After a period learning Stoic philosophy from Panaetius in Athens, he spent many years in travel and scientific researches in Spain, Africa, Italy, Gaul, Liguria, Sicily, and on the eastern shores of the Adriatic. He settled as a teacher at Rhodes, where his fame attracted numerous scholars.
Leben und Werk
Next to Panaetius he did most, by writings and personal lectures, to spread Stoicism to the Roman world, and he became well known to many leading men, including Pompey and Cicero.
His works are now lost, but they proved a mine of information to later writers. The titles and subjects of more than twenty of them are known. In common with other Stoics of the middle period, he displayed syncretic tendencies, following not just the earlier Stoics, but making use of the works of Plato and Aristotle.
A polymath as well as a philosopher, he took genuine interest in natural science, geography, natural history, mathematics, and astronomy. He sought to determine the distance and magnitude of the Sun, to calculate the diameter of the Earth, and to determine the influence of the Moon on the tides.
Wichtige Fakten
- Born: January 1, 135 in Apamea
- Gestorben: 51
- Fachgebiet: Mathematics
Vermächtnis und Wirkung
The influence of Posidonius extends far beyond his own lifetime. He fundamentally shaped the foundations of modern mathematics, and his theorems and mathematical frameworks remain foundational to this day.
Though he passed away in 51, his ideas continue to be studied, debated, and built upon by scholars and practitioners worldwide.
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