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Lives of Eminent Philosophers
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About this work
Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers is Diogenes Laertius's compendium of the lives, teachings, and sayings of the Greek philosophers, written in the third century CE. Gossipy, anecdotal, and endlessly quotable, it is our single richest source for the personalities behind ancient thought, often the only place a philosopher's words survive at all.
About the author — Diogenes
Diogenes Laertius was a third-century biographer about whom almost nothing is known, except that his survey of Greek philosophy preserved a tradition that would otherwise have been lost. For many ancient thinkers, his book is why we still have their words.
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People also ask
What is Lives of the Eminent Philosophers about?
It collects the biographies, doctrines, and memorable sayings of the major Greek philosophers, from Thales to the Epicureans, gathered by Diogenes Laertius from earlier sources.
Why is the book important?
Because it is the primary surviving source for the lives and quotations of many ancient philosophers. Without it, a great deal of what we know about them would be gone.
Is it a reliable history?
It mixes solid information with anecdote and legend, so historians read it with care. As a record of how the ancients remembered their thinkers, though, it is invaluable.