Sphaerus


Sphaerus of Borysthenes or the Bosphorus, was a Stoic philosopher.

Life

Sphaerus studied first under Zeno of Citium, and afterwards under Cleanthes. He taught in Sparta, where he acted as advisor to Cleomenes III. He moved to Alexandria at some point, where he lived in the court of Ptolemy IV Philopator.

Ideas

Little survives of his works, but Sphaerus had a considerable reputation among the Stoics for the accuracy of his definitions.
Diogenes Laërtius and Athenaeus tell a story of how he once saved himself from admitting that he had been deceived by a trick played upon him by King Ptolemy:

Writings

According to Diogenes Laërtius, Sphaerus wrote the following works:
  • Περὶ κόσμου δύο – On the Universe
  • Περὶ στοιχείων – On the Elements
  • σπέρματος – Seed
  • Περὶ τύχης – On Fortune
  • Περὶ ἐλαχίστων – On the Smallest Things
  • Πρὸς τὰς ἀτόμους καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα – Against Atoms and Images
  • Περὶ αἰσθητηρίων – On the Senses
  • Περὶ Ἡρακλείτου πέντε διατριβῶν – On Heraclitus
  • Περὶ τῆς ἠθικῆς διατάξεως – On the Arrangement of Ethics
  • Περὶ καθήκοντος – On Duty
  • Περὶ ὁρμῆς – On Impulse
  • Περὶ παθῶν δύο – On Passions
  • Περὶ βασιλείας – On Kingship
  • Περὶ Λακωνικῆς πολιτείας – On the Lacedaemonian Constitution
  • Περὶ Λυκούργου καὶ Σωκράτους τρία – On Lycurgus and Socrates
  • Περὶ νόμου – On Law
  • Περὶ μαντικῆς – On Divination
  • Διαλόγους ἐρωτικούς – Dialogues on Love
  • Περὶ τῶν Ἐρετριακῶν φιλοσόφων – On the Eretrian Philosophers
  • Περὶ ὁμοίων – On Things Similar
  • Περὶ ὅρων – On Terms
  • Περὶ ἕξεως – On Habits
  • Περὶ τῶν ἀντιλεγομένων τρία – On Contradictions
  • Περὶ λόγου – On Discourse
  • Περὶ πλούτου – On Wealth
  • Περὶ δόξης – On Glory
  • Περὶ θανάτου – On Death
  • Τέχνης διαλεκτικῆς δύο – Art of Dialectics
  • Περὶ κατηγορημάτων – On Predicates
  • Περὶ ἀμφιβολιῶν – On Ambiguity
  • Ἐπιστολάς – ''Letters''