Lydus and the Philosophers

Throughout his books Lydus maintained a consistent view of the physical universe and the forces that motivate and determine human action within it. As with most other educated men, his knowledge of the cosmos was based on Plato, Aristotle, and their followers, whose doctrines had become standard currency. Lydus had a first-hand knowledge of some of their writings (he often quoted directly from Plato’s Timaeus and Aristotle’s de Generatione et Corruptione, for example), and he used secondary handbooks as well. ¹ He was familiar with a wide range of philosophical texts. ² Quoting the masters lent authority to his discussion, and through them he displayed his own learning and wide reading. This is not to imply that he lacked intellectual integrity. He simply was not interested in rigorous empirical investigation. Lydus had something of a “handbook mentality” that gave credence to the pronouncements of recognized authorities. The resultant farrago of quotations might seem at times to be confused, but Lydus was not indiscriminate in his selection of material.