Person

Aristippus of Cyrene

c. 435 – c. 356 BCE · 4th century BCE

Aristippus of Cyrene was a Greek philosopher and pupil of Socrates who founded the Cyrenaic school. He taught that the pleasure of the present moment is the highest good, while urging self-control so as to master pleasure rather than be ruled by it. Anecdotes describe him as a worldly man who charged fees for teaching and spent time at the court of Dionysius of Syracuse.

Aristippus of Cyrene
Image: Gottlieb Friedrich Riegel (1724–1784) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Republic of Cyrene

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Aristippus of Cyrene. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aristippus-of-cyrene
MLA
“Aristippus of Cyrene.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aristippus-of-cyrene. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Aristippus of Cyrene.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aristippus-of-cyrene.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Aristippus of Cyrene’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/aristippus-of-cyrene (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻