# Stilpo — The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers character guide

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

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Stilpo the Megarian, wise Stilpo

**First appearance:** 0026-stilpo

## Snapshot

The Megarian logician whose paradoxes and unshakable calm made him a byword for dialectical shrewdness in the schools.

## Who they are

Stilpo the Megarian earns the epithet 'wise' for a logical sharpness that Diogenes treats as both impressive and slightly suspect, since Polemo warns that dialectical cleverness can coexist with inconsistency of character. He is the kind of philosopher who can out-argue anyone while remaining, in the eyes of the Academics, insufficiently formed as a moral being. His presence in the Lives dramatizes the running quarrel between logic and lived virtue that runs through the whole book.

## In the story

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

A Megarian philosopher; posed dialectical questions to Diodorus Cronus at Ptolemy's court.

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

The central figure of the chapter; a Megarian philosopher renowned for his eloquence, wit, and ability to attract followers from other schools.

### [Menedemus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/chapters/menedemus)

The philosopher Menedemus admired above all others, calling him a 'gentleman'.

### [Timon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/chapters/timon)

Timon studied under Stilpo in Megara early in his philosophical career.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_lives_and_opinions_of_eminent_philosophers_se/characters/stilpo
- 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