# Euclides of Megara — The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers character guide

> Euclides of Megara in The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the quarrelsome Euclides

**First appearance:** 0025-euclides

## Snapshot

The quarrelsome founder of the Megarian school, who turned Socratic dialogue into a weapon of eristic debate and paid for it with exile.

## Who they are

Euclides of Megara was a devoted follower of Socrates who, after the master's death, sheltered Plato and other Socratics in his hometown and built a school around the art of argument. He was known for his combative style — the kind of dialectician who could turn any conversation into a contest — and his willingness to defy the Thirty Tyrants, who forbade him to teach. His presence in the Lives marks the moment when Socratic philosophy begins to splinter into rival schools, each claiming the true inheritance.

## In the story

### [Book II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/chapters/book-ii)

Founder of the Megaric school; studied Parmenides; taught that the chief good is unity; hosted Plato and other philosophers after Socrates' death.

### [Socrates](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/chapters/socrates)

Listed among the four most eminent Socratic followers.

### [Euclides](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/chapters/euclides)

Founder of the Megaric school; studied Parmenides; taught that the chief good is unity; hosted Plato and other philosophers after Socrates' death.

### [Stilpo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/chapters/stilpo)

Stilpo is said to have been a pupil of Euclides or of his school, linking him to the Megaric tradition.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/characters/euclides
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/characters