"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
-
-
-
Thank the Forum! 2
- Eikadistes
January 19, 2025 at 11:40 PM - General Discussion
- Eikadistes
January 20, 2025 at 8:51 AM
-
- Replies
- 2
- Views
- 184
2
-
-
-
-
Epicurean Philosophy vs Charvaka / Lokayata 8
- Julia
January 15, 2025 at 6:38 AM - Comparing Epicurus With Other Philosophers - General Discussion and Navigation
- Julia
January 15, 2025 at 11:14 AM
-
- Replies
- 8
- Views
- 328
8
-
-
-
-
Boethus the Epicurean (geometry, acoustics) 1
- TauPhi
January 9, 2025 at 9:47 PM - General Discussion
- TauPhi
January 9, 2025 at 11:53 PM
-
- Replies
- 1
- Views
- 485
1
-
-
-
-
Oenoanda fragments
- TauPhi
January 9, 2025 at 12:55 PM - General Discussion
- TauPhi
January 9, 2025 at 12:55 PM
-
- Replies
- 0
- Views
- 165
-
-
-
-
The Reality of Sisyphus 3
- Eikadistes
January 7, 2025 at 10:09 AM - General Discussion
- Eikadistes
January 7, 2025 at 4:44 PM
-
- Replies
- 3
- Views
- 269
3
-