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{{Short description|School of philosophy in Ancient Greece}}

The '''Peripatetic school''' ({{Langx|grc|Περίπατος}} {{Lit|walkway}}) was a philosophical school founded in 335 BC by [[Aristotle]] in the [[Lyceum (classical)|Lyceum]] in [[ancient Athens]]. It was an informal institution whose members conducted philosophical and scientific inquiries. The school fell into decline after the middle of the 3rd century BC, but had a revival in the [[Roman Empire]].

==History<!--'Peripatos' redirects here-->==
[[File:Aristotle and his disciples Lebiedzki Rahl.jpg|thumb|Aristotle and his disciples – [[Alexander the Great|Alexander]], [[Demetrius Phalereus|Demetrius]], [[Theophrastus]], and [[Strato of Lampsacus|Strato]], in an 1888 fresco in the portico of the [[National and Kapodistrian University of Athens|National University of Athens]]]]
The term ''peripatetic'' is a transliteration of the Ancient Greek word {{tlit|grc|peripatētikós}}, meaning 'of walking' or 'given to walking about'.<ref>[http://archimedes.fas.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/dict?name=lsj&lang=el&word=peripathtiko%2fs&filter=GreekXlit The entry ''peripatêtikos''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206164535/http://archimedes.fas.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/dict?name=lsj&lang=el&word=peripathtiko%2fs&filter=GreekXlit |date=2017-02-06 }} in [[Henry Liddell|Liddell, Henry]] and [[Robert Scott (philologist)|Robert Scott]], ''[[A Greek-English Lexicon]]''.</ref> The Peripatetic school, founded by Aristotle,<ref name=FL>{{cite book |title=Filosofilexikonet |editor=Lübcke, Poul |last=Grön |first=Arne|display-authors=etal|publisher=Forum förlag |date=1988 |location=Stockholm |language=Swedish}}</ref> was actually known simply as the [[Peripatos (Akropolis)|Peripatos<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Furley|2003|p=1141}}; {{Harvnb|Lynch|1997|p=311}}</ref> Aristotle's school came to be so named because of the {{tlit|grc|peripatoi}} ('walkways', some covered or with colonnades) of the [[Lyceum (classical)|Lyceum]] where the members met.<ref>{{Harvnb|Nussbaum|2003|p=166}}; {{Harvnb|Furley|2003|p=1141}}; {{Harvnb|Lynch|1997|p=311}}</ref> The legend that the name came from Aristotle's alleged habit of walking while lecturing may have started with [[Hermippus of Smyrna]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Furley|1970|p=801}} citing [[Diogenes Laërtius]], ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' 5.2. Some modern scholars discredit the legend altogether; see p. 229 & p. 229 n. 156, in {{Harvnb|Hegel|2006|p=229}}</ref>

Unlike [[Plato]] (born {{Circa|428–423}}&nbsp;BC, died 348&nbsp;BC), Aristotle was not a citizen of [[Athens]], and could not own property; he and his colleagues therefore used the grounds of the Lyceum as a gathering place, just as it had been used by earlier philosophers such as [[Socrates]].<ref name="furley1141">{{Harvnb|Furley|2003|p=1141}}</ref> Aristotle and his colleagues first began to use the Lyceum in this way {{circa|335&nbsp;BC|lk=no}},<ref>336 BCE: {{Harvnb|Furley|2003|p=1141}}; 335 BCE: {{Harvnb|Lynch|1997|p=311}}; 334 BCE: {{Harvnb|Irwin|2003}}</ref> after which Aristotle left [[Plato's Academy]] and Athens, and then returned to Athens from his travels about a dozen years later.<ref>{{Harvnb|Barnes|2000|p=14}}</ref> Because of the school's association with the [[Gymnasium (ancient Greece)|gymnasium]], the school also came to be referred to simply as the ''Lyceum''.<ref name="furley1141" /> Some modern scholars argue that the school did not become formally institutionalized until [[Theophrastus]] took it over, at which time there was private property associated with the school.<ref>{{Harvnb|Ostwald|Lynch|1982|p=623}}, citing Diogenes Laërtius, 5.39 & 5.52.</ref>

Originally at least, the Peripatetic gatherings were probably conducted less formally than the term "school" suggests: there was likely no set curriculum or requirements for students or even fees for membership.<ref>{{Harvnb|Barnes|2000|p=9}}</ref> Aristotle did teach and lecture there, but there was also philosophical and scientific research done in partnership with other members of the school.<ref>{{Harvnb|Barnes|2000|pp=7–9}}</ref> It seems likely that many of the writings that have come down to us in Aristotle's name were based on lectures he gave at the school.<ref>{{Harvnb|Irwin|2003}}</ref> Among the members of the school in Aristotle's time were [[Theophrastus]], [[Phanias of Eresus]], [[Eudemus of Rhodes]], [[Aristoxenus]], and [[Dicaearchus]]. Much like Plato's Academy, there were in Aristotle's school junior and senior members, the junior members generally serving as pupils or assistants to the senior members who directed research and lectured. The aim of the school, at least in Aristotle's time, was not to further a specific doctrine, but rather to explore philosophical and scientific theories; those who ran the school worked as equal partners.<ref name="ostwald623">{{Harvnb|Ostwald|Lynch|1982|pp=623–4}}</ref>

Some time shortly after the death of [[Alexander the Great]] in June 323&nbsp;BC, Aristotle left Athens to avoid persecution by anti-Macedonian factions in Athens, due to his ties to [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonia]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Barnes|2000|p=11}}</ref> After Aristotle's death in 322&nbsp;BC, his colleague Theophrastus succeeded him as head of the school. The most prominent member of the school after Theophrastus was [[Strato of Lampsacus]], who increased the naturalistic elements of Aristotle's philosophy and embraced a form of [[atheism]]. After the time of Strato, the Peripatetic school fell into a decline. Lyco was famous more for his oratory than his philosophical skills, and Aristo for his biographical studies.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sharples|2003|p=150}}</ref> Although Critolaus was more philosophically active, none of the Peripatetic philosophers in this period seem to have contributed anything original to philosophy.<ref name="drozdek205">{{Harvnb|Drozdek|2007|p=205}}</ref> The reasons for the decline of the Peripatetic school are unclear. [[Stoicism]] and [[Epicureanism]] provided many answers for those people looking for dogmatic and comprehensive philosophical systems, and the scepticism of the [[Platonic Academy|Middle Academy]] may have seemed preferable to anyone who rejected dogmatism.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sharples|2003|p=151}}</ref> Later tradition linked the school's decline to [[Neleus of Scepsis]] and his descendants hiding the works of Aristotle and Theophrastus in a cellar until their rediscovery in the 1st century BC, and even though this story may be doubted, it is possible that Aristotle's works were not widely read.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sharples|2003|p=152}}</ref>
[[File:Spangenberg - Schule des Aristoteles.jpg|thumb|right|300px|''Aristotle's School'', a painting from the 1880s by Gustav Adolph Spangenberg]]
The names of the first seven or eight [[scholarch]]s (leaders) of the Peripatetic school are known with varying levels of certainty. A list of names with the approximate dates they headed the school is as follows (all dates BC):<ref>{{Harvnb|Ross|Ackrill|1995|p=193}}</ref>

*[[Aristotle]] (c. 334 – 322)
*[[Theophrastus]] (322–288)
*[[Strato of Lampsacus]] (288 – c. 269)
*[[Lyco of Troas]] (c. 269 – 225)
*[[Aristo of Ceos]] (225 – c. 190)
*[[Critolaus]] (c. 190 – 155)
*[[Diodorus of Tyre]] (c. 140)
*[[Erymneus]] (c. 110)

There are some uncertainties in this list. It is not certain whether Aristo of Ceos was the head of the school, but since he was a close pupil of Lyco and the most important Peripatetic philosopher in the time when he lived, it is generally assumed that he was. It is not known if Critolaus directly succeeded Aristo, or if there were any leaders between them. Erymneus is known only from a passing reference by [[Athenaeus]].<ref>Athenaeus, v. 211e</ref> Other important Peripatetic philosophers who lived during these centuries include [[Eudemus of Rhodes]], [[Aristoxenus]], [[Dicaearchus]], and [[Clearchus of Soli]].

In 86 BC, Athens [[Siege of Athens and Piraeus (87–86 BC)|was sacked]] by the Roman general [[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]]; all the local schools of philosophy were badly disrupted, and the Lyceum ceased to exist as a functioning institution. Ironically, this event seems to have brought new life to the Peripatetic school. Sulla brought the writings of Aristotle and Theophrastus back to [[Rome]], where they became the basis of a new collection of Aristotle's writings compiled by [[Andronicus of Rhodes]] which forms the basis of the ''[[Corpus Aristotelicum]]'' which exists today.<ref name="drozdek205"/> Later [[Neoplatonist]] writers describe Andronicus, who lived around 50 BC, as the eleventh scholarch of the Peripatetic school,<ref>Ammonius, ''In de Int.'' 5.24</ref> which would imply that he had two unnamed predecessors. There is considerable uncertainty over the issue, and Andronicus' pupil [[Boethus of Sidon (Peripatetic)|Boethus of Sidon]] is also described as the eleventh scholarch.<ref>Ammonius, ''In An. Pr.'' 31.11</ref> It is quite possible that Andronicus set up a new school where he taught Boethus.

Whereas the earlier Peripatetics had sought to extend and develop Aristotle's works, from the time of Andronicus the school concentrated on preserving and defending his work.<ref>{{Harvnb|Sharples|2003|p=153}}</ref> The most important figure in the [[Roman era]] is [[Alexander of Aphrodisias]] (c. 200 AD) who wrote [[Commentaries on Aristotle|commentaries on Aristotle's writings]]. With the rise of [[Neoplatonism]] (and [[Christianity]]) in the 3rd century, Peripateticism as an independent philosophy came to an end, but the Neoplatonists sought to incorporate Aristotle's philosophy within their own system, and produced many commentaries on Aristotle's works.

==Influence==
{{Main article|Aristotelianism}}
{{See also|Avicennism|Averroism|Thomism|Scholasticism}}
In the [[Islamic philosophy|Islamic philosophical]] tradition some of the greatest Peripatetic philosophers were [[Al-Kindi]] (Alkindus), [[Al-Farabi]] (Alpharabius), [[Avicenna]] (Ibn Sina) and [[Averroes]] (Ibn Rushd). By the 12th century, Aristotle's works began being translated into [[Latin]] (see [[Latin translations of the 12th century]]), and [[Scholasticism|Scholastic philosophy]] gradually developed under such names as [[Thomas Aquinas]], taking its tone and complexion from the writings of Aristotle, the commentaries of Averroes, and ''[[The Book of Healing]]'' of Avicenna.<ref name="stanford.edu">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Spade |first=Paul Vincent |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2018/entries/medieval-philosophy/ |title=Medieval Philosophy |encyclopedia=[[Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |editor=Edward N. Zalta |editor-link=Edward N. Zalta |publisher=[[Center for the Study of Language and Information]] |date=2018}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Peripatetic axiom]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|2}}

==References==
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* Wehrli, Fritz (ed.), ''Die Schule des Aristoteles''. Texte und Kommentare. 10 volumes and 2 Supplements. Basel 1944–1959, 2. Edition 1967–1969.
** I. Dikaiarchos (1944); II. Aristoxenos (1945); III. Klearchos (1948); IV. Demetrios von Phaleron (1949); V. Straton von Lampsakos (1950); VI. Lykon und Ariston von Keos (1952); VII: Herakleides Pontikos (1953); VIII. Eudemos von Rhodos (1955); IX. Phainias von Eresos, Chamaileon, Praxiphanes (1957); X. Hieronymos von Rhodos, Kritolaos und seine Schuler, Rückblick: Der Peripatos in vorchlisticher Zeit; Register (1959); Supplement I: Hermippos der Kallimacheer (1974); Supplement II: Sotio (1978).

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|Peripatetic}}

{{Peripatetics}}
{{Aristotelianism}}
{{Greek schools of philosophy}}
{{Philosophy topics}}
{{Roman religion|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aristotelianism|Peripatetic]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in the 4th century BC]]
[[Category:330s BC establishments]]