Strato of Lampsacus

Strato of Lampsacus
Strato, depicted as a medieval scholar in the Nuremberg Chronicle
Born	c. 335 BC Lampsacus
Died	c. 269 BC Athens
Era	Ancient philosophy
Region	Western Philosophy
School	Peripateticism
Main interests	Natural philosophy, Physics
Influences Aristotle, Theophrastus
Influenced Pierre Bayle

Strato of Lampsacus (/ˈstreɪtoʊ/; Greek: Στράτων ὁ Λαμψακηνός, Straton ho Lampsakenos, c. 335 – c. 269 BC) was a Peripatetic philosopher, and the third director (scholarch) of the Lyceum after the death of Theophrastus. He devoted himself especially to the study of natural science, and increased the naturalistic elements in Aristotle's thought to such an extent, that he denied the need for an active god to construct the universe, preferring to place the government of the universe in the unconscious force of nature alone.

Strato, son of Arcesilaus or Arcesius, was born at Lampsacus between 340 and 330 BC. He might have known Epicurus during his period of teaching in Lampsacus between 310 and 306. He attended Aristotle's school in Athens, after which he went to Egypt as tutor to Ptolemy, where he also taught Aristarchus of Samos. He returned to Athens after the death of Theophrastus (c. 287 BC), succeeding him as head of the Lyceum. He died sometime between 270 and 268 BC,.

Strato devoted himself especially to the study of natural science, whence he obtained, or, as it appears from Cicero, assumed the name of Physicus (Greek: Φυσικός). Cicero, while speaking highly of his talents, blames him for neglecting the most important part of philosophy, that which concerns virtue and morals, and giving himself up to the investigation of nature. In the long list of his works, given by Diogenes Laërtius, several of the titles are upon subjects of moral philosophy, but the great majority belong to the department of physical science. None of his writings survive, his views are known only from the fragmentary reports preserved by later writers.