The Philosophical Review/Volume 1/Summary: Gercke - Ariston
The Peripatetic philosopher, Ariston of Keos, and the Stoic of the same name, of Chios, have been much confused. In earlier times, writers followed the catalogue of the works of the Stoic (Diog. Laert, VII, 163), where a note is added: "But Panaitios and Sosikrates claim that only the letters are to be ascribed to him, the remaining works to the Peripatetic Ariston." Lately, writers have made Ariston's relationship to Bion the basis of treatment, using, however, the wrong Ariston. One learns of the Stoic best from Seneca, Epist. 94, which contains a short account of his teaching. Seneca says expressly, that this doctrine he describes belongs to Ariston 'Stoicus.' From the Peripatetic Ariston we have fragments of at least two works,—one on Old Age, and another on Characters. The last named was used by Philodemos in Bk. X of his de vitiis. This kind of writing is peculiar to the early Peripatetic school, and points conclusively to the origin of this work. Also the ὁμοιώματα Ἀρίστωνος is to be referred to the Peripatetic, although Wachsmuth, Zeller, Heinze, Hirzel, and others ascribe it to the Stoic; the content of some of the fragments, however, preclude a Stoic origin (Stob., Flor., IV, 200 Mein.; I, 263; III, 193). To the Stoic is to be referred the Protreptikos used by Seneca and Sextos; and to the Peripatetic, the writings, περὶ τῶν διὰ τύχην ὑπερηφανούντων, On Old Age, and at least partly, if not entirely, the ὁμοιώματα. The imitations of Bion are to be referred, not to the Stoic, but to the Peripatetic. Strabo mentions the Peripatetic philosopher Ariston as imitator of Bion of Borysthenes, and as a native of Julis in Keos. Comparison of the work on Old Age and the ὁμοιώματα with Bion, reveal that the former have much in common with the latter. The influence of Theophrastos is apparent in the work On Pride, in which the Peripatetic love of historical examples comes to light. If the character of the writings of the Peripatetic are so sharply distinct from those of the Stoic, one would expect that Panaitios would have been able to separate them. Not so. He ascribed to the Chian only the letter; and yet, of his Protreptikos there are still fragments extant. These belong to προτρεπτικῶν β of the catalogue; further are probably to be ascribed to the Stoic: περὶ τῶν Ζήνωνος δογμάτων and πρὸς Κλεάνθην.