Euclid of Megara

Euclid of Megara

Euclid of Megara, a Greek Socratic philosopher who lived around 400 BC, founded the Megarian school of philosophy. Editors and translators in the Middle Ages often confused him with Euclid of Alexandria when discussing the latter's "Elements". Most modern translations of Plato's "Theaetetus" render his name "Euclides."

Euclid was born in Megara, but in Athens he became a follower of Socrates. After Socrates's trial and death, Euclid returned to Megara, where other frightened pupils of Socrates found asylum at his home. While none of his works have been preserved, he is quoted and discussed in various ancient texts.

Euclid's philosophy was a synthesis of Eleatic and Socratic ideas. He identified the Eleatic idea of "The One" with the Socratic "Form of the Good," which he called "Reason," "God," "Mind," "Wisdom," etc. This was the true essence of being, and was eternal and unchangeable. As he said, "The Good is One, but we can call it by several names, sometimes as wisdom, sometimes as God, sometimes as Reason," and he declared, "the opposite of Good does not exist." While these doctrines may appear to contradict empirical reality, he argued that, since non-being cannot exist without becoming a species of being (i.e., no longer "non-being"), and since the essence of Being is the Good, the opposite of the Good cannot exist. His doctrinal heirs, the Stoic logicians, inaugurated the most important school of logic in antiquity other than Aristotle's peripatetics.

Euclid had three important pupils: Eubulides of Miletus, Ichthyas – the second leader of the Megarian school – and Thrasymachus of Corinth. This last one was the master of Stilpo, who was the master of Zeno of Citium, the founder of the stoic school.

Further reading

*cite book|last=Mates|first=Benson|title=Stoic Logic|year=1973|origyear=1953|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley|id=ISBN 0-520-02368-4

External links

* [http://classicpersuasion.org/pw/diogenes/dleuclides.htm Diogenes Laërtius, "Life of Euclides"]


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  • EUCLID OF MEGARA —    a Greek philosopher, a disciple of Socrates, was influenced by the ELEATICS (q.v.); founded the Megaric school of Philosophy, whose chief tenet is that the good, or that which is one with itself, alone is the only real existence …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

  • Euclid (disambiguation) — Euclid may refer to: * Euclid of Alexandria, the ancient Greek mathematician and author of the Elements ** the euclid (symbol Euc), a dimensionless unit of proportion, named after the mathematician * Euclid of Megara, an ancient Greek philosopher …   Wikipedia

  • Megara — For other uses, see Megara (disambiguation). Megara Μέγαρα Location …   Wikipedia

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  • MEGARA — I. MEGARA Creontis Thebanorum Regis filia et uxor Herculis. Nam cum Erginus Orchomeniorum tyrannus Thebanos gravi tributô premeret, Herculi filiam suam eâ lege pactus est, si urbem ex onere liberasset. Quô praemiô inductus Hercules, Orchomeniis… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Nicarete of Megara — (Greek: Νικαρέτη; fl. c. 300 BCE) was a philosopher of the Megarian school. She is stated by Athenaeus to have been a hetaera of good family and education, and to have been a disciple of Stilpo.[1] Diogenes Laërtius states that she was Stilpo s… …   Wikipedia

  • Megarian school — Megara in Attica, lying equidistant from Athens, Thebes, and Corinth The Megarian school of philosophy (also called the Dialectical school), which flourished in the 4th century BC, was founded by Euclid of Megara, one of the pupils of Socrates.… …   Wikipedia

  • logic, history of — Introduction       the history of the discipline from its origins among the ancient Greeks to the present time. Origins of logic in the West Precursors of ancient logic       There was a medieval tradition according to which the Greek philosopher …   Universalium

  • megaric — MEGÁRIC, Ă, megarici, ce, adj., s.m. 1. adj. (În sintagma) Şcoala megarică = şcoală filozofică din Grecia antică întemeiată de Euclid din Megara. 2. s.m. Adept al acestei şcoli. – Din fr. mégarique. Trimis de LauraGellner, 01.06.2005. Sursa: DEX… …   Dicționar Român

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