Democrates

This article is about the first-century philosopher. For the 4th-century BC politician, see Democrates of Aphidna.
Not to be confused with Democritus or Democrats.
Democrates, from a model supplied by Hoskins and Grant, 1777–1780, by Josiah Wedgwood

Democrates (/dɪˈmɒkrəˌtiːz/; Ancient Greek: Δημοκράτης) was a Pythagorean philosopher about whom little is known. Some historians suggest that Democrates was the founder of the basic concepts of democracy. Apollonius of Tyana authored at least one letter to a Democrates, Epistle 88.

A collection of moral maxims, called the Golden Sentences (γνῶμαι χρυσαῖ, Gnomai chrysai) has come down to us under his name. However, many scholars argue that these maxims all originate from an original collection of sayings of Democritus,[1][2] though others believe that there was a different little-known Democrates whose name became confused with the much better-known Democritus.[3] Thirty of the Golden Sayings are also found in Stobaeus attributed to Democritus.[1]

The maxims are written in the Ionic dialect, from which some scholars have inferred that they were written at a very early period. Others think it more probable that they are the production of the age of Julius Caesar. But nothing can be said with certainty, for want of both external and internal evidence. Some of these sentences are quoted by Stobaeus, and are found in some manuscripts under the name of Democritus.

References

  1. ^ a b Taylor, C. C. W. (2000). "Democritus". In Rowe, Christopher; Schofield, Malcolm (eds.). The Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought. Cambridge University Press. pp. 122–124. doi:10.1017/CHOL9780521481366. ISBN 9780521481366.
  2. ^ Waterfield, Robin (2000-09-07). The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and Sophists. ISBN 9780191605062.
  3. ^ Taylor, C. (1999). The Atomists, Leucippus and Democritus: Fragments: a Text and Translation. University of Toronto Press. pp. 224–225.