ἔρωτα παύει λιμός. εἰ δὲ μή, χρόνος· ἐὰν δὲ τούτοις μὴ δύνῃ χρῆσθαι, βρόχος. —Crates (Cynic philosopher) Hunger puts a stop to erōs. If not, time does. But, if you can’t use these, a noose works. Lucian of Samosata born around AD 125 died after AD 180 (mentions death of Marcus Aurelius) Sophist and Satirist Second Sophistic begins some time in late 1st century BC? flourishes from Nero’s reign (mid 1st AD) until mid 3rd century new (Roman) funding + prestige of Greek ironic, self-aware, campy reaction to kitschy imitation mixes philosophy and school-rhetoric revives/fetishizes Attic dialect of Greek from 400-700 years before but in new sociopolitical climate (Some) 2nd Sophistic Genres lives (encomia turned into biography) collections of chreiæ or sayings collections of memorable acts epistles (letters) and collections of epistles dreams and dream-interpretation Menippean satire “novel” (whatever that is) Pythagoras weird culty mathy stuff Democritus Atomism Plato Academy Diogenes Aristotle Cynics (Dogs) Peripatetics Zeno Stoic (Porch) Epicurus Garden family tree Skeptics of major later Pyrrhonists philosophies Neoplatonists Stoics believe cosmos = god = nature; soul = part of god/cosmos trying to figure itself out seek public life, contribute to public good physics (study of nature) + logic = ethics avoid emotions/passions; embrace reason; act, don’t be acted upon—you control yourself good = knowledge of truth/nature; evil = ignorance Epicureans avoid pain—seek ataraxia (untroubled peace) reject false pleasures leading to pain enjoy moderation in pleasures avoid war and public life; live privately at peace gods have ataraxia—not involved in the world varying opinions on determinism/free will Cynic Virtues αὐτάρκεια autárkeia — self-sufficiency, independence ἄσκησις áskēsis — training, practice in austerity ἀναίδεια anaídeia — shamelessness, indifference παρρησία parrhēsía — frankness, freedom of speech κοσμοπολίτης cosmopolítēs — citizen of the world Cynic Memes dogs, especially rabid dogs smoke, ashes — what’s left after purification by fire thus Heracles: body burned away in apotheosis equipment: double cloak, pēra (purse), stick food: beans, lupins, legumes cosmopolitanism (=citizenship of world) and travel Cynics Antisthenes of Athens — student of Socrates Diogenes of Sinope — student of Antisthenes Crates of Thebes — student of Diogenes Hipparchia of Maroneia — wife of Crates Menippus of Gadara — invented Menippean satire Πήρη τις πόλις ἐστὶ μέσῳ ἐνὶ οἴνοπι τύφῳ, καλὴ καὶ πίειρα, περίρρυπος, οὐδὲν ἔχουσα, εἰς ἣν οὔτε τις εἰσπλεῖ ἀνὴρ μωρὸς παράσιτος, οὔτε λίχνος πόρνης ἐπαγαλλόμενος πυγῇσιν· ἀλλὰ θύμον καὶ σκόρδα φέρει καὶ σῦκα καὶ ἄρτους, ἐξ ὧν οὐ πολεμοῦσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ τούτων, οὐχ ὅπλα κέκτηνται περὶ κέρματος, οὐ περὶ δόξης. —Crates (in Diogenes Laertius Lives 6.85) There is a city, Bag, in the midst of the wine-dark smoke, beautiful and rich, poor all-around, having nothing. To it sails no fool parasite, no connoisseur of whores, glorying in ass; instead it bears thyme and garlic and figs and bread, which never made anyone wage war against his fellow man, nor take up arms for money or glory. Hermotimus or, On Philosophical Schools Central Questions What is the best philosophic school? How can you choose the best without first learning all the philosophies? Are any of the philosophers not hypocrites? False Premises: one can finish learning philosophy one can attain happiness by finishing philosophy Misunderstood Quotation βραχὺς μὲν ὁ βίος, μακρὴ δὲ ἡ τέχνη Hippocrates the life is short, the art is long vitam brevem esse, longam artem (Seneca Dialogi 10.1.2) =ars longa, vita brevis Hermotimus Hermotimus has a book. He takes notes. Hermotimus is 60 years old, has studied Stoicism for 20 years, has not yet achieved virtue and perfect happiness How long will it take Hermotimus to learn philosophy? What do H’s professors say are the benefits of philosophy? Do H’s professors seem to possess those benefits? Hermotimus How many philosophies are there? Which is the true philosophy? Why did H. choose to follow the Stoics? How many philosophers are Stoics? How do you know Epicureans want pleasure, Peripatetics are avaricious and argumentative, Platonists are arrogant and vainglorious? Appearance? Like statues? How can a blind man choose? Hermotimus Appearances deceive: virtues are internal, not external. Metaphor of Virtue as a City (cf. Plato Republic) no natives in Virtue: all are immigrants we should leave our city and seek the city of Virtue many paths to city who is to guide us? “As for Ethiopians and Gelo’s wife— why did you have to bring her from Syracuse into the argument?” Hermotimus Metaphor of Sacrilege a bowl is stolen from a temple: how to discover the culprit? What if there is a large crowd? What if you don’t know what was stolen but everybody has an item? Hermotimus Metaphor of the Lots contestants draw lots to determine tournament bracket: how to figure out who has the bye? Is there a shortcut? E of 9? What if the letters are random? What if they aren’t letters but hieroglyphs? What if they aren’t hieroglyphs but pictures? Hermotimus What if we try all the philosophies? How long does it take to learn one? Twenty years? How long does it take to learn all of them? Is there a shortcut? Metaphor of the Wine Merchants Metaphor of the Wheat, Beans, Barley, Lentils, and Chick-Peas Metaphor of the Poison (Hemlock or Aconite) Hermotimus What if none of the philosophers is right? How would we know? What is the faculty of judgment? What if we had a judge of logic who could determine which philosophers were speaking logically? How would you know the judge is logical? argumentum ad infinitum — infinite regress Hermotimus Cause of distress: invented a dream and decided to pursue it without checking to see if it was attainable Dream: to achieve virtue/happiness through study Implication: perfect virtue/perfect happiness is not attainable through study Statement of Method Sections 73–74 (pp. 122–123) superfluous details distract the reader from skepticism of a false premise storyteller describes beautiful woman poet describes man with three heads and six hands 2 × 5 = 7 ∴ 4 × 5 = 14 geometry is a lie: points are divisible, lines have width wait, you fell for that last one? “You’ll do better for the future by resolving to share our ordinary life. Play your part in the affairs of the city along with many of your fellow-citizens, and give up bizarre and extravagant expectations.” Practicing political virtue…isn’t that what Stoics teach? φιλοσόφῳ δὲ εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν κἂν ἄκων ποτὲ ὁδῷ βαδίζων ἐντύχω, οὕτως ἐκτραπήσομαι καὶ περιστήσομαι ὥσπερ τοὺς λυττῶντας τῶν κυνῶν. “And if I ever again even unintentionally meet a philosopher as I’m walking on the road, I’ll turn round and avoid him like a mad dog.” Demonax Vita, Chreia Vita (life): like an encomium Chreia (saying in context): Πάλιν δὲ τοῦ Ξέρξου γράψαντος «πέμψον τὰ ὅπλα,» ἀντέγραψε «μολὼν λαβέ.» Plutarch Apophthegmata Laconica 225C.12 Again, when Xerxes sent a message, “Hand over your arms,” [Leonides] sent back, “Come and take them.” Outline Epistolary Introduction Origin (Cypriot family of wealth and rank) Education: eclectic philosophy, Platonic/Cynic Deeds: help to others (fortune) gentle disposition due to philosophy (soul) Collection of chreiæ: main illustration of character Death DEMONAX disreputable he would not remain silent to the uninitiate, but discourage them from the rites; and if they were good he would tell the world about them out of general benevolence. The result was that the Athenians, who already had stones in their hands to throw at him, at once became mollified and well-disposed to him, and from that time showed him honour, respect, and eventually admiration. And yet he had started his speechChreiæ to them with a fairly bitter preamble: ‘Men of Athens, you see me ready garlanded: sacrifice me too, for your former victim* brought you no good omens.’ I want to quote some of his witty and well-aimed quips, and I 12 might as well start with Favorinus* and what he said to him. When someone told Favorinus that Demonax was poking fun at his lectures and particularly at their violently broken rhythms, saying that they were vulgar, effeminate, and quite inappropriate to philosophy, he went to Demonax and asked him, ‘Who are you to jeer at my lectures?’ Demonax replied, ‘A man with ears that are not easily fooled.’ The sophist persisted and asked him, ‘What equipment did your boyhood education give you to take up philosophy?’ ‘Balls’, replied Demonax. On another occasion the same man went and asked Demonax 13 which philosophical creed he most supported. He replied, ‘Why, who told you I’m a philosopher?’, and walked away laughing heartily. Favorinus then asked him what he was laughing at, to which he replied, ‘I do find it funny that you think men are philosophers if they have beards, when you don’t have one yourself.’ When the sophist from Sidon,* who was popular in Athens, was 14 boasting that he was familiar with the whole range of philosophy–– but it’s better to quote his actual words: ‘If Aristotle summons me to the Lyceum, I shall attend him; if Plato asks me to the Academy, I shall go; if Zeno calls, I shall spend time in the Stoa; if Pythagoras summons, I shall keep silence.’* So Demonax stood up in the middle of the audience and said, ‘I say’, (addressing him by name), ‘Pythagoras summons you.’ When a certain Python, a pretty young fellow, who came from one 15 of the grand families in Macedonia, was quizzing him by putting forward a trick question and asking for a logical solution, he replied, ‘I know one thing, my boy, the conclusion requires penetration–– like you.’ The lad was furious at the double-edged jibe, and said threateningly, ‘I’ll soon show you what a man is.’ Demonax laughed and asked him, ‘Oh, you have a man, have you?’ 155 DEMONAX disreputable he would not remain silent to the uninitiate, but discourage them from the rites; and if they were good he would tell the world about them out of general benevolence.