author
Eduard Zeller
1814–1908
A leading 19th-century German scholar of ancient thought, he helped shape how generations of readers understood Greek philosophy. His most famous work traces Greek philosophy from its earliest beginnings with unusual depth and clarity.
1 Audiobook
The Stoics, Epicureans and Sceptics
by Eduard Zeller
About the author
Born in Kleinbottwar in Württemberg on January 22, 1814, Eduard Zeller studied at the University of Tübingen and was influenced by Hegelian thought. He began his career in theology, teaching at Tübingen, Bern, and Marburg before moving more fully into philosophy.
Zeller is best known for his major historical studies of ancient Greek philosophy, especially Die Philosophie der Griechen in ihrer geschichtlichen Entwicklung (The Philosophy of the Greeks in Their Historical Development). His work on the pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and later schools made him one of the most important historians of philosophy of his time.
He later held professorships in Heidelberg and Berlin, and his books remained influential well beyond his lifetime because of their careful scholarship and broad view of classical thought. He died in Stuttgart on March 19, 1908.