Tàntal filòsof? A propòsit de Diògenes Laerci 2.8

Abstract

A brief passage in Diogenes Laertius’ Lives and tenets of the eminent philosophers attributes Anaximander’s celebrated cosmology to the mythological character Tantalus, an assertion borne out by various scholia. This essay sets out a series of arguments in favour of the hypothesis that the origins of this curious doxographical attribution lie in a biographical use of material drawn from Attic Comedy, most likely through the lens of the criticism and mockery of Euripides and the intellectuals that were so prevalent in late 5th century BC drama.