Diodorus Cronus - Life

Life

Diodorus was a son of Ameinias of Iasus in Caria, and he lived at the court of Alexandria in the reign of Ptolemy I Soter, who is said to have given him the surname of Cronus ("old fogey") on account of his inability to solve at once some dialectic problem proposed by Stilpo, when the two philosophers were dining with the king. Diodorus is said to have taken that disgrace so much to heart, that after his return from the meal, and writing a treatise on the problem, he died in despair. However, according to Strabo, Diodorus himself adopted the surname of Cronus from his teacher, Apollonius Cronus. Diodorus died around 284 BCE, his date of birth is unknown. It was once thought that he was old enough to have influenced Aristotle (384–322 BCE), but there is no strong evidence for this.

Diodorus was particularly celebrated for his great dialectic skill, for which he was called The Dialectician. This effectively became his surname, and descended even to his five daughters, Menexene, Argia, Theognis, Artemesia, and Pantaclea, who were likewise distinguished as dialecticians. His pupils included Philo the Dialectician, and Zeno of Citium - the founder of the Stoic school. Although influenced by the Megarian school it is not clear how closely Diodorus and his fellow dialecticians were connected to that particular philosophical school.