Dicaearchus of Messana (fl. c. 320 b.c.) was a peripatetic
philosopher. Like Theophrastus of Eresus, he was a pupil of
Aristotle. Dicaearchus's life is not well documented. There is no
biography by Diogenes Laertius, and what the Suda offers is meager.
However, it can be ascertained that a close friendship existed
between Aristoxenus and Dicaearchus as both are mentioned as
personal students of Aristotle. Dicaearchus lived for a time in the
Peleponnesus, and in his pursuit of geographical studies and
measuring mountains, he is said to have enjoyed the patronage of
kings. Dicaearchus's interests were in certain respects narrower
than Aristotle's. There is no evidence that Dicaearchus worked in
logic, physics, or metaphysics. To the contrary, his work "On the
Soul" recalls the Aristotelian treatise of the same title, but
Dicaearchus's work was not an esoteric treatise. Instead, it was a
dialogue in two parts. His interest in good and bad lifestyles also
found expression in works such as "On the Sacrifice at Ilium," and
"On the Destruction of Human Beings," in which he presented man
himself as the greatest threat to mankind. In "On Lives," a work of
at least two books, he considered philosophers and others noted for
their wisdom, with his main thesis being the superiority of the
active life over that of quiet contemplation. Cicero speaks of
controversy between Dicaearchus and Theophrastus the former
championing the active life and the latter that of contemplation.
"Circuit of the Earth" was a work of descriptive geography in which
Dicaearchus said that the earth has the shape of a globe. This
interest in earth's sphericity led him to make maps and discuss
other phenomena like the cause of ebb- and flood-tides and the
source of the Nile River. The largest number of texts in the
collection deal with cultural history, most of which stem or appear
to stem from his "Life of Greece," while the smallest section deals
with politics. This tenth volume in the series Rutgers Studies in
Classical Humanities includes a facing translation of the Greek and
Latin texts, making the material accessible to readers who lack the
ancient languages, and the accompanying essays introduce important
issues beyond the scope of the text. " "Dicaerchus of Messana"] is
a beautifully produced book...highly recommended, not only as a
very full and useful treatment, meeting the highest standards, of
one of Aristotle's more important pupils, but also as a model of
methodology in the attempt to reconstruct from few remains
something of an achievement which has been largely lost." -Dominic
O'Meara, "The Classical Bulletin" William W. Fortenbaugh is
professor of classics at Rutgers University. In addition to the
other books in this series and his many articles, he has written
"Aristotle on Emotion" and "Quellen zur Ethik Theophrasts." Eckart
Sch3trumpf is professor of classics at the University of Colorado
at Boulder. His interests include ancient literary criticism,
rhetoric and political theory. His extensive commentary on
Aristotle's "Politics" now extends to three volumes. A fourth and
final volume is forthcoming.
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