Abstract

SANCHEZ CASTRO, Liliana Carolina. Heraclitus’ Role in Book IX of Diogenes Laertius’ Lives. Nova tellus [online]. 2018, vol.36, n.1, pp.11-28. ISSN 0185-3058.  https://doi.org/10.19130/iifl.nt.2018.36.1.782.

The Book IX of Diogenes Laertius’ Lives is famous among scholars interested on the of the Pyrrhonian skepticism. However, this Book also includes a number of thinkers who are not identified with skepticism, but with natural philosophy. This situation may diminish credibility on Diogenes Laertius’ role as a historian of philosophy. However, rather than accusing him of a mistake, we need to understand the reason the doxographer had for this disposition of thinkers. This would not only help to understand the methodology followed in the construction and articulation of the Lives, but also the very procedure of the doxography and its objectives with the classifications and successions. On this occasion I will focus on the case of Heraclitus of Ephesus, the first thinker named in Book IX. My exploration will seek to make clear the reason for the disposition of this particular thinker in the place where we find it, which can suppose some difficulties for the reader of Diogenes Laertius’ work. However, I will try to show that there are reasons that justify the presence of Heraclitus, not only in Book IX but also at the head of it.

Keywords : Heraclitus of Ephesus; Diogenes Laertius; Doxography; Fragment 22B47; Ancient Skepticism.

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