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Hellenistic Greek philosophical school
The
Eretrian school of philosophy
was originally the
School of
Elis
, where it had been founded by
Phaedo of Elis
; it was later transferred to
Eretria
by his pupil
Menedemus
.
[1]
It can be referred to as the
Elian-Eretrian School
, on the assumption that the views of the two schools were similar. It died out after the time of Menedemus (3rd century BC), and, consequently, very little is known about its tenets. Phaedo had been a pupil of
Socrates
, and
Plato
named a dialogue,
Phaedo
, in his honor, but it is not possible to infer his doctrines from the dialogue. Menedemus was a pupil of
Stilpo
at
Megara
before becoming a pupil of Phaedo; in later times, the views of his school were often linked with those of the
Megarian school
. Menedemus' friend and colleague in the Eretrian school was
Asclepiades of Phlius
.
Like the Megarians they seem to have believed in the individuality of "the Good," the denial of the plurality of
virtue
, and of any real difference existing between the Good and the True.
Cicero
tells us that they placed all good in the
mind
, and in that acuteness of mind by which the
truth
is discerned.
[2]
They denied that truth could be inferred by negative categorical
propositions
, and would only allow positive ones, and of these only simple ones.
[3]
Notes
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edit
]