Philosophy Euclid of Megara

euclid of megara dressing woman hear socrates teach in athens, domenico marolì, c. 1650

euclid himself wrote 6 dialogues — lamprias, aeschines, phoenix, crito, alcibiades, , amatory dialogue — none survive. main extant source on views brief summary diogenes laërtius. euclid s philosophy synthesis of eleatic , socratic ideas. socrates claimed greatest knowledge understanding good. eleatics claimed greatest knowledge 1 universal being of world. mixing these 2 ideas, euclid claimed knowledge of being. therefore, thing exists , has many names 1 thing. identified eleatic idea of 1 socratic form of good, called reason, god, mind, wisdom, etc. true essence of being, , eternal , unchangeable. idea of universal allowed euclid dismiss not because claimed covered things on earth many names. euclid adopted socratic idea knowledge virtue , way understand never-changing world through study of philosophy. euclid taught virtues themselves, however, knowledge of 1 good, or being. said, one, can call several names, wisdom, god, reason , , declared, opposite of not exist .

euclid interested in concepts , dilemmas of logic. euclid , megarian followers used dialogue , eristic method defend ideas. eristic method allowed them prove ideas disproving of 1 arguing , therefore indirectly proving 1 s own point (see reductio ad absurdum). when attacking demonstration, not premises assumed conclusions attacked, presumably means tried refute opponents drawing absurd consequences conclusions. rejected argument analogy. doctrinal heirs, stoic logicians, inaugurated important school of logic in antiquity other aristotle s peripatetics.