Diogenes Laertius and women philosophers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14195/1984-249X_35_23Keywords:
Diogenes Laertius, women philosophers, philosophical canonAbstract
This article focuses on one of the primary ancient sources for reconstructing lives and opinions of women philosophers in antiquity: Diogenes Laertius. It aims to demonstrate that Diogenes provides portraits of women wich should be included in the philosophical canon and studied as part of the history of philosophy.
Downloads
References
BONELLI, M. (2021). Women Philosophers in Antiquity: Open Questions and Some Results. In: CHOUINARD, I. et al. (eds.), Women’s Perspectives on Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Cham, Springer, p. 3-16.
CLARK, G. (1988). Review of the book WAITHE, M. E. (ed.), A history of women philosophers, vol. 1: Ancient women philosophers 600 B.C.-A.D. 500. The Classical Review 38, n. 2, p. 429-430.
DANCY, R. M. (1989). Review of the book WAITHE, M. E. (ed.), A history of women philosophers , vol. 1: Ancient women philosophers 600 B.C.-A.D. 500. Hypatia 4, n. 1, p. 160-171.
DE CESARIS, G.; PELLÒ, C. (2024). Perictione di Atene (?) (V a. C. ?). Archivio delle filosofe Available at: https://www.openstarts.units.it/handle/10077/36658 Accessed in 10/2/2025.
» https://www.openstarts.units.it/handle/10077/36658
DELAURIERS, M. (2012). Women, education, and philosophy. In: JAMES, S. L.; DILLON, S. (eds.), A companion to women in the ancient world Malden, MA; Oxford; Chichester, Wiley-Blackwell, p. 343-353.
DELAURIERS, M. (2022). La querelle des femmes et l’histoire de la philosophie féministe. XVIIe siècle 3, p. 451-468.
DORANDI, T. (1989). Assiotea e Lastenia. Due donne all’Academia. Atti e Memorie dell’Accademia Toscana di Scienze e Lettere “La Colombaria” 54. Firenze, Leo S. Olschki, p. 53-66.
DORANDI, T. (trad.) (1999). Diogène Laërce, Vie et Doctrines des philosophes illustres, livre IV (Académie). In: GOULET-CAZÉ, M.-O. (dir.), Diogène Laërce, Vie et Doctrines des philosophes illustres Paris, La Pochotèque, p. 467-540.
DUTSCH, M. D. (2020). Pythagorean Women Philosophers: Between Belief and Suspicion Oxford, OUP.
FAIT, P. (ed.) (2007). Aristotele. Le confutazioni sofistiche Bari, Laterza.
FREELAND, C. (ed.) (1998). Feminist Interpretations of Aristotle Pennsylvania State University Press.
GARDELLA HUESO, M. (2021). Cleobulina of Rhodes and the Philosophical Power of Riddles. In: CHOUINARD, I. et al. (eds.), Women’s Perspectives on Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Cham, Springer , p. 31-45.
GOULET, R. (dir.) (1994). Dictionnaire des Philosophes Antiques, I vol. Paris, éd. CNRS.
GOULET-CAZÉ, M.-O. (dir.) (1999). Diogène Laërce, Vies et Doctrines des philosophes illustres Paris, La Pochotèque .
HADOT, P. (1993). Exercices spirituels et philosophie antique Paris, Albin Michel.
IZZO, D. (2023). Ipparchia di Maronea. Archivio delle filosofe . Available at: https://www.openstarts.units.it/entities/publication/ec12f920-9ac6-4e8f-89f2-9500de532e5a/details Accessed in 10/2/2025.
» https://www.openstarts.units.it/entities/publication/ec12f920-9ac6-4e8f-89f2-9500de532e5a/details
JUFRESA, M. (1995). Savoir féminin et sectes pythagoriciennes. Clio 2, p. 2-13.
KINDSTRAND, J. Fr. (1986). Diogenes Laertius and the Chreia tradition. Elenchos 7, p. 217-243.
LAPINI, W. (2003). Ipparchia desnuda. Studi dell’Accademia Toscana di Scienze e Lettere “La Colombaria” 211, p. 217-230.
MATELLI, E. (1997). Sulle tracce di Cleobulina. Aevum 71, p. 11-61.
MÉNAGE, G. (1663). Observationes et emendationes in Diogenem Laertium Paris.
MÉNAGE, G. (1690). Historia Mulierum Philosopharum Paris.
MIGLIORATI, M. (2020). Aesara di Lucania. In: BONELLI, M. (ed.), Filosofe, maestre, imperatrici. Per un nuovo canone della storia della filosofia greca Roma, Edizioni di storia e letteratura, p. 55-78.
MONTEPAONE, C. (a cura di) (2011). Pitagoriche. Scritti Femminili di Età Ellenistica Bari, Edipuglia.
O’REILLY, K. (2021). Women Philosophers in Antiquity and the Reshaping of Philosophy. In: CHOUINARD, I. et al. (eds.), Women’s Perspectives on Ancient and Medieval Philosophy Cham, Springer , p. 17-28.
O’REILLY, K. (2023). Arete of Cyrene and the Role of Women in Philosophical Lineage. In: O’REILLY, K.; PELLÒ, C. (eds.), Ancient Women Philosophers Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives. Cambridge, CUP, p. 96-113.
O’REILLY, K.; PELLÒ, C. (eds.) (2023). Ancient Women Philosophers Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives . Cambridge, CUP .
PELLEGRIN, M. F. (éd.) (2022). Repenser la philosophie du XVIIe siècle. Canons et corpus. XVIIe siècle 3, p. 401-509.
PELLÒ, C. (2020). “Non solo uomini, ma anche donne…”. La presenza femminile nella filosofia greca: il caso delle pitagoriche. In: BONELLI, M. (ed.), Filosofe, maestre, imperatrici. Per un nuovo canone della storia della filosofia greca Roma, Edizioni di storia e letteratura , p. 55-78.
PELLÒ, C. (2022). Pythagorean Women Cambridge, CUP .
PELLÒ, C. (2023). Donne pitagoriche (VI-IV a.C.). Archivio delle filosofe . Available at: https://www.openstarts.units.it/entities/publication/f9e34b22-fedb-4f9a-84e3-f3d722a54d1c/details Accessed in 10/2/2025.
» https://www.openstarts.units.it/entities/publication/f9e34b22-fedb-4f9a-84e3-f3d722a54d1c/details
SHAPIRO, L. (2022). Canon, genre et Historiographie. XVIIe siècle 3, p. 417-433.
SNYDER, J. M. (1989). Women Philosophers of the Hellenistic and Roman World. In: The Women and the Lyre Southern Illinois University Press, p. 99-121.
TUANA, N. (ed.) (1994). Feminist Interpretations of Plato Pennsylvania State University Press.
TWOMEY, R. (2023). Pythagorean Women and the Domestic as a Philosophical Topic. In: O’REILLY, K.; PELLÒ, C. (eds.). Ancient Women Philosophers Recovered Ideas and New Perspectives . Cambridge, CUP , p. 134-151.
WAITHE, M. E. (1987). A history of women philosophers , vol. I (600 BC-500 AD). Dordrecht; Boston; Lancaster, Martinus Nijhoff.
WAITHE, M. E. (2015). From canon fodder to canon formation: How do we get there from here? The Monist 98, n. 1, p. 21-33.
WARREN, J. (2009). Diogenes Laërtius, biographer of philosophy. In: KÖNIG, J.; WHITMARSH, T. J. G. (eds.), Ordering Knowledge in the Roman Empire Cambridge, CUP , p. 133-149.
WOLF, J. Ch. (1735). Mulierum Graecarum quae oratione prosa usae sunt Fragmenta et Elogia Graece et Latine Hambourg.
ZELLER, B. H. (ed.) (1984). G. Ménage, The History of Women Philosophers University Press of America.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Maddalena Bonelli
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Given the public access policy of the journal, the use of the published texts is free, with the obligation of recognizing the original authorship and the first publication in this journal. The authors of the published contributions are entirely and exclusively responsible for their contents.
1. The authors authorize the publication of the article in this journal.
2. The authors guarantee that the contribution is original, and take full responsibility for its content in case of impugnation by third parties.
3. The authors guarantee that the contribution is not under evaluation in another journal.
4. The authors keep the copyright and convey to the journal the right of first publication, the work being licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License-BY.
5. The authors are allowed and stimulated to publicize and distribute their work on-line after the publication in the journal.
6. The authors of the approved works authorize the journal to distribute their content, after publication, for reproduction in content indexes, virtual libraries and similars.
7. The editors reserve the right to make adjustments to the text and to adequate the article to the editorial rules of the journal.
