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{{Short description|4th-century BC Greek philosopher}} |
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| ⚫ | '''Arete of Cyrene''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|r|iː|t|iː}}; {{lang- |
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[[File:Head of a Woman (the other side is head of a man - double portrait), Neues Museum Berlin.jpg|thumb|right|Marble head of a woman, possibly Arete. Roman copy of a 4th century BC original.]] |
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| ⚫ | '''Arete of Cyrene''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|r|iː|t|iː}}; {{lang-grc-gre|Ἀρήτη}}; {{fl. |4th century BC}}) was a [[Cyrenaic]] philosopher who lived in [[Cyrene, Libya]]. She was the daughter of [[Aristippus of Cyrene]].<ref name=Ogilvie>{{cite book|last=Ogilvie|first=Marilyn Bailey|title=Women in science : antiquity through the nineteenth century: a biographical dictionary with annotated bibliography|year=1986|publisher=MIT Press|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|isbn=0-262-15031-X|edition=3. print.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/womeninscience00mari}}</ref> |
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==Life== |
==Life and teachings== |
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Arete learned philosophy from her father, Aristippus, who had himself learned philosophy from [[Socrates]]. Arete, in turn, taught philosophy to her son - [[Aristippus the Younger]] - |
Arete learned philosophy from her father, Aristippus, who had himself learned philosophy from [[Socrates]]. Arete, in turn, taught philosophy to her son - [[Aristippus the Younger]] - and her son was nicknamed "Mother-taught" ({{langx|el|μητροδίδακτος}}).<ref>[[Diogenes Laërtius]], ii. 72, 83, 86; [[Eusebius]], ''[[Preparatio Evangelica]]'', xiv. 18. Cf. [[Clement of Alexandria]], ''[[Stromata]]'', iv. 122; [[Strabo]], xvii. 3. 22; [[Claudius Aelianus|Aelian]], ''Nat. Anim.'' iii. 40; [[Theodoret]], ''Therapeutike'', xi. 1; [[Themistius]], ''Orationes'', xxi. 244</ref> |
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Arete reportedly took over the leadership of the School of Cyrene upon her father's death. She is mentioned by [[Diogenes Laërtius]], [[Strabo]], [[Aelius]], [[Clement of Alexandria]], [[Theodoret of Cyrus]], [[Aristocles of Messene|Aristocles]] and in the ''[[Suda]]''. Diogenes records that among her pupils were [[Theodorus the Atheist]] and [[Anniceris]].<ref>{{Cite book|title= Reading 1 Corinthians with Philosophically Educated Women|author=Nathan J. Barnes|publisher= Wipf and Stock Publishers|year= 2014|isbn=978-1-62032-572-8|pages=99–100}}</ref> While no credible historic source has survived on Arete's teachings, the tenets of the School of Cyrene which her father founded are known. It was one of the first to advance a systematic view on the role of pleasure and pain in human life. The [[Cyrenaic]]s argued that discipline, knowledge, and virtuous actions are more likely to result in pleasure. Whereas negative emotions, such as anger and fear, multiplied pain. Towards the end of Plato's ''Protagoras'' it is reasoned that the "salvation of our life" depends upon applying to pleasures and pains a "science of measurement". The School of Cyrene provided one of the first approaches to [[hedonism]], which surfaced again in 18th and 19th century Europe and was advanced by thinkers such as [[Jeremy Bentham]].<ref>{{Cite book|title= History of Psychology: Ideas and Context |author=D. Brett King |author2=William Douglas Woody |author3=Wayne Viney |publisher= Routledge|year= 2015|isbn=978-1-317-35060-6|pages=58}}</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Among the spurious [[Cynic epistles|Socratic epistles]] (dating perhaps from the 1st century) there is a fictitious letter from Aristippus addressed to Arete.<ref>The fictitious Socratic |
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== Historic sources == |
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There were five Greek cities in the area, and Cyrene was the oldest and most important of them all. Arete's city was named after the Greek myth. Cyrene was a nymph, the daughter of Hypsesus, who was king of the Lapiths, and Chlidanope, a Naiad. Apparently, Apollo found Cyrene wrestling alone with a lion and fell in love with her; he carried her off to Mt. Pelion in that part of Libya (Thessaly) where in later times he founded a city and named it after her and made her its queen. In actuality, the city of Cyrene was founded in approximately 631 BC by a group of people from the island of Thera, located in the Aegean Sea. Their leader was Battus, and he became the first king, founding the dynasty of the Battiads, whose members ruled until around 440 B.C. Under the Battiad dynasty's rule, the city flourished economically and expanded, establishing the cities of Apollonia (Marsa Susah), Barce (al-Marj) and Euhesperides, or Berenice (Banghazi). Cyrene eventually became one of the vast intellectual centers of the classical world, and included some of the best of all academic pursuits, including a medical school and such scholars as the geographer Eratosthenes, the philosopher Aristippus, founder of the Cyrenaics, and, of course, his daughter Arete. |
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| ⚫ | Among the spurious [[Cynic epistles|Socratic epistles]] (dating perhaps from the 1st century) there is a fictitious letter from Aristippus addressed to Arete.<ref>The fictitious [[Socratic Letters]] cannot automatically be use as an historical source, but the anonymous author of these letters is "interested in historical detail", and he appears to have access to "a handbook on Greek philosophy which is similar in content to that of Diogenes Laertius but more extensive in content." Abraham J. Malherbe, (1977), ''The Cynic Epistles: A Study Edition'', page 28. SBL</ref> |
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| ⚫ | [[John Augustine Zahm]] (writing under the pseudonym of Mozans), claimed that the 14th century scholar [[Giovanni Boccaccio]] had access to some "early Greek writers," which allowed Boccaccio to give special praise to Arete "for the breadth and variety of her attainments":<ref name="mozans">H. J. Mozans, (1913), [[iarchive:womaninsciencew00zahmgoog|''Woman in Science'']], pages 197-9. New York. This passage, however, does not seem to be present in any surviving work by Boccaccio, and the obvious candidate – Boccaccio's ''[[De mulieribus claris]]'' (''On Famous Women'') – contains no mention of Arete. Zahm's source for this information is [[Johann Christoph Wolf]]'s 1739 ''Mulierum Graecarum''. Wolf cites Book II of ''De Laudibus Mulierum'' (''In Praise of Women'') by "Bocatius". However, there is no work by Boccaccio entitled ''De Laudibus Mulierum'', but there is an obscure 1487 book with this title by one [[Bartolommeo Goggio]].</ref> |
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The Cyrene's principal export was the medicinal herb [[silphium]], which was shown on most of their coins, and was a great contributor to their economy until it was harvested to extinction. Although there are other forms of it, and other plants named the same, the plant that Arete would have known has been wiped from the planet. The plant was extremely valuable in ancient times because of its many uses.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of World Biography|date=2006|publisher=Gale|location=Detroit|pages=18–20|edition=2nd}}</ref> |
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Aristippus tells her that "you still have two gardens, enough for a luxurious life; the property in [[Benghazi|Berenice]], even if it alone were left, would not fail to supply you with a very high standard of living."<ref name="pseudo-aristippus">''Socratic epistle 27'' in Abraham J. Malherbe, (1977), ''The Cynic Epistles: A Study Edition'', pages 282-5. SBL</ref> Aristippus suggests to her that, after his death, she should "go to [[Athens]], after you have given Aristippus [the Younger] the best possible education."<ref name="pseudo-aristippus"/> He suggests that she should live with [[Xanthippe]] and [[Myrto]], that she should regard [[Lamprocles]] as if he were her own child, and that she should adopt "the daughter of Eubois whom you used to treat as though she were free."<ref name="pseudo-aristippus"/> Above all he urges her "to care for little Aristippus so that he may be worthy of us and of philosophy; that is the real inheritance I leave him, for in the other aspects of his life he will have the officials in Cyrene as his enemies.<ref name="pseudo-aristippus". |
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| ⚫ | [[John Augustine Zahm]] (writing under the pseudonym of Mozans), claimed that the 14th century scholar [[Giovanni Boccaccio]] had access to some "early Greek writers," which allowed Boccaccio to give special praise to Arete "for the breadth and variety of her attainments":<ref name="mozans">H. J. Mozans, (1913), [ |
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<blockquote>She is said to have publicly taught natural and moral philosophy in the schools and academies of [[Attica]] for thirty-five years, to have written forty books, and to have counted among her pupils one hundred and ten philosophers. She was so highly esteemed by her countrymen that they inscribed on her tomb an [[epitaph]] which declared that she was the splendour of [[Ancient Greece|Greece]] and possessed the beauty of [[Helen of Troy|Helen]], the virtue of [[Penelope|Thirma]], the pen of Aristippus, the soul of Socrates and the tongue of [[Homer]].<ref name="mozans"/></blockquote> |
<blockquote>She is said to have publicly taught natural and moral philosophy in the schools and academies of [[Attica]] for thirty-five years, to have written forty books, and to have counted among her pupils one hundred and ten philosophers. She was so highly esteemed by her countrymen that they inscribed on her tomb an [[epitaph]] which declared that she was the splendour of [[Ancient Greece|Greece]] and possessed the beauty of [[Helen of Troy|Helen]], the virtue of [[Penelope|Thirma]], the pen of Aristippus, the soul of Socrates and the tongue of [[Homer]].<ref name="mozans"/></blockquote> |
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As many other ancient philosophers, none of her work survives to the present day.<ref name=Ogilvie/> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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*[http://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics Cyrenaics Resource] Handbook of Cyrenaic resources, primary and secondary |
*[http://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki/doku.php?id=cyrenaics:cyrenaics Cyrenaics Resource] Handbook of Cyrenaic resources, primary and secondary |
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*[http://www.projectcontinua.org/arete/ Project Continua: Biography of Arete] |
*[http://www.projectcontinua.org/arete/ Project Continua: Biography of Arete] |
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*[https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/project/directory-of-women-philosophers/arete-of-cyrene-ca-400-bce/ Arete of Cyrene: bibliographical and biographical references.] - [[Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists]] |
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[[Category:5th-century BC births]] |
[[Category:5th-century BC births]] |
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[[Category:4th-century BC deaths]] |
[[Category:4th-century BC deaths]] |
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[[Category:4th-century BC philosophers]] |
[[Category:4th-century BC Greek philosophers]] |
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[[Category:Ancient Greek women philosophers]] |
[[Category:Ancient Greek women philosophers]] |
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[[Category:Cyrenaic philosophers]] |
[[Category:Cyrenaic philosophers]] |
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[[Category:Ancient Greek |
[[Category:Ancient Greek ethicists]] |
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[[Category:5th-century BC Greek women]] |
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[[Category:4th-century BC Greek women]] |
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[[Category:Classical Greek philosophers]] |
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Latest revision as of 15:17, 22 October 2024
,_Neues_Museum_Berlin.jpg)
Arete of Cyrene (/əˈriːtiː/; ‹See Tfd›Greek: Ἀρήτη; fl. 4th century BC) was a Cyrenaic philosopher who lived in Cyrene, Libya. She was the daughter of Aristippus of Cyrene.[1]
Life and teachings
[edit]Arete learned philosophy from her father, Aristippus, who had himself learned philosophy from Socrates. Arete, in turn, taught philosophy to her son - Aristippus the Younger - and her son was nicknamed "Mother-taught" (Greek: μητροδίδακτος).[2]
Arete reportedly took over the leadership of the School of Cyrene upon her father's death. She is mentioned by Diogenes Laërtius, Strabo, Aelius, Clement of Alexandria, Theodoret of Cyrus, Aristocles and in the Suda. Diogenes records that among her pupils were Theodorus the Atheist and Anniceris.[3] While no credible historic source has survived on Arete's teachings, the tenets of the School of Cyrene which her father founded are known. It was one of the first to advance a systematic view on the role of pleasure and pain in human life. The Cyrenaics argued that discipline, knowledge, and virtuous actions are more likely to result in pleasure. Whereas negative emotions, such as anger and fear, multiplied pain. Towards the end of Plato's Protagoras it is reasoned that the "salvation of our life" depends upon applying to pleasures and pains a "science of measurement". The School of Cyrene provided one of the first approaches to hedonism, which surfaced again in 18th and 19th century Europe and was advanced by thinkers such as Jeremy Bentham.[4]
Historic sources
[edit]Among the spurious Socratic epistles (dating perhaps from the 1st century) there is a fictitious letter from Aristippus addressed to Arete.[5]
John Augustine Zahm (writing under the pseudonym of Mozans), claimed that the 14th century scholar Giovanni Boccaccio had access to some "early Greek writers," which allowed Boccaccio to give special praise to Arete "for the breadth and variety of her attainments":[6]
She is said to have publicly taught natural and moral philosophy in the schools and academies of Attica for thirty-five years, to have written forty books, and to have counted among her pupils one hundred and ten philosophers. She was so highly esteemed by her countrymen that they inscribed on her tomb an epitaph which declared that she was the splendour of Greece and possessed the beauty of Helen, the virtue of Thirma, the pen of Aristippus, the soul of Socrates and the tongue of Homer.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey (1986). Women in science : antiquity through the nineteenth century: a biographical dictionary with annotated bibliography (3. print. ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-15031-X.
- ^ Diogenes Laërtius, ii. 72, 83, 86; Eusebius, Preparatio Evangelica, xiv. 18. Cf. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, iv. 122; Strabo, xvii. 3. 22; Aelian, Nat. Anim. iii. 40; Theodoret, Therapeutike, xi. 1; Themistius, Orationes, xxi. 244
- ^ Nathan J. Barnes (2014). Reading 1 Corinthians with Philosophically Educated Women. Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. 99–100. ISBN 978-1-62032-572-8.
- ^ D. Brett King; William Douglas Woody; Wayne Viney (2015). History of Psychology: Ideas and Context. Routledge. p. 58. ISBN 978-1-317-35060-6.
- ^ The fictitious Socratic Letters cannot automatically be use as an historical source, but the anonymous author of these letters is "interested in historical detail", and he appears to have access to "a handbook on Greek philosophy which is similar in content to that of Diogenes Laertius but more extensive in content." Abraham J. Malherbe, (1977), The Cynic Epistles: A Study Edition, page 28. SBL
- ^ a b H. J. Mozans, (1913), Woman in Science, pages 197-9. New York. This passage, however, does not seem to be present in any surviving work by Boccaccio, and the obvious candidate – Boccaccio's De mulieribus claris (On Famous Women) – contains no mention of Arete. Zahm's source for this information is Johann Christoph Wolf's 1739 Mulierum Graecarum. Wolf cites Book II of De Laudibus Mulierum (In Praise of Women) by "Bocatius". However, there is no work by Boccaccio entitled De Laudibus Mulierum, but there is an obscure 1487 book with this title by one Bartolommeo Goggio.
External links
[edit]- Cyrenaics Resource Handbook of Cyrenaic resources, primary and secondary
- Project Continua: Biography of Arete
- Arete of Cyrene: bibliographical and biographical references. - Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists
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