"There was also Polyaenus, son of Athenodorus, of Lampsacus, a modest and friendly man, as Philodemus and his followers say.' [ Diogenes Laertius 24] Polyaenus was the son of Athenodorus. His friendship with Epicurus started after the latter's escape from Mytilene in 307 or 306 BC when he opened a philosophical school at Lampsacus associating himself with other citizens of the town, like Pythocles, Colotes, and Idomeneus. With these fellow citizens he moved to Athens, where they founded a school of philosophy with Epicurus as head, or hegemon, while Polyaenus, Hermarchus and Metrodorus were kathegemones. A man of mild and friendly manners, as Philodemus refers, he adopted fully the philosophical system of his friend, and, although he had previously acquired great reputation as a mathematician, he now maintained with Epicurus the worthlessness of geometry.[1][2] But the statement may be at least doubted, since it is certain Polyaenus wrote a mathematical work called Puzzles (Greek: Aπoριαι) in which the validity of geometry is maintained. It was against this treatise that another Epicurean, Demetrius Lacon, wrote Unsolved questions of Polyaenus (Greek: Πρὸς τὰς Πoλυαίνoυ ἀπoρίας) in the 2nd century BCE. Like Epicurus, a considerable number of spurious works seem to have been assigned to him; one of these was Against the Orators, whose authenticity was attacked both by Zeno of Sidon and his pupil Philodemus. The works attributed to Polyaenus include: On Definitions, On Philosophy, Against Aristo, Puzzles (Aporiai), On the Moon, Against the Orators, His collected Letters. Wikipedia.
Polyaenus - Main Biography
Unread Threads
-
- Title
- Replies
- Last Reply
-
-
-
Was De Rerum Natura intended as satire? A lecture by THM Gellar-Goad. 14
- Julia
October 24, 2024 at 4:03 PM - General Discussion of "On The Nature of Things"
- Julia
November 11, 2024 at 4:09 PM
-
- Replies
- 14
- Views
- 927
14
-
-
-
-
New Slideshow: Nothing Comes From Nothing
- Cassius
November 10, 2024 at 3:51 PM - General Discussion
- Cassius
November 10, 2024 at 3:51 PM
-
- Replies
- 0
- Views
- 141
-
-
-
-
So You Want To Learn Ancient Greek Or Latin? 72
- burninglights
November 17, 2023 at 8:20 PM - General Discussion
- burninglights
November 10, 2024 at 11:18 AM
-
- Replies
- 72
- Views
- 11k
72
-
-
-
-
Questions re Pleasure 2
- Matteng
November 9, 2024 at 5:35 AM - General Discussion
- Matteng
November 9, 2024 at 3:50 PM
-
- Replies
- 2
- Views
- 243
2
-
-
-
-
Video Games For Mental Focus and Relaxation 1
- Cassius
November 9, 2024 at 2:22 PM - General Discussion
- Cassius
November 9, 2024 at 3:22 PM
-
- Replies
- 1
- Views
- 210
1
-