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Speussipus

Speusippus
Speusippus in Thomas Stanley History of Philosophy.jpg
Speusippus, 17th-century engraving
Born c. 408 BC
Athens
Died 339/8 BC
Athens
Era Ancient philosophy
Region Western Philosophy
School Platonism
Main interests
Epistemology, Metaphysics, Ethics
Notable ideas
Developed the philosophy of Plato, but rejected the Theory of Forms

Speusippus (/spjuːˈsɪpəs/;Greek: Σπεύσιππος; c. 408 – 339/8 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher. Speusippus was Plato's nephew by his sister Potone. After Plato's death, Speusippus inherited the Academy and remained its head for the next eight years. However, following a stroke, he passed the chair to Xenocrates. Although the successor to Plato in the Academy, he frequently diverged from Plato's teachings. He rejected Plato's Theory of Forms, and whereas Plato had identified the Good with the ultimate principle, Speusippus maintained that the Good was merely secondary. He also argued that it is impossible to have satisfactory knowledge of any thing without knowing all the differences by which it is separated from everything else.

The standard edition of the surviving fragments and testimonies is Leonardo Tarán's Speusippus of Athens: A Critical Study with a Collection of the Related Texts and Commentary (1982).

Speusippus was a native of Athens, and the son of Eurymedon and Potone, a sister of Plato. The pseudonymous Thirteenth letter of Plato claims that Speusippus married his niece (his mother's granddaughter). We hear nothing of his life until the time when he accompanied his uncle Plato on his third journey to Syracuse, where he displayed considerable ability and prudence, especially in his amicable relations with Dion. His moral worth is recognised even by Timon, though only that he may heap the more unsparing ridicule on his intellect.


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