Wybrane aspekty życia filozoficznego w dziele "Żywoty i poglądy słynnych filozofów" Diogenesa Laertiosa
Some aspects of philosophical life according to Diogenes Laertios’ "Lives and opinions of eminent philosophers"

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the problem of universal features of philosophical life, as depicted in the Lives and opinions of eminent philosophers written by Diogenes Laertios (2/3 century A.C.). The argument is focused on two specific characteristics of a “real philosopher”: his autarkeia, or self-sufficiency, closely linked with enkrateia (“self-mastery”), and the constancy of the chosen philosophical doctrine. What I propound in the article, is the interpretation of Lives as a well-thought-out project rather than a senseless compilation. According to this point of view, Diogenes, while composing his Lives, had a precise conception of philosophy (philosophical life), that influenced his choice of the sources used, anectodes cited, and stories made-up by himself. This proves fundamental, if one intends to find, in the immense amount of data in Lives, a “logical” and significant structure. What I argue for, is the existence in Lives of concrete features of philosopher and philosophical life, overstepping any boundaries fixed between schools of philosophy known to Diogenes. I regard the ingenious work of Diogenes not as a collection of anectodes, but as a testimony of a particular outlook on philosophers, as an item showing how some of the ancients of his time treated philosophy.

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