Diogenes of Apollonia

Diogenes of Apollonia ( ancient Greek Διογένης ὁ Ἀπολλωνιάτης Diogenes ho Apollōniátēs; * ca 499 BC Apollonia Pontica; † ca 428 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and physician. He is counted among the pre-Socratics.

Life

Diogenes was born in Apollonia on the Black Sea (Greek Ἀπολλωνία Ποντική Apollonia Pontica ), the present town of Sozopol in Bulgaria and lived there for most of his life. His father, Apollothemis, was a noted natural philosopher. There is no doubt that he was during his stay in Athens so unpopular that he was seen at times in danger.

Teaching

Diogenes was a contemporary of Anaxagoras. As former ionic nature philosopher Anaximenes held Diogenes the air for the basic stuff of the world, all things only for a different concentration of the air. Mud, setting out all living things, so, for example, highly compressed air. While all individual things arise and pass away, the primary matter itself is eternal.

The most important similarity to the doctrine of Anaxagoras is that Diogenes as triggers this Ver-/Entdichtung nous sees an intelligent force which thus assigns the universe and controlled and so thinking, soul and brings forth life. Like many other Greek philosopher Diogenes took an infinite number of worlds.

Works

His most important work was a natural-philosophical writing, which later under the title Περὶ φυσέως ( " On the Nature ", in Latin De natura ) was cited and are obtained from the considerable fragments, mainly in Simplicius ' commentary on Aristotle's Physics. It is possible that Diogenes also wrote works with the titles against the sophists and the nature of man. In addition, Aristophanes plays in his comedy The Clouds with the statements that he puts into the mouth of Socrates there, probably on theories of Diogenes to.

Text editions and translations

  • Hermann Diels, Walther Kranz: The fragments of the Presocratics. Volume 2, 17th edition, Weidmann, Zurich and Hildesheim 1989, ISBN 3-296-12202-8, pp. 51-69
  • Laura Gemelli Marciano (eds. ): The pre-Socratic philosophers. Volume 3, Artemis & Winkler, Mannheim 2010, ISBN 978-3-538-03502-7, pp. 222-299 ( Greek source texts with German translation, notes and introduction to the life and work )
  • André Laks: Diogène d' Apollonie. Edition, traduction et commentaire of fragments et des témoignages. Academia Verlag, Sankt Augustin, 2008
241105
de