Greek philosopher, founder of Cyrenaicism (c.435?c.356 BCE)
Aristippus of
Cyrene
(
;
Ancient Greek
:
?ρ?στιππο? ? Κυρηνα?ο?
; c. 435 ? c. 356 BCE) was a
hedonistic
Greek
philosopher
[1]
[2]
and the founder of the
Cyrenaic school
of philosophy.
[3]
He was a pupil of
Socrates
, but adopted a different philosophical outlook, teaching that the goal of life was to seek pleasure by adapting circumstances to oneself and by maintaining proper control over both adversity and prosperity. His view that pleasure is the only good came to be called ethical
hedonism
.
[4]
[1]
Due to the ideological and philosophical differences between
Socrates
and himself, Aristippus faced backlash by
Socrates
and many of his fellow-pupils. Out of his hedonistic beliefs, Aristippus' most famous phrase was, "I possess, I am not possessed."
[5]
Despite having two sons, Aristippus identified his daughter
Arete
as the "intellectual heiress" of his work, resulting in the systematization of his work and the
Cyrenaic school
of philosophy, by
Arete
, and her son
Aristippus the Younger
, Aristippus' grandson, during the later years of his life and after his death.
[6]
[1]
There are indications that Aristippus was conflated with his grandson,
Aristippus the Younger
.
[7]
Life
[
edit
]
Aristippus, the son of Aritades, was born in
Cyrene
,
Ancient Libya
, c. 435 BCE. Having come to
Greece
to attend the
Olympic games
, he met and asked
Ischomachus
about
Socrates
, resulting in a strong desire to see
Socrates
, after hearing of his description. Seeking
Socrates
, he went to
Athens
and made him his master.
[8]
[9]
Though a disciple of
Socrates
, Aristippus wandered both in principle and practice from the teaching and example of his master.
[9]
After learning the philosophical views and values of
Socrates
, Aristippus formed a greater interest in pleasure, eventually leading him to popularize and focus more solely on ethical hedonism.
[1]
Due to his philosophical differences from Socrates, Aristippus sought other avenues, leading him towards the court of
Dionysius I of Syracuse
or
Dionysius the Younger
. At the court Aristippus became a counselor, and continued to seek his pleasures.
[1]
While there he lived luxuriously and sought sensual gratification and the company of the notorious
Lais
.
[1]
Additionally, Aristippus was the first of
Socrates
' disciples to make money for his teaching, which on occasion he sent to
Socrates
, although often returned to him, due to
Socrates
viewing it as an insult.
[10]
[11]
[12]
Aristippus also said that he resided in a foreign land in order to escape the trouble of involving himself in the politics of his native city, to
Socrates
.
[13]
[14]
[9]
Due to his lifelong pursuit of pleasure and philosophical teachings on pleasure, against the teachings of
Socrates
, Aristippus garnered conflict between philosophers like
Socrates
and his fellow-pupils over the course of his life.
[1]
He is also said to have been taken prisoner by
Artaphernes
, the satrap who drove the
Spartans
from
Rhodes
in 396.
[15]
[16]
Despite the backlash he received for his philosophical views, teachings and lifestyle, Aristippus continued his spread of ethical hedonism by imparting his doctrine to his daughter
Arete
who, in turn, imparted it to her son,
Aristippus the Younger
, who is said to have reduced it to a system in the
Cyrenaic school
of philosophy, that Aristippus helped found.
[9]
In old age, Aristippus is said to have returned to
Cyrene
, living out his retirement in luxury and in the pursuit of pleasure till his death, at the age of 79.
[1]
[12]
In Book VI of
De architectura
,
Vitruvius
describes Aristippus:
It is related of the
Socratic
philosopher Aristippus that, being shipwrecked and cast ashore on the coast of the
Rhodians
, he observed
geometrical
figures drawn thereon, and cried out to his companions: "Let us be of good cheer, for I see the traces of man." With that he made for the city of Rhodes, and went straight to the
gymnasium
. There he fell to discussing
philosophical
subjects, and presents were bestowed upon him, so that he could not only fit himself out, but could also provide those who accompanied him with clothing and all other necessaries of life. When his companions wished to return to their country, and asked him what message he wished them to carry home, he bade them say this: that children ought to be provided with property and resources of a kind that could swim with them even out of a shipwreck.
[17]
Philosophy
[
edit
]
Aristippus' philosophies centered around hedonism. Having been a pupil of
Socrates
, Aristippus recognized
Socrates
' enjoyment of things like parties, the drinking of wine and accepting gifts.
[1]
Intrigued by such acts, Aristippus eventually formed the philosophy of ethical
hedonism
. Aristippus viewed pleasure and the pursuit of pleasure as life's supreme good, as well as valued the importance of not becoming possessed or enslaved by such pleasurable acts and objects.
[1]
By way of his philosophy, Aristippus' famous phrase, "I possess, I am not possessed," emerged.
[5]
Having stressed his beliefs, Aristippus admonished his followers to never harm others, and cautioned that the pursuit of pleasure ought to be moderated by moral self-restraint.
[1]
After forming his philosophy, Aristippus started the
Cyrenaic school
of philosophy where his philosophical principles would be taught, further structured, and turned into a comprehensive system by his daughter,
Arete
, and his grandson,
Aristippus the Younger
.
[1]
Despite Aristippus' bringing attention to the value of pursuing pleasure albeit in moderation, Aristippus' hedonistic philosophy often received backlash by
Socrates
and his fellow-pupils. While
Socrates
did indulge in such activities like parties, drinking wine and accepting gifts, Socrates viewed virtue as more valuable than pleasure.
[1]
Since Aristippus valued pleasure more than
Socrates
did and found less intrinsic value in virtue, other philosophers, like
Plato
and
Xenophon
, supported as well as initiated the accusation that Aristippus had defied and had strayed from
Socrates
' philosophical teachings.
[1]
Aristotle
is also noted for calling him a
sophist
.
[9]
Due to the differences in philosophical values and beliefs, Aristippus and his hedonistic philosophy separated him from
Socrates
as well as from other prominent philosophers at that time. One notable example of philosophers demonstrating disdain for Aristippus' values is in
Plato
's
Phaedo
,
where
Plato
describes Aristippus having been at
Aegina
, a pleasure resort, rather attending as a witness of
Socrates
' death.
Of the anecdotes that survive about Aristippus, those from
Diogenes Laertius
are the most abundant.
[18]
[9]
Diogenes asserts, for example, that to observe the precepts of Aristippus is "to endeavor to adapt circumstances to myself, not myself to circumstances"
[19]
and that, "every complexion of life, every station and circumstance sat gracefully upon him." Another such report is of Aristippus being reproached for his love of bodily indulgences, to which Aristippus is said to have answered, "It is not abstinence from pleasures that is best, but mastery over them without ever being worsted."
[20]
[11]
Works
[
edit
]
None of Aristippus's works are extant. Diogenes Laertius, on the authority of
Sotion
and
Panaetius
, gives a long list of books whose authorship is ascribed to Aristippus, though he also states that according to
Sosicrates
of Rhodes, Aristippus never wrote anything.
[1]
Some letters attributed to him are said by some to be forgeries.
One work attributed to Aristippus in ancient times was a book entitled
On Ancient Luxury
(or
On the Luxury of the Ancients
;
Greek
:
Περ? παλαι?? τρυφ??
); although it has long been considered that this work could not have been written by Aristippus of Cyrene,
[22]
not least because the author mentions
Theophrastus
, who lived a generation after Aristippus.
[23]
The name may have been adopted by the writer to suggest a connection with the hedonistic philosopher.
[24]
This work, judging by the quotations preserved by
Diogenes Laertius
,
[25]
has also been presumed to have been filled with anecdotes about philosophers and their supposed taste for
courtesans
or
boys
.
[23]
Since Aristippus esteemed himself more highly than his fellow philosophers, Aristippus having been the writer of such work has been considered unlikely due to the irregular effort such an act would have been for him. [???]
[1]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
Mark, Joshua J.
"Aristippus of Cyrene"
.
World History Encyclopedia
. Retrieved
2023-06-04
.
- ^
"Aristippus of Cyrene"
.
World History Encyclopedia
. Retrieved
2021-07-22
.
- ^
Although the systemization of the Cyrenaic philosophy is generally placed with his grandson
Aristippus the Younger
.
- ^
Moore, Andrew (2019),
"Hedonism"
, in Zalta, Edward N. (ed.),
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
(Winter 2019 ed.), Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University
, retrieved
2021-03-28
,
Ethical or evaluative hedonism claims that only pleasure has worth or value and only pain or displeasure has disvalue or the opposite of worth.
- ^
a
b
"Aristippus | Greek philosopher | Britannica"
.
www.britannica.com
. Retrieved
2023-06-04
.
- ^
Matson, Watson (2006).
Encyclopedia of philosophy
. Vol. 2. Donald M. Borchert (2nd ed.). Detroit: Thomson Gale/Macmillan Reference USA. p. 619.
ISBN
0-02-865780-2
.
OCLC
61151356
.
Although he had two sons, Aristippus designated his daughter Arete as his intellectual heiress. She in turn bestowed the succession on her son Aristippus call "the Mother-taught."
- ^
Debra Nails,
The People of Plato
,
ISBN
1603844031
,
p. 50
- ^
Plutarch,
De Curios.
2.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Abaeus, Ariste'nus Ale'xius, Aristippus"
.
www.perseus.tufts.edu
. Retrieved
2023-06-04
.
- ^
Being the first of the disciples of Socrates who did so (
Laertius 1925
, § 65).
- ^
a
b
Laertius, Diogenes.
Lives of the Eminent Philosophers
.
- ^
a
b
"Aristippus and the Pursuit of Pleasure | Classical Wisdom Weekly"
.
classicalwisdom.com
. Retrieved
2023-06-04
.
- ^
Xenophon,
Memorabilia
, ii. 1.
- ^
"The Memorabilia, by Xenophon"
.
www.gutenberg.org
. Retrieved
2023-06-04
.
- ^
Diodorus, xiv. 79.
- ^
"Diodorus Siculus, Library, Book XIV, Chapter 79"
.
www.perseus.tufts.edu
. Retrieved
2023-06-04
.
- ^
Vitruvius, vi. 1.
- ^
Horace,
Ep.
i. 1. 18
- ^
Horace, i. 17. 23.
- ^
Aristotle,
Metaphys.
iii. 2.
- ^
"Aristippus" entry in Alexander Chalmers, (1812),
The General Biographical Dictionary Containing An Historical And Critical Account Of The Lives And Writings Of The Most Eminent Persons In Every Nation
, page 458.
- ^
a
b
Warren James Castle, (1951),
The Platonic epigrams
, p. 14.
- ^
Kathryn J. Gutzwiller, (1998),
Poetic garlands: Hellenistic epigrams in context
, p. 50. University of California Press
- ^
Laertius 1925, i. § 96;
Laertius 1925
, ii. § 23, 48?49; Laertius 1925, iii. § 29?32; Laertius 1925, iv. 19; v. 3?4, 39; Laertius 1925, viii. 60.
References
[
edit
]
- Bryan, V. (2013, December 24).
Aristippus and the pursuit of pleasure
. Classical Wisdom Weekly. https://classicalwisdom.com/people/philosophers/aristippus-pursuit-pleasure/
-
Laertius, Diogenes
(1925).
"Socrates, with predecessors and followers: Aristippus"
.
Lives of the Eminent Philosophers
. Vol. 1:2. Translated by
Hicks, Robert Drew
(Two volume ed.). Loeb Classical Library.
- Mark, J. J. (2014, August 16).
Aristippus of Cyrene
. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Aristippus_of_Cyrene/
- Siculus, D. (n.d.).
Diodorus Siculus, library
. Diodorus Siculus, Library, Book XIV, Chapter 79. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Diod.+14.79&lang=original
- Smith, W. (n.d.).
A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology
. perseus.tufts.edu. http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0104%3Aalphabetic%2Bletter
- Tikkanen, A. (n.d.).
Aristippus
. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Aristippus
- Xenophon. (2013, January 15).
The memorabilia
. The Memorabilia, by Xenophon. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1177/1177-h/1177-h.htm
Attribution
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Voula Tsouna,
The Epistemology of the Cyrenaic School
, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1998.
- Ugo Zilioli, The Cyrenaics, New York: Acumen / Routledge, 2012.
External links
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]
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