Kleinias of Taranto

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Kleinias of Taranto ( Greek  Κλεινίας ) was an ancient Greek philosopher . He belonged to the Pythagoreans , the followers of the doctrine of Pythagoras . As a contemporary of Plato , he lived in the late 5th and 4th centuries BC. Chr.

Life

The late antique philosopher Iamblichus names Kleinias in a list of Pythagoreans who came from Taranto . Elsewhere Iamblichus reports that Kleinias lived in the area of Herakleia , a city in what is now Basilicata in southern Italy, and wrote writings there. Nothing of these works has survived, not even their titles are known. But anecdotes have been passed down from his life that characterize his attitude and make him appear as an exemplary Pythagorean.

One of these stories provides an example of the often vaunted Pythagorean ideal of friendship. According to legendary tradition, the Pythagoreans kept to the principle that they were all friends of one another, even if they did not know one another personally. This gave them an obligation to support one another unconditionally and, if necessary, to make their possessions available for the rescue of members of the community in need. It was said that Kleinias learned that a completely unknown Pythagorean named Proros, who lived in the city of Cyrene in North Africa, had lost his property as a result of political entanglements and was in financial distress. Then Kleinias drove from Italy to Africa with a lot of money and Proros replaced the lost fortune.

According to other reports, Kleinias made a point of never acting under the influence of anger. When he got angry, he calmed himself down with music. Only when his anger had subsided did he correct someone who had committed a wrongdoing.

According to an anecdote shared by Plutarch , when asked when the most suitable time for a man to have sexual intercourse, Kleinias replied: "When you particularly want to cause yourself inconvenience". This expressed a widespread skepticism towards instinctual life among philosophers and especially among the Pythagoreans.

Kleinias apparently got to know Plato during his stay in southern Italy (around 389/388). The doxographer Diogenes Laertios , citing the philosopher Aristoxenus , who, like Kleinias, came from Taranto, reports an anecdote according to which Plato intended to burn all accessible copies of Democritus's writings . Kleinias and another Pythagorean named Amyklas dissuaded him from this project by pointing out that the writings of Democritus were already so widespread that it was no longer possible to remove them from circulation by destroying copies. The historical core of the anecdote is likely to be that it shows Kleinias familiar with Plato. The allegedly intended book burning is, however, a slander aimed at making Plato appear as a jealous rival of Democritus.

The church father Basilius the Great mentions an anecdote in his famous book "To the youth about the benefits of pagan literature" according to which Kleinias refused to swear on principle. Kleinias would have preferred to pay a fine of three talents - a large sum - than to swear a truthful statement, with which he could have evaded the punishment.

reception

The mentions by authors of the Roman Empire make Kleinias appear as outstanding representatives of Pythagoreanism.

Two treatises allegedly written by Kleinias in the Doric dialect , one on piety and one on Pythagorean numerology, of which only two short fragments each have survived, are certainly not authentic . They belong to the pseudepigraphic literature (spread under a false author name), which deals with topics from Pythagorean doctrine and life practice. It was customary to attribute such works to well-known Pythagoreans; the anonymous authors wanted to draw attention to their literary fictions. The writing of the pseudo-Kleinias on piety dealt with virtues and education for virtue. The dating approaches for this work vary between the 4th century BC. And the 1st century AD

swell

  • Maria Timpanaro Cardini : Pitagorici. Testimonianze e frammenti . Vol. 2, La Nuova Italia, Firenze 1962, pp. 430–433 (Greek source texts with Italian translation)

literature

  • Bruno Centrone: Cleinias de Tarente . In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques , Vol. 2, CNRS Éditions, Paris 1994, ISBN 2-271-05195-9 , pp. 421-422

Remarks

  1. ↑ Diodorus 10,4,1; Iamblichus, De vita Pythagorica 239, offers a slightly different version. On Proros of Cyrene, see Constantinos Macris: Prôros de Cyrène. In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques , Vol. 5/2, Paris 2012, pp. 1696–1700.
  2. ↑ Chamaileon of Herakleia, fragment 4 Wehrli = Athenaios 623 f .; Aristoxenos, fragment 30 Wehrli = Iamblichos, De vita Pythagorica 198; Aelian , Varia historia 14.23.
  3. ↑ Plutarch, Quaestiones convivales 3,6,3 (654B).
  4. ↑ The saying was ascribed to Pythagoras in a somewhat different formulation, see Diogenes Laertios 8.9.
  5. ↑ Aristoxenus, fragment 131 Wehrli = Diogenes Laertios 9.40.
  6. ↑ Alice Swift Riginos: Platonica. The Anecdotes concerning the Life and Writings of Plato , Leiden 1976, p. 166 f.
  7. ↑ Bruno Centrone: Cleinias de Tarente . In: Richard Goulet (ed.): Dictionnaire des philosophes antiques , Vol. 2, Paris 1994, pp. 421-422, here: 422; Holger Thesleff (Ed.): The Pythagorean Texts of the Hellenistic Period , Åbo 1965, p. 107 f. (Edition of the four fragments); Holger Thesleff: An Introduction to the Pythagorean Writings of the Hellenistic Period , Åbo 1961, pp. 15, 110-114.
personal data
SURNAME Kleinias of Taranto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Greek philosopher (Pythagorean)
DATE OF BIRTH 5th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 4th century BC Chr.