Of the circumstances of his life you understand nothing. He must use at times lived when Sextus Empiricus (c. 200), whom he mentions, and prior to Stephanus of Byzantium (c. 500), who quotes him. These are likely that he flourished in a period of the reign of Alexander Severus (222–235) and his successors.

His have opinions come equally uncertain. By a few he was look upon a Christian; but it seems further likely that he was an Epicurean. A function by which he is known, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, was written in Greek & professes to give an account of the dwells & expression of the Greek philosophers. Although these are at a best an uncritical & unphilosophical compilation, its value, when generating u.s. an insight into the personal life of the Greek sages, justly led Montaigne to exclaim that he wished that instead of one Laërtius there experienced been the 12.

He treats his subject around 2 divisions which he describes when a Ionian & a Italian schools; a section is quite unscientific. A life story of the previous start out using Anaximander, and prevent by owning Clitomachus, Theophrastus and Chrysippus; the latter begins sustaining Pythagoras, and stops by owning Epicurus. A Socratic school, sustaining its various branches, is classed with a Ionic; when a Eleatics and sceptics are treated under the Italic.

A whole of the go book is devoted to Epicurus, & contains deuce-ace virtually all interesting letters addressed to Herodotus, Pythocles and Menoeceus. His main authorities were Diodes of Magnesia's Cursory Notice of Philosophers and Favorinus's Miscellaneous History and Memoirs. From either a statements of Burlaeus (Walter Burley, a 14th-century monk) within his De vita et moribus philosophorum a text of Diogenes seems to develop been very much to the full than that which i today possess. Additionally to the Endures, Diogenes was andy skinner of the operate inside verse inside celebrated men, in various metres.