Carl A. Huffman

This is a study of the fourth-century B.C. Greek philosopher Aristoxenus as a historian of philosophy and biographer of philosophers. Aristoxenus is a crucial source for Pythagoras and early Pythagoreanism and wrote the first lives of Socrates and Plato. This project collects the fragments of Aristoxenus' works in this area, and provides English translations and detailed commentary. Reevaluation of Aristoxenus' evidence will provide insight into three of the most important figures in the western tradition: Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato. The study also considers Aristoxenus as a member of Aristotle's school and, in particular, his role in the invention of the genre of biography. No book on Aristoxenus as a historian of philosophy and biographer exists in any language.