Vitae philosophorum

Diogenes Laertius

Diogenes Laertius. Hicks, R. D., editor. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1925.

  • A Collection or Compendium, two books.
  • On Nature, three books.
  • Concerning Nature, one book.
  • On the Philosophy of Archytas, three books.
  • On the Philosophy of Speusippus and Xenocrates, one book.
  • Extracts from the Timaeus and from the Works of Archytas, one book.
  • A Reply to the Writings of Melissus, one book.
  • A Reply to the Writings of Alcmaeon, one book.
  • A Reply to the Pythagoreans, one book.
  • A Reply to the Writings of Gorgias, one book.
  • A Reply to the Writings of Xenophanes, one book.
  • A Reply to the Writings of Zeno, one book.
  • On the Pythagoreans, one book.
  • On Animals, nine books.
  • Eight books of Dissections.
  • A selection of Dissections, one book.
  • On Composite Animals, one book.
  • On the Animals of Fable, one book.
  • On Sterility, one book.
  • On Plants, two books.
  • Concerning Physiognomy, one book.
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  • Two books concerning Medicine.
  • On the Unit, one book.

  • Prognostics of Storms, one book.
  • Concerning Astronomy, one book.
  • Concerning Optics, one book.
  • On Motion, one book.
  • On Music, one book.
  • Concerning Memory, one book.
  • Six books of Homeric Problems.
  • Poetics, one book.
  • Thirty - eight books of Physics according to the lettering.
  • Two books of Problems which have been examined.
  • Two books of Routine Instruction.
  • Mechanics, one book.
  • Problems taken from the works of Democritus, two books.
  • On the Magnet, one book.
  • Analogies, one book.
  • Miscellaneous Notes, twelve books.
  • Descriptions of Genera, fourteen books.
  • Claims advanced, one book.
  • Victors at Olympia, one book.
  • Victors at the Pythian Games, one book.
  • On Music, one book.
  • Concerning Delphi, one book.
  • Criticism of the List of Pythian Victors, one book.
  • Dramatic Victories at the Dionysia, one book.
  • Of Tragedies, one book.
  • Dramatic Records, one book.
  • Proverbs, one book.
  • Laws of the Mess-table, one book.
  • Four books of Laws.
  • Categories, one book.
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  • De Interpretatione, one book.

  • Constitutions of 158 Cities, in general and in particular, democratic, oligarchic, aristocratic, tyrannical.
  • Letters to Philip.
  • Letters of Selymbrians.
  • Letters to Alexander, four books.
  • Letters to Antipater, nine books.
  • To Mentor, one book.
  • To Ariston, one book.
  • To Olympias, one book.
  • To Hephaestion, one book.
  • To Themistagoras, one book.
  • To Philoxenus, one book.
  • In reply to Democritus, one book.
  • Verses beginning Ἁγνὲ θεῶν πρέσβισθʼ ἑκατηβόλε (Holy One and Chiefest of Gods, far-darting).
  • Elegiac verses beginning Καλλιτέκνου μητρὸς θύγατερ (Daughter of a Mother blessed with fair offspring).

    • In all 445,270 lines.

    Such is the number of the works written by him. And in them he puts forward the following views. There are two divisions of philosophy, the practical and the theoretical. The practical part includes ethics and politics, and in the latter not only the doctrine of the state but also that of the household is sketched. The theoretical part includes physics and logic, although logic is not an independent science, but is elaborated as an instrument to the rest of science. And he clearly laid down that it has a twofold aim, probability and truth. For each of these he employed two faculties, dialectic and rhetoric where probability is aimed at, analytic and

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    philosophy where the end is truth; he neglects nothing which makes either for discovery or for judgement or for utility.

    As making for discovery he left in the Topics and Methodics a number of propositions, whereby the student can be well supplied with probable arguments for the solution of problems. As an aid to judgement he left the Prior and Posterior Analytics. By the Prior Analytics the premisses are judged, by the Posterior the process of inference is tested. For practical use there are the precepts on controversy and the works dealing with question and answer, with sophistical fallacies, syllogisms and the like. The test of truth which he put forward was sensation in the sphere of objects actually presented, but in the sphere of morals dealing with the state, the household and the laws, it was reason.