Herillus (; also Erillus ; grc-gre, Ἥριλλος ''Herillos''; fl. 3rd century BC) of
Chalcedon (or
Carthage
Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...
), was a
Stoic philosopher and a pupil of
Zeno of Citium.
Philosophy
Herillus differed significantly from Zeno's teachings and held that
knowledge
Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distinc ...
(ἑπιστήμη) was the goal (τέλος) of
life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
:
Herillus said that the chief good was knowledge; that is to say, always conducting one's self in such a way as to refer everything to the principle of living according to knowledge, and not being misled by ignorance.[Diogenes Laërtius, vii. 165]
He said that there was also a second subordinate goal (ὑποτελής, ''hypoteles''). This subordinate goal was related to the Stoic term
oikeiôsis
In Stoic ethics, ''oikeiôsis'' ( grc, οἰκείωσις, la, conciliatio) is a technical term variously translated as "appropriation," "orientation," "familiarization," "affinity," "affiliation," and "endearment."Richter, Daniel S, ''Cosmopol ...
(οἰκείωσις): the primary impulse of living creatures. He stated that even people who were not wise aimed at the subordinate goal, but only wise people aimed at the principal goal.
Herillus was accused by
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...
of suggesting that there were two separate goals in life:
For we shall have to adopt two different plans of conduct in life: for he makes out that there are two chief goods unconnected with each other; but if they were real goods, they ought to be united; but at present they are separated, so that they never can be united.
Herillus also regarded the practicalities of everyday life, although necessary, as having no ethical value, because it did not contribute to the supreme good, and for this reason Cicero frequently associates him with the rather different philosophy of
Aristo of Chios.
Writings
Herillus is said to have written the following works:
[Diogenes Laërtius, vii. 166]
* Περὶ ἀσκήσεως – ''On Training''
* Περὶ παθῶν – ''On the Passions''
* Περὶ ὐπολήψεως – ''On Judgment''
* Νομοθέτης – ''The Lawmaker''
* Μαιευτικός – ''Maieutics''
* Άντιφέρων – ''The Adversary''
* Διδάσκαλος – ''The Teacher''
* Διασκευάζων – ''The Preparer''
* Εὐθύνων – ''The Corrector''
* Ἑρμῆς – ''Hermes''
* Μήδεια – ''Medea''
* Θέσεων ἠθικῶν – ''Ethical theses''
* Some dialogues
Notes
References
*
{{Authority control
3rd-century BC Greek people
3rd-century BC philosophers
Stoic philosophers