author
Diogenes Laertius
Little is known about this ancient writer, yet his surviving book became one of the main gateways to Greek philosophy for later generations. His lively mix of biography, anecdotes, and reported doctrines preserves stories and ideas that might otherwise have been lost.
1 Audiobook
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
by Diogenes Laertius
About the author
Diogenes Laertius was an ancient Greek biographer of philosophers, probably active in the 3rd century CE. Almost nothing certain is known about his life, which makes his own work all the more important: Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers is the chief reason he is still remembered.
That book gathers the lives, sayings, and teachings of major Greek thinkers across several schools. It is especially valuable because it preserves material from earlier sources that no longer survive, giving readers a vivid, sometimes gossipy, and often surprisingly human picture of famous philosophers.
Scholars have long debated how reliable he is in every detail, since he often seems to compile rather than critically judge his sources. Even so, his work remains one of the most important surviving introductions to ancient philosophy and a rich source for anyone curious about the people behind the ideas.