Life and Context
Aristippus was born in Cyrene of Northern Africa. He lived from about 435 to 356 B.C.E. At some time during his life, he migrated to Athens for the Olympic games and later studied Philosophy.
Most intellectuals speculate that he was a disciple of Socrates. Like other intellectuals of his era, his doctrine emphasizes ethics, especially on the purpose of life. For Aristippus of Cyrene, humans ought to seek pleasure as the fundamental human end, or telos.
Sources
We ascertain a lot about Aristippus in The Lives of the Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius. Additional sources include Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Rhetoric, Plato’s Phaedo and Memorabilia, and Horace’s Epistles.
Aristippus’ grandson, bearing an equivalent name, wrote many years later. In many cases, a person may have a difficult time in decoding between their words.
Basic Philosophy
As noted above, Aristippus’ philosophy mainly highlights ethical ends, as in, “What is the fundamental purpose of human life?†To Aristippus, pleasure was the fundamental goal of human life.
Since pleasure is a cornerstone to his work, scholars describe his philosophy as “hedonism.†The philosopher argued that every human must act in the present as to achieve pleasure, so as not to make errors, cause problems, or otherwise disturb anything that might impede on one’s search for pleasure at a later time.
Furthermore, Aristippus held an infamous reputation for sensual exploits and other revelry. While many disdained his unyielding desire for pleasure, he once quipped, “it is not abstinence from pleasures that is best, but mastery over them without ever being worsted.â€
He took this so far as to deny almost any societal custom held in his day. He believed that while the main cause to obtain pleasure was contingent, as in a man’s reaction to an acctractive woman, making a clear-minded, conscientious decision to pursue please from the forefront achieved oneself an ethical freedom.
Influence
Most intellectuals describe Aristippus as the conceiver of the Cyreanic school of Philosophy. They eventually established in more significant detail a philosophy oriented towards ends of pleasure. Aristippus and his disciples' work had great effect on following skeptics, including Epicurus.
Aristippus was born in Cyrene of Northern Africa. He lived from about 435 to 356 B.C.E. At some time during his life, he migrated to Athens for the Olympic games and later studied Philosophy.
Most intellectuals speculate that he was a disciple of Socrates. Like other intellectuals of his era, his doctrine emphasizes ethics, especially on the purpose of life. For Aristippus of Cyrene, humans ought to seek pleasure as the fundamental human end, or telos.
Sources
We ascertain a lot about Aristippus in The Lives of the Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius. Additional sources include Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Rhetoric, Plato’s Phaedo and Memorabilia, and Horace’s Epistles.
Aristippus’ grandson, bearing an equivalent name, wrote many years later. In many cases, a person may have a difficult time in decoding between their words.
Basic Philosophy
As noted above, Aristippus’ philosophy mainly highlights ethical ends, as in, “What is the fundamental purpose of human life?†To Aristippus, pleasure was the fundamental goal of human life.
Since pleasure is a cornerstone to his work, scholars describe his philosophy as “hedonism.†The philosopher argued that every human must act in the present as to achieve pleasure, so as not to make errors, cause problems, or otherwise disturb anything that might impede on one’s search for pleasure at a later time.
Furthermore, Aristippus held an infamous reputation for sensual exploits and other revelry. While many disdained his unyielding desire for pleasure, he once quipped, “it is not abstinence from pleasures that is best, but mastery over them without ever being worsted.â€
He took this so far as to deny almost any societal custom held in his day. He believed that while the main cause to obtain pleasure was contingent, as in a man’s reaction to an acctractive woman, making a clear-minded, conscientious decision to pursue please from the forefront achieved oneself an ethical freedom.
Influence
Most intellectuals describe Aristippus as the conceiver of the Cyreanic school of Philosophy. They eventually established in more significant detail a philosophy oriented towards ends of pleasure. Aristippus and his disciples' work had great effect on following skeptics, including Epicurus.
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