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Theophrastus (/ˌθiːəˈfræstəs/; Greek: Θεόφραστος Theόphrastos; c. 371 – c. 287 BC), a Greek native of Eresos in Lesbos, was the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school.
Contents
Biography
He came to Athens at a young age and initially studied the Platonic Academy.
After Plato's death, he attached himself to Aristotle.
Aristotle bequeathed to Theophrastus his writings and designated him as his successor at the Lyceum.
Theophrastus presided over the Peripatetic school for thirty-six years, during which time the school flourished greatly.
He is often considered the "father of botany" for his works on plants.
After his death, the Athenians honored him with a public funeral.
His successor as head of the school was Strato of Lampsacus.
Interests
The interests of Theophrastus were wide ranging, extending from biology and physics to ethics and metaphysics.
His two surviving botanical works, Enquiry into Plants (Historia Plantarum) and On the Causes of Plants, were an important influence on Renaissance science.
There are also surviving works On Moral Characters, On Sensation, On Stones, and fragments on Physics and Metaphysics.
In philosophy, he studied grammar and language and continued Aristotle's work on logic.
He also regarded space as the mere arrangement and position of bodies, time as an accident of motion, and motion as a necessary consequence of all activity.
In ethics, he regarded happiness as depending on external influences as well as on virtue and famously said that "life is ruled by fortune, not wisdom."
