author
Eduard Zeller
1814–1908
A leading 19th-century German philosopher and Protestant theologian, he became especially known for his sweeping studies of ancient Greek thought. His work helped shape how later readers understood the Presocratics, Plato, Aristotle, and the development of Greek philosophy as a whole.
1 Audiobook
The Stoics, Epicureans and Sceptics
by Eduard Zeller
About the author
Born in Kleinbottwar, Württemberg, on January 22, 1814, he studied at the University of Tübingen and was closely connected with the Tübingen School of theology. Early in his career he taught theology, later moving more fully into philosophy as his scholarly interests broadened.
He is best remembered for his major historical writings on ancient Greek philosophy, especially The Philosophy of the Greeks, a wide-ranging multi-volume work that earned lasting influence. He also wrote on religion, theology, and the history of ideas, bringing together careful scholarship and a strong interest in how philosophical systems develop over time.
Over the course of his academic life he held posts in Bern, Marburg, Heidelberg, and Berlin, and he remained an important scholarly figure well into old age. He died in Stuttgart on March 19, 1908, leaving behind a body of work that continued to guide students of classical philosophy for decades.