Plutarch on Aristotle as the first Peripatetic

Abstract

This contribution focuses on the question of what place Aristotle occupies in the history of Greek philosophy according to Plutarch. Rather than placing Aristotle in the Platonist or Pythagorean-Platonic tradition, Plutarch regards the Stagirite as the founder of the Peripatetic tradition. Although this philosophical tradition clearly differs from the Platonic one, it remains fairly close to Platonism, so that it can often function as Plutarch’s privileged ally in his attacks against other schools.