Deaths of Famous Philosophers

Deaths of Famous Philosophers is inspired by Diogenes Laertius’s Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, a third-century CE anthology of biographical sketches of Greek philosophers. Each of its twenty-three chapters is a fictionalized depiction of the protagonists when they are near death and are taking stock of their lives. Written in contemporary vernacular, Deaths of Famous Philosophers will offer an overview of Greek philosophy—from Thales to Epicurus—in an engaging, sometimes humorous, but always instructive manner. While its stories will be enjoyable, its characters faithfully represent the philosophical positions their historical correlates actually held.
The Ancient Greeks understood philosophy to be more than abstract theorizing or puzzle solving. For them, it had to be a way of life. Deaths of Famous Philosophers reflects this principle by bringing the philosophers back to life in fictional form. It is clearly written and accessible to general readers and students as well of interest to scholars.

David Roochnik is professor emeritus of philosophy at Boston University. He is the author of seven books and over forty articles on Ancient Greek philosophy.