Euclid of Megara

Euclid of Megara
Euclid of Megara
Born	c. 435 BCE Megara
Died	c. 365 BCE
Era	Ancient philosophy
Region	Western Philosophy
School	Megarian school
Main interests	Logic, Ethics
Notable ideas	The eristic method
Influences Socrates, Eleatic school
Influenced Ichthyas, Eubulides, Clinomachus, Thrasymachus, Stilpo

Euclid of Megara (/ˈjuːklɪd/; also Euclides, Eucleides; Greek: Εὐκλείδης ὁ Μεγαρεύς; c. 435 – c. 365 BCE) was a Greek Socratic philosopher who founded the Megarian school of philosophy. He was a pupil of Socrates in the late 5th century BCE, and was present at his death. He held the supreme good to be one, eternal and unchangeable, and denied the existence of anything contrary to the good. Editors and translators in the Middle Ages often confused him with Euclid of Alexandria when discussing the latter's Elements.

Euclid was born in Megara, but in Athens he became a follower of Socrates. So eager was he to hear the teaching and discourse of Socrates, that when, for a time, Athens had a ban on any citizen of Megara entering the city, Euclid would sneak into Athens after nightfall, disguised as a woman to hear him speak. He is represented in the preface of Plato's Theaetetus as being responsible for writing down the conversation between Socrates and the young Theaetetus many years earlier. Socrates is also supposed to have reproved Euclid for his fondness for eristic disputes. He was present at Socrates' death (399 BCE), after which Euclid returned to Megara, where he offered refuge to Plato and other frightened pupils of Socrates.