Aeschines from Neapolis

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Aischines von Neapolis ( Greek Αἰσχίνης Aischínēs , Latin Aeschines ) was an ancient Greek philosopher . He lived in the second half of the 2nd century BC. In Athens .

Information from the doxographer Diogenes Laertios shows that Aeschines came from "Neapolis"; which of the cities of this name is concerned is unknown. Diogenes reports that Aeschines belonged to the Platonic Academy in Athens and was a student of Melanthios of Rhodes , a student of the famous philosopher Carneades . Karneades had the academy until his health-related resignation in 137/136 BC. BC as a scholarch . According to an anecdote communicated by Plutarch , Aeschines related that he was also - which was doubted by opponents - a disciple of Carnead; he had taken part in his courses when the scholarch was already weakened from his old age. Accordingly, he was one of the youngest students of Carnead. Aeschines is possibly identical with the father of the same name of a philosopher named Melanthios, who is attested in the Index Academicorum of the Philodemos of Gadara as a student of Philons of Larisa . In this case, Aeschines could have named his son after his teacher.

The Roman writer Cicero reports that around 110 BC According to contemporaries, the Platonic Academy was in bloom and that Aeschines was one of the prominent representatives of this school of philosophy at the time. At that time, the academy was in the epoch of skepticism , of which Karneades was one of the main representatives ("academic skepticism"). The skeptics denied that there are any philosophical claims whose truth can be proven. They considered it impossible to have a certain knowledge. Since Aeschines taught at this school, he must have shared the epistemological view of the skeptics. Beyond that, nothing has been handed down of his philosophy.

literature

Remarks

  1. ↑ Diogenes Laertios 2.64.
  2. ^ Woldemar Görler: The academy between Karneades and Philon . In: Hellmut Flashar (ed.): Outline of the history of philosophy. The philosophy of antiquity , Volume 4/2, Basel 1994, pp. 898–914, here: 910.
  3. ↑ Plutarch, An seni sit gerenda res publica 13, 791ab.
  4. ↑ Kilian Fleischer: The Pupils of Philo of Larissa and Philodemus' Stay in Sicily (PHerc. 1021, col. XXXIV 6-19). In: Cronache Ercolanesi 47, 2017, pp. 73–85, here: 80 ( online ).
  5. ↑ Cicero, De oratore 1.45.
  6. ^ John Glucker: Antiochus and the Late Academy , Göttingen 1978, pp. 50, 108.
personal data
SURNAME Aeschines from Neapolis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION ancient Greek philosopher
DATE OF BIRTH 2nd century BC Chr.
PLACE OF BIRTH Neapolis
DATE OF DEATH after 110 BC Chr.