Aesara of Lucania ( el, Αἰσάρα ''Aisara''; 4th or 3rd century BC) was a

Pythagorean Pythagorean, meaning of or pertaining to the ancient Ionian mathematician, philosopher, and music theorist Pythagoras, may refer to: Philosophy * Pythagoreanism, the esoteric and metaphysical beliefs purported to have been held by Pythagoras * Ne ...

philosopher who wrote ''On Human Nature'', of which a fragment is preserved by

Stobaeus Joannes Stobaeus (; grc-gre, Ἰωάννης ὁ Στοβαῖος; fl. 5th-century AD), from Stobi in Macedonia, was the compiler of a valuable series of extracts from Greek authors. The work was originally divided into two volumes containin ...

Life

Aesara is known only from a one-page fragment of her philosophical work titled ''On Human Nature'' preserved by

Lucania Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Brutti ...

, where she came from, was an ancient district of southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and part of

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; these re ...

where many Pythagorean communities existed. Aesara is counted among the Pythagoreans who were scattered after their expulsion from Crotona in the 5th century BC. It has been conjectured that her name is a variation on the name Aresa, who, according to one minor tradition, was a daughter of

Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samos, Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionians, Ionian Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher and the eponymou ...

and

Theano In Greek mythology, Theano (; Ancient Greek: Θεανώ) may refer to the following personages: *Theano, wife of Metapontus, king of Icaria. Metapontus demanded that she bear him children, or leave the kingdom. She presented the children of Melan ...

. A male writer from Lucania called Aresas is also mentioned by

Iamblichus Iamblichus (; grc-gre, Ἰάμβλιχος ; Aramaic: 𐡉𐡌𐡋𐡊𐡅 ''Yamlīḵū''; ) was a Syrian neoplatonic philosopher of Arabic origin. He determined a direction later taken by neoplatonism. Iamblichus was also the biographer of ...

in his ''Life of Pythagoras''.

Work

''On Human Nature'' is written in the

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

prose characteristic of the 3rd century BC or earlier, although that doesn't preclude the possibility that it was written later in an archaic style. It has been argued that the fragment is a

Neopythagorean Neopythagoreanism (or neo-Pythagoreanism) was a school of Hellenistic philosophy which revived Pythagorean doctrines. Neopythagoreanism was influenced by middle Platonism and in turn influenced Neoplatonism. It originated in the 1st century BC a ...

forgery dating from the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. Even so, this at least implies that there was an earlier Pythagorean called Aesara of Lucania worth imitating. It has also been suggested that the fragment is

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

ous and comes from a textbook produced by one of the dissenting successor schools to

Archytas of Tarentum Archytas (; el, Ἀρχύτας; 435/410–360/350 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, music theorist, astronomer, statesman, and strategist. He was a scientist of the Pythagorean school and famous for being the reputed found ...

in Italy in the 4th or 3rd century BC. In the absence of any strong evidence supporting either hypothesis, there is no reason to suppose that the fragment was not written by a woman philosopher called Aesara in the 4th or 3rd centuries BC. Aesara argues that it is by studying our own

human nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

(and specifically the human soul) that we can understand the philosophical basis for

natural law Natural law ( la, ius naturale, ''lex naturalis'') is a system of law based on a close observation of human nature, and based on values intrinsic to human nature that can be deduced and applied independently of positive law (the express enacte ...

and

morality Morality () is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between those that are distinguished as proper (right) and those that are improper (wrong). Morality can be a body of standards or principles derived from a code of cond ...

Human nature seems to me to provide a standard of law and justice both for the home and for the city.

Aesara divides the soul into three parts: the mind which performs judgement and thought, the spirit which contains courage and strength, and desire which provides love and friendliness:

Being threefold, it is organized in accordance with triple functions: that which effects judgment and thoughtfulness is
he mind He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
that which effects strength and ability is igh spirit and that which effects love and kindliness is desire.

These things, being divine, are the rational, mathematical, and functional principles at work in the soul.; Aesara's theory of natural law concerns three applications of morality, concerning the individual, the family, and social institutions. The Pythagoreans were notable as a sect for including women in their ranks. This did not necessarily equate to modern ideas of equality; they believed that women were responsible for creating harmony and justice in the home, in the same way that men had the same responsibility towards the state. Seen in this context, Aesara's theory of natural law is fundamental to justice and harmony in society as a whole.

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External links

Aesara of Lucania
a
Women-philosophers.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aesara 4th-century BC philosophers Pythagoreans Ancient Greek women philosophers Ancient Greek women writers 4th-century BC women writers 4th-century BC writers 3rd-century BC women writers 3rd-century BC writers Doric Greek writers Lucanian Greeks People from Basilicata Pythagoreans of Magna Graecia Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown 3rd-century BC Greek women 4th-century BC Greek women

Life

Work

See also

Notes

References

External links