Greek philosophers
Bion of Borysthenes
Bion of Borysthenes was a Greek philosopher, orator and writer who was born in 325 BC in Borysthenes (on the northern coast of the Black Sea) and died in 255 BC. He was a representative of Hedonic Kynism.
Bion of Borysthenes was the son of a fishmonger and his father married a woman from a brothel. Once his father committed customs fraud, the whole family was sold into slavery. Bion was then bought by a certain orator, who liked him so much that he left him his entire estate after his death. After this event, Bion moved to Athens and devoted himself to philosophy.
He educated himself in philosophy and listened to Theodore of Cyrene and Theophrastus. Thanks to Theodore, he had a critical attitude towards religious belief. From Cynicism he adopted a critical attitude towards traditional ethics. From the Cyrenaic school he took hedonism as his own. Thus, Bion was not a representative of a philosophical school, but rather a learned man of letters.
Bion of Borysthenes is considered the founder of diatribe literature. This means that his works deal in a popular way with various aspects of practical ethics. He also used sarcastic jokes, alternating between a serious and humorous tone. In his lectures, he would even often make his listeners laugh. He is considered to be a forerunner of Lukianov.
After leaving Athens, he travelled extensively and taught philosophy. He lived for a time at the court of the Macedonian king Antigonus Gonatas.
At the end of his life, Bion lived in Chalkida. When he fell ill there, King Antigos sent two servants to care for him.