Aristocles of Messene

Aristokles of Messene (Greek Ἀριστοκλῆς Aristocles ) was an ancient Peripatetic philosopher. He lived in the early Roman Empire, apparently in the 1st century BC, perhaps even in the early 1st century AD

Life

Over the life of the Aristokles nothing more is known. He came from Messene in Sicily ( Messana, now Messina), not far from the then well-known city of Messene in the Peloponnese. Some signs suggest that he has resided in Alexandria.

In the earlier research, he has been unjustly held for the teacher of the famous Peripatetic Alexander of Aphrodisias. It was believed erroneously, the philosopher Aristotle ( Mytilene ), the Alexander mentioned as his teacher, was in fact Aristokles and if it were in the name " Aristotle " a clerical error. This assumption led to a late dating of the life of the Aristokles (second half of the 2nd century ). In recent research (Paul Moraux, Maria Lorenza Chiesara ), however, assumed that he lived around the turn of the millennium. This is supported by linguistic evidence and the fact that he took on the work of philosophers Ainesidemos which falls in the first half of the 1st century BC, with reference words that indicate that they had not yet been dated back a very long time.

Works and teaching

The main work of the Aristokles was a critical presentation of the teachings of all the schools of philosophy in ten books with the title " philosophy " ( Περὶ φιλοσοφίας; Peri philosophías ). It is lost; but survived eight extensive excerpts that handed the church writer Eusebius of Caesarea in his writing Praeparatio evangelica (14-15).

Asclepius of Tralles and John Philoponus indicate in their comments for "Introduction to Arithmetic" of Nicomachus of Gerasa five meanings of the word "wise" again, which were outlined in the paper "On the philosophy." The five uses of the word linked Aristokles with an apprenticeship of five levels of civilization of mankind. According to this theory, the human race has been largely destroyed by natural disasters ( epidemics and in particular large floods such as that at the time of Deucalion ). The survivors were forced to inventions such as the farming because of lack of food. Such devising the time was considered as " wisdom ". In the second phase of development they invented arts, which no longer served only the survival but also for aesthetic purposes, as the architecture. Such inventions were then regarded as a sign of wisdom. In the third epoch, the people turned to the political affairs and led laws and rules, which served the organization of living together in cities. Such was the work of the Seven Sages, who discovered the political efficiencies. The fourth epoch brought the people's understanding of the body ( natural things ) and the nature of which it produces; This was called the contemplation of nature. Those who are concerned with is called the way in the field of natural things ( natural philosophy ). At the fifth stage of culture was a turn to the divine, worldly and totally immutable essences; the knowledge of this area was called wisdom in the highest sense. In research, the hypothesis is considered that this argument advanced by Aristokles philosophy of history, with its concept of a gradual progress at least partially back to a lost copy of the young Aristotle; be considered Aristotle's dialogue "On Philosophy " and his " Protreptikos ". It is expected that Aristokles has changed and expanded a scheme of Aristotle.

Aristokles proves to be a faithful follower of the teachings of Aristotle, for whom he wants to promote. He also opposes gossip liable slander of Aristotle and tries to prove them as nonsensical. He argues against other philosophical leanings whose teachings he tried to refute sent by the means of an Aristotelian argument. For Plato, however, he shows great respect. Because of the reproduction of foreign doctrines his work is a valuable source of history of philosophy, especially for Pyrrhonian skepticism with which he dealt intensively. His presentation is information not only about the views of early Pyrrhonian skeptics ( Pyrrho of Elis, Timon of Phlius ), but also about the late Pyrrhonism ( Ainesidemos ) thanks to. However, his descriptions of other positions are sometimes affected by his polemical attitude or lack of expertise.

He criticizes the doctrines of skeptics and attempted also to show that it was impossible to live consistently according to their principles; by avoiding judgments and thus caused cancellation of the moral concepts of respect for the law to be destroyed and opened the door to the crime. Life after skeptical principles is contrary to nature; it was impossible for man to be meinungslos. Aristokles polemically, interspersed with fondness a rhetorical question and does not mention important counter-arguments of the skeptics; it is unclear whether he did not know the opposing position accurately or counter-arguments deliberately concealed. On a significantly higher level, his argument moves with the views of the Epicureans, of which he was apparently better informed. He turns on the one hand against the sensationalism and subjectivism on the other hand also against the opposite position that only a non -dependent perceptual cognition of reason trust worthy ( Eleatics and, after Aristokles ' understanding Megarians ). The epistemology of Cyrenaics he is in polemic, distorted form again.

In the Suda, a Byzantine encyclopedia, the main production plant, four other writings of Aristokles mentioned, which have not been preserved: "Whether Homer or Plato is important ", " Rhetorical techniques ", " About Sarapis " and " ethics."

Output

• Maria Lorenza Chiesara: Aristocles of Messene. Testimonia and fragment. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2001, ISBN 0-19-924154-6 ( critical edition with English translation and commentary )