[25] Aristo, son of Miltiades, a Chian, discussed most fully by
Krische, Forsch. 405, known as the Siren, because of his persuasive
powers, and also as the Baldhead, was a pupil of Zeno (Diog. 37; 160;
Cic. N. D. i. 14, 37; Acad. ii. 42, 130; Sen. Ep. 94, 2), but is said,
during Zeno’s illness, to have joined Polemo (Diocl. in Diog. 162).
Although it may be objected that his teaching does not diverge in the
direction of Platonism, but rather in the opposite direction, still
Polemo’s contempt (Diog. iv. 18) for dialectic may at one time have had
its attractions for him. It is a better established fact that his
attitude towards pleasure was less indifferent than it ought to have
been, according to his principles (Eratos and Apollophanes in Athen.
vii. 281, c); but the charge of flattery towards his fellow-pupil
Persæus appears not to be substantiated (Athen. vi. 251, c). His
letters show that he was on intimate terms with Cleanthes (Themist. Or.
xxi. p. 255, b). His loquacity is said to have been displeasing to Zeno
(Diog. vii. 18). He appeared as a teacher in the Cynosarges,
Antisthenes’ old locality (Diog. 161), thus claiming descent from
Cynicism. Of his numerous pupils (Diog. 182; Plut. C. Princ. Philos. i.
4. p. 776), two are mentioned by Diogenes, 161; Miltiades and Diphilus.
Athenæus names two more: Apollophanes, and the celebrated Alexandrian
sage, Eratosthenes, both of whom wrote an ‘Aristo.’ The latter is also
named by Strabo, i. 2, 2, p. 15, Suid. Ἐρατοσθ. Apollophanes, whilst
adopting Aristo’s views of virtue in Diog. vii. 92, did not otherwise
adopt his ethics. His natural science is mentioned by Diog. vii. 140,
his psychology by Tertull. De An. 14. Since Eratosthenes was born 276
B.C., Aristo must have been alive in 250 B.C., which agrees with his
being called a cotemporary and opponent of Arcesilaus (Strabo, l.c.;
Diog. vii. 162; iv. 40, and 33). According to Diog. vii. 164, he died
of sunstroke. Not only had his School disappeared in the time of Strabo
and Cicero (Cic. Legg. i. 13, 38; Fin. ii. 11, 35; v. 8, 23; Tusc. v.
30, 85; Off. i. 2, 6; Strabo, l.c.), but no traces of it are found
beyond the first generation. The writings enumerated by Diog. vii. 163,
with the single exception of the letter to Cleanthes, are said to have
been attributed by Panætius and Sosicrates to the Peripatetic; but
Krische’s remarks, p. 408, particularly after Sauppe’s demurrer
(Philodemi de Vit. Lib. X. Weimar, 1853, p. 7), raise a partial doubt
as to the accuracy of this statement. The fragments, at least, of
Ὁμοιώματα preserved by Stobæus seem to belong to a Stoic. Perhaps from
the Ὅμοια come the statements in Sen. Ep. 36, 3; 115, 8; Plut. De Aud.
8, p. 42; De Sanit. 20, p. 133; De Exil. 5, p. 600; Præc. Ger. Reip. 9,
4, p. 804; Aqua an Ign. Util. 12, 2, p. 958.
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