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Aristippus

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Aristippus

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Also known as Aristippus of Cyrene

Aristippus of Cyrene (; ; c. 435 – c. 356 BCE) was a hedonistic Greek philosopher and the founder of the Cyrenaic school of philosophy. 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. Due to the ideological and philosophical differences between Socrates and himself, Aristippus faced backlash from Socrates and many of his fellow pupils.

AI overview

Aristippus was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded the Cyrenaic school and taught that pleasure is the highest good in life, a view known as ethical hedonism. Though he was a student of Socrates, his philosophy differed sharply from his teacher's, earning him criticism from Socrates and other followers.

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Works
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Top works

  • Aristippi et Cyrenaicorum fragmenta

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1 total works indexed

  1. Aristippi et Cyrenaicorum fragmenta

    · 1961 · cited 3x

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Key facts

Philosopher.name
Aristippus
Philosopher.image
Aristippus.jpg
Philosopher.region
Western philosophy
Philosopher.era
Ancient Greek philosophy
Philosopher.birth_date
c. 435 BCE
Philosopher.birth_place
Cyrene
Philosopher.death_date
c. 356 BCE (aged c. 7879)
Philosopher.death_place
Athens
Philosopher.school_tradition
Cyrenaic school
Philosopher.main_interests
Hedonism, Epistemology
Philosopher.notable_ideas
Hedonism

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Place of birth
Cyrene
Place of death
Cyrene
Image
Aristippus.jpg
Show 6 more facts
date of birth
0435-00-00
date of death
0366-00-00
Commons category
Aristippus
name in native language
Ἀρίστιππος
significant place
Cyrene
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~9 min read

Article

8 sections
Contents
  • Life
  • Philosophy
  • Works
  • Notes
  • References
  • Attribution
  • Further reading
  • External links

Aristippus of Cyrene (; ; c. 435 – c. 356 BCE) was a hedonistic Greek philosopher and the founder of the Cyrenaic school of philosophy. 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. Due to the ideological and philosophical differences between Socrates and himself, Aristippus faced backlash from Socrates and many of his fellow pupils. With respect to his hedonistic beliefs, Aristippus's most famous phrase was, "I possess, I am not possessed." 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's grandson, during the later years of his life and after his death.

There are indications that Aristippus was conflated with his grandson, Aristippus the Younger.

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