learn that: “We Greeks have given the world of philosophy, not only the thing itself, but the word for it too." Diogenes Laërtius continues to speak ironically, if not sarcastically on the “xenophilia" of his fellow contemporary philosophers who he describes as being so opened to the outside that they do not seem able to imagine that anything at all good could come from them.

The introduction to Diogenes Laërtius’ Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers can be summarized with the following translated quote from it:

Philosophy has two origins: the first may be said to be Ionian since Thales was the master of Anaximander, the second may be said to be italic, since Pythagoras taught philosophy most often in Italy.

Such introduction is about the only plan that Diogenes Laërtius tells us he is going to follow in this investigation. His work is as we saw a compilation of sayings, anecdotes, wills and letters. Some, however, consider those sources to be more or less dubious. Critics of the work, in fact, point out that whether Diogenes Laërtius talks of the Academy, the Lyceum, or Skeptics etc., only the ideas of the founders are developed. Moreover, if it is true that the validity of what is told is doubtful, then that would have important consequences. Indeed some Hellenistic sources as well as large parts of the philosophy of that time - notably Sophism - are known to us only through this collection of extracts, considered by some as being devoid of any real internal consistency. Critics continue and point out that some of his writings are questionable, because they cite, for example a letter of Pisistratus to Solon and a response from Pisistratus to Solon which is today considered to be apocryphal (of doubtful authenticity). Additionally, it is only through him that we know the letters of Epicurus and his very important maxims, as well as the wills of certain philosophers.

In any case, the fact remains that as history would have it Diogenes Laërtius has pretty much provided the model and knowledge for most histories of philosophy until at least well into the eighteenth century.