Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.161 — Diogenes Laërtius on Ariston
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.161
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on Ariston
Dialectical reasonings, he said, are like spiders’ webs, which, though they seem to display some artistic workmanship, are yet of no use. He would not admit a plurality of virtues with Zeno, nor again with the Megarians one single virtue called by many names; but he treated virtue in accordance with the category of relative modes. Teaching this sort of philosophy, and lecturing in the Cynosarges, he acquired such influence as to be called the founder of a sect. At any rate Miltiades and Diphilus were denominated Aristoneans. He was a plausible speaker and suited the taste of the general public. Hence Timon’s verse about him: One who from wily Ariston’s line boasts his descent.
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.161 (on Ariston), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.161
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book VII, tr. R. D. Hicks (Loeb, 1925). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesAriston dismissed formal logic as spiders' webs that look clever but catch nothing useful, and rejected both Zeno's several virtues and the view that virtue is a single thing under many names. He taught at a public gymnasium, drew a following, and was a persuasive speaker who suited popular taste.
Older wording
- “Dialectical reasonings”
- — formal logical argument
- “Megarians”
- — followers of an early school of logic-minded philosophers
- “Cynosarges”
- — a public gymnasium in Athens
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Learning and progress
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