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Theophrastus

Statue of Theophrastus, Orto botanico di Palermo

Born c. 371 BC

Eresos

Died c. 287 BC

Athens

Era Ancient philosophy

Region Western Philosophy

School Peripatetic school

Maininterests

Botany, ethics, grammar, history, logic,

metaphysics, natural history, physics

Notableideas

Developed the philosophy of Aristotle

TheophrastusFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Theophrastus (/ifrsts/; Greek: ; c.

371 c. 287 BC[1]), a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos,was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. Hecame to Athens at a young age and initially studied in Plato'sschool. After Plato's death, he attached himself to Aristotle.Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings anddesignated him as his successor at the Lyceum. Theophrastuspresided over the Peripatetic school for thirty-six years,during which time the school flourished greatly. He is oftenconsidered the "father of botany" for his works on plants.After his death, the Athenians honoured him with a publicfuneral. His successor as head of the school was Strato ofLampsacus.

The interests of Theophrastus were wide ranging, extendingfrom biology and physics to ethics and metaphysics. His twosurviving botanical works, Enquiry into Plants (HistoriaPlantarum) and On the Causes of Plants, were animportant influence on Renaissance science. There are alsosurviving works On Moral Characters, On Sensation, OnStones, and fragments on Physics and Metaphysics. Inphilosophy, he studied grammar and language and continuedAristotle's work on logic. He also regarded space as themere arrangement and position of bodies, time as an accidentof motion, and motion as a necessary consequence of allactivity. In ethics, he regarded happiness as depending onexternal influences as well as on virtue and famously said that"life is ruled by fortune, not wisdom."

Contents

1 Life

2 Writings

2.1 On Plants

2.2 Characters

2.3 On Sensation

2.4 Physics

2.5 Metaphysics

2.6 On Stones

Influences

Influenced