Bion of Borysthenes

Bion of Borysthenes ( ancient Greek Βίων Βορυσθενίτης Bion Borysthenítēs; * probably around 335 BC in Olbia, † BC in Chalcis before 252) was a Greek ancient philosopher, which is attributed to the school of Cynicism.

Bion's writings are lost. Receive only are ancient accounts of his life and his teachings.

Life

The exact lifetime of Bion are unknown. According to ancient sources, it is believed that he is born to 335 BC and died 252 BC.

Diogenes Laertius in the 3rd century has some (now doubted ) written information about Bion's biography, which he puts this even in the mouth. Thus, he was the son of a freed fishmonger and a prostitute. His father had embezzled from customs duties, whereupon Bion and his family to have been sold as a slave. An orator bought him as effeminate and left him at his death he owned. Bion had immediately turned from rhetoric and from philosophy and was moved to Athens.

Probably Bion has come to 314 BC to Athens, where he pupil of Xenocrates, of Crates of Athens and the port crane of Soli was at the Platonic Academy. Well from about 310 BC, he was also a pupil of Theodore of Cyrene, and the Peripatetic Theophrastus. Later Bion turned to the Cynic philosophy, whether he also had a Cynic teacher, is unknown. As a Cynic he led the life of earning money by teaching migrant teacher, which is why he was also sometimes referred to as a sophist. Bion's character and person are rated negative by the majority in the resulting products.

Bion was in closer contact with the Macedonian king Antigonus Gonatas, who allegedly called him 276 BC to Pella and support later, when he was in Chalkis dying.

Teaching

Although he is never referred to in the sources as a Cynic ( but twice as Peripatetics, Diogenes Laertius turn is it in the context of academics from ), the history of philosophy expects him due to the traditional content of his teaching to the Cynics. According to Diogenes Laertius, he had written numerous writings. As titles are in different authors following called: About slavery, and sayings about anger. Bion's writings were and are not very well-known because of their content, but rather because of their literary style. He established a certain form of philosophical homily, which was usually kept short and in the vernacular, and was distinguished for example by ornaments, anecdotes, quotes and hearty expressions. It used to their name today the expression diatribe.

How Metrokles applies Bion as a representative of an attenuated, mild cynicism. Both speak, for example, in contrast to the older Cynics not against wealth from. According to Bion, the rational realizes that it 's the best things to accept as they are and not constantly quarreling with them. So it did not matter whether one is rich or poor, slave or king, but about good deal with its respective state. It makes no sense to constantly strive for more or anxiety to have what one has. Those following these views, which is independent, nothing and no one could so harm someone.

Like other Cynics was critical of Bion traditional religious ideas. As Diogenes of Sinope, he held the traditional education as superfluous. Be called rhetoric, grammar, astronomy, music and geometry.

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