ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 is devoted to passages written especially by the philosophers and pedagogues of Greco-Roman antiquity. The focus of the chapter is on how and why literary traditions concerning Alexander become a topic of debate in discussions about proper education, the status of philosophers in society, wine, anger, and self-control. The first subchapter deals with the literary tradition regarding Alexander’s education and shows that authors writing about this particular topic constructed their position as representatives of Classical pedagogy. The second subchapter shows that the literary tradition about Alexander’s encounter with Diogenes the Cynic and the Indian wise men was utilized to demonstrate the value of a philosophical lifestyle and to highlight the nature of a true sage for a contemporary audience. The third subchapter explains how the discourse against anger and alcohol employed examples from the past, and how the critical presentation of Alexander’s inclination to anger and drunkenness formed part of the strategy for discussing these matters. The last subchapter examines the way in which authors, with reference to Alexander, challenged and reconsidered the values of imperialism in relation to philosophy and the supreme virtues it espoused.
