Democrates: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 20:01, 2 January 2025

Democrates (/dɪˈmɒkrəˌtiːz/; Ancient Greek: Δημοκράτης) was a Pythagorean philosopher about whom little is known. Some historians suggest that Democrates was the founder of the basic concepts of democracy. Apollonius of Tyana authored at least one letter to a Democrates, Epistle 88.

A collection of moral maxims, called the Golden Sentences (γνῶμαι χρυσαῖ, Gnomai chrysai) has come down to us under his name. However, many scholars argue that these maxims all originate from an original collection of sayings of Democritus,^[1]^[2] though others believe that there was a different little-known Democrates whose name became confused with the much better-known Democritus.^[3] Thirty of the Golden Sayings are also found in Stobaeus attributed to Democritus.^[1]

The maxims are written in the Ionic dialect, from which some scholars have inferred that they were written at a very early period. Others think it more probable that they are the production of the age of Julius Caesar. But nothing can be said with certainty, for want of both external and internal evidence. Some of these sentences are quoted by Stobaeus, and are found in some manuscripts under the name of Democritus.

References

^ ^a ^b Taylor, C. C. W. (2000). "Democritus". In Rowe, Christopher; Schofield, Malcolm (eds.). The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought. Cambridge University Press. pp. 122–124. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521481366. ISBN 9780521481366.
^ Waterfield, Robin (2000-09-07). The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and Sophists. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191605062.
^ Taylor, C. (1999). The Atomists, Leucippus and Democritus: Fragments: a Text and Translation. University of Toronto Press. pp. 224–225.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

The Golden Sentences of Democrates

[Taylor-1] Taylor, C. C. W. (2000). "Democritus". In Rowe, Christopher; Schofield, Malcolm (eds.). The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought. Cambridge University Press. pp. 122–124. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521481366. ISBN 9780521481366.

[2] Waterfield, Robin (2000-09-07). The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and Sophists. OUP Oxford. ISBN 9780191605062.

[3] Taylor, C. (1999). The Atomists, Leucippus and Democritus: Fragments: a Text and Translation. University of Toronto Press. pp. 224–225.

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 '''Democrates''' ({{IPAc-en|d|ɪ|ˈ|m|ɒ|k|r|ə|ˌ|t|iː|z}}; {{langx|grc|Δημοκράτης}}) was a [[Pythagoreanism|Pythagorean]] philosopher about whom little is known. Some historians suggest that Democrates was the founder of the basic concepts of [[democracy]]. [[Apollonius of Tyana]] authored at least one letter to a Democrates, ''Epistle 88''.
-A collection of moral [[Maxim (philosophy)|maxims]], called the ''Golden Sentences'' ({{lang|grc|γνῶμαι χρυσαῖ}}, ''Gnomai chrysai'') has come down to us under his name. However, many scholars argue that these maxims all originate from an original collection of sayings of [[Democritus]],<ref name=Taylor>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Taylor |first=C. C. W. |title=Democritus |encyclopedia=The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought |pages=122–124 |date=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |editor-first1=Christopher |editor-last1=Rowe |editor-first2=Malcolm |editor-last2=Schofield |doi=10.1017/CHOL9780521481366|isbn=9780521481366 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kN0cTYSVD1kC&q=democritus+democrates&pg=PT283 |title = The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and Sophists|isbn = 9780191605062|last1 = Waterfield|first1 = Robin|date = 2000-09-07}}</ref> though others believe that there was a different little-known Democrates whose name became confused with the much better-known Democritus.<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=C. |title=The Atomists, Leucippus and Democritus: Fragments: a Text and Translation |pages=224–225 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1999}}</ref> Thirty of the ''Golden Sayings'' are also found in [[Stobaeus]] attributed to Democritus.<ref name=Taylor/>
+A collection of moral [[Maxim (philosophy)|maxims]], called the ''Golden Sentences'' ({{lang|grc|γνῶμαι χρυσαῖ}}, ''Gnomai chrysai'') has come down to us under his name. However, many scholars argue that these maxims all originate from an original collection of sayings of [[Democritus]],<ref name=Taylor>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Taylor |first=C. C. W. |title=Democritus |encyclopedia=The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought |pages=122–124 |date=2000 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |editor-first1=Christopher |editor-last1=Rowe |editor-first2=Malcolm |editor-last2=Schofield |doi=10.1017/CHOL9780521481366|isbn=9780521481366 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kN0cTYSVD1kC&q=democritus+democrates&pg=PT283 |title = The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and Sophists|isbn = 9780191605062|last1 = Waterfield|first1 = Robin|date = 2000-09-07| publisher=OUP Oxford }}</ref> though others believe that there was a different little-known Democrates whose name became confused with the much better-known Democritus.<ref>{{cite book |last=Taylor |first=C. |title=The Atomists, Leucippus and Democritus: Fragments: a Text and Translation |pages=224–225 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |year=1999}}</ref> Thirty of the ''Golden Sayings'' are also found in [[Stobaeus]] attributed to Democritus.<ref name=Taylor/>
 The maxims are written in the [[Ionic Greek|Ionic]] dialect, from which some scholars have inferred that they were written at a very early period. Others think it more probable that they are the production of the age of Julius Caesar. But nothing can be said with certainty, for want of both external and internal evidence. Some of these sentences are quoted by [[Stobaeus]], and are found in some manuscripts under the name of Democritus.