Simon the Shoemaker (; fl. c. late 5th century BC) was an associate of

Socrates Socrates (; ; – 399 BC) was a Ancient Greek philosophy, Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and as among the first moral philosophers of the Ethics, ethical tradition ...

, and a 'working-philosopher'. He is known mostly from the account given in

Diogenes Laërtius Diogenes Laërtius ( ; , ; ) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Little is definitively known about his life, but his surviving book ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' is a principal source for the history of ancient Greek ph ...

' ''

Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers Diogenes Laërtius ( ; , ; ) was a biographer of the Greek philosophers. Little is definitively known about his life, but his surviving book ''Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers'' is a principal source for the history of ancient Greek phi ...

''. He is also mentioned in passing by

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

and

Synesius Synesius of Cyrene (; ; c. 373 – c. 414) was a Greek bishop of Ptolemais in ancient Libya, a part of the Western Pentapolis of Cyrenaica after 410. He was born of wealthy parents at Balagrae (now Bayda, Libya) near Cyrene between 370 and 3 ...

; a pupil of Socrates,

Phaedo of Elis Phaedo of Elis (; also, ''Phaedon''; , ''gen''.: Φαίδωνος; fl. 4th century BCE) was a Greek philosopher. A native of Elis, he was captured in war as a boy and sold into slavery. He subsequently came into contact with Socrates at A ...

, is known to have written a dialogue called ''Simon''.

Influence

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

reports that because youths were not allowed to enter the

Agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

, they used to gather in workshops surrounding it. Socrates frequented these shops in order to converse with the merchants, Simon being one among them. Simon committed these conversations to writing, as far as he could remember them. These were the first

Socratic dialogues Socratic dialogue () is a genre of literary prose developed in Ancient Greece, Greece at the turn of the fourth century BC. The earliest ones are preserved in the works of Plato and Xenophon and all involve Socrates as the protagonist. These dial ...

, ''

'', ii.123 Indeed, Simon’s excellence in the art of shoemaking would have been a form of expertise that Socrates, of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

's ''

Apology Apology, The Apology, apologize/apologise, apologist, apologetics, or apologetic may refer to: Common uses * Apology (act), an expression of remorse or regret * Apologia, a formal defense of an opinion, position, or action Arts, entertainment ...

'', held up as the only example of genuine knowledge.J. Sellars, (2003), Simon the Shoemaker and the Problem of Socrates. Classical Philology 98, 207-216. Simon's writings attracted the notice of

Pericles Pericles (; ; –429 BC) was a Greek statesman and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Ancient Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War, and was acclaimed ...

, who offered to provide for him if Simon would come and reside with him. The cobbler refused on the grounds that he did not wish to surrender his independence.

Postmortem

A number of later philosophers associated Simon with a certain philosophical way of life. The Cynics seem to have idealized Simon. Among the surviving

Cynic epistles The Cynic epistles are a collection of letters expounding the principles and practices of Cynic philosophy mostly written, rewritten, or translated, in the time of the Roman Empire, but purporting to have been written by much earlier philosophers. ...

, there are some spurious Socratic Letters, written in the 2nd or 3rd century, in which various pupils of Socrates, including

Antisthenes Antisthenes (; , ; 446 366 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and a pupil of Socrates. Antisthenes first learned rhetoric under Gorgias before becoming an ardent disciple of Socrates. He adopted and developed the ethical side of Socrates' teachings, ...

Aristippus Aristippus of Cyrene (; ; c. 435 – c. 356 BCE) was a hedonistic Greek philosopher and the founder of the Cyrenaic school of philosophy. He was a pupil of Socrates, but adopted a different philosophical outlook, teaching that the goal of life ...

, and

, debate philosophy from a Cynic point of view. Simon is described in these letters as an ideal Cynic-type figure. One of these letters purports to come from Simon himself, and is addressed to Aristippus:

I hear that you ridicule our wisdom in the presence of
Dionysius The name Dionysius (; ''Dionysios'', "of Dionysus"; ) was common in classical and post-classical times. Etymologically it is a nominalized adjective formed with a -ios suffix from the stem Dionys- of the name of the Greek god, Dionysus, parallel ...
. I admit that I am a shoemaker and that I do work of that nature, and in like manner I would, if it were necessary, cut straps once more for the purpose of admonishing foolish men who think that they are living in great luxury. Antisthenes shall be the chastiser of your foolish jests. For you are writing him letters which make fun of our way of life. But let what I have said to you in jest suffice. At any rate, remember hunger and thirst, for these are worth much to those who pursue self control.

In the '' Cataplus'' of

Lucian Lucian of Samosata (Λουκιανὸς ὁ Σαμοσατεύς, 125 – after 180) was a Hellenized Syrian satirist, rhetorician and pamphleteer who is best known for his characteristic tongue-in-cheek style, with which he frequently ridi ...

, a group of dead people, including the tyrant Megapenthes, are carried to the

Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

Charon In Greek mythology, Charon or Kharon ( ; ) is a psychopomp, the ferryman of the Greek underworld. He carries the souls of those who have been given funeral rites across the rivers Acheron and Styx, which separate the worlds of the living and ...

's boat. Lucian pairs his ideal Cynic, Cyniscus, with the cobbler Micyllus, who is the only one who accepts his fate – albeit with resignation. Here, Lucian follows a literary convention of his time by pairing a Cynic with a shoemaker.R. F. Hock, (1976), ''Simon the Shoemaker as an ideal Cynic'', Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies 17. 41-53. From influence of the Cynics, the

Stoics Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished in ancient Greece and Rome. The Stoics believed that the universe operated according to reason, ''i.e.'' by a God which is immersed in nature itself. Of all the schools of ancient ...

drew inspiration from Simon as well.

Zeno of Citium Zeno of Citium (; , ; c. 334 – c. 262 BC) was a Hellenistic philosophy, Hellenistic philosopher from Kition, Citium (, ), Cyprus. He was the founder of the Stoicism, Stoic school of philosophy, which he taught in Athens from about 300 BC. B ...

is said to have produced a collection of anecdotes about Crates.

Stobaeus Joannes Stobaeus (; ; 5th-century AD), from Stobi in Macedonia (Roman province), Macedonia, was the compiler of a valuable series of extracts from Greek authors. The work was originally divided into two volumes containing two books each. The tw ...

preserves one:

Zeno said that Crates was sitting in a shoemaker’s shop and reading aloud
Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
’s '' Protrepticus'', which he had written for Themison, the Cyprian king. In it he said that no one had more advantages for being a philosopher, for he had great wealth so that he could spend money on this activity and still have his reputation intact. And Zeno said that while Crates was reading, the shoemaker was attentive but all the while kept on with his stitching. And Crates said, "It seems to me, Philiscus, that I should write a Protrepticus for you, since I see that you have more advantages for being a philosopher than the man for whom Aristotle wrote."

Historicity

Doubt

Some scholars have suggested that Simon was a purely fictional figure. The central contention of his existence is his omission in the works of

, and

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

– the primary sources on Socrates. Other scholars, point out that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. If he is indeed fictional, he would have most likely been invented by Phaedo of Elis in his dialogue ''Simon'' - of which, only a few fragments survive.

Support

Archaeological investigations have revealed the remains of a shop near the Tholos in the southwest corner of the Agora of Athens which has yielded quantities of hobnails and a pot base with the word "Simon's" () inscribed on it. Skeptics assert that it cannot be certain if this is Simon's shop. In the

, Simon is referenced by

and

, and even partakes in the exchange. However, these letters are later Roman creations.Abraham J. Malherbe, (1977), ''The Cynic Epistles: A Study Edition''. SBL Within the ''Heracles'' of

, references Simon. Thus, it would be unlikely that he would be a literary creation of two early writers: Antisthenes, and

. In the recording of Simon's dialogues,

' lack of order and the repetition of some titles point against the works being fabrication. R. F. Hock concludes that the lack of information and interest on Simon the Shoemaker is testified by the fact that he "came to function in a very specific context" and he "was admired really only by strict Cynics."

Works

According to Diog. 2.123, Simon's writings were the first

. It has been suggested that all of his works could have fit under the length of two Stephanus pages. As with Simon himself, the reality of these lost works has also been doubted, but the lack of any order in Diogenes’ list and the repetition of some titles point against its being a fabrication.

lists thirty-three conversations (''dialogi'') which were contained in one volume. The titles of his works are as follows: *Of Being *Of Courage: three dialogues *Of Honour *Of Judging *Of Number *Of Poetry *Of the Gods *Of the Good *Of Virtue, that it cannot be taught *On Deliberation *On Diligence *On Doing Ill *On Efficiency *On Good Eating *On Greed *On Guiding the People *On Knowledge *On Law *On Love *On Music *On Philosophy *On Poetry *On Pretentiousness *On Reason, or On Expediency *On Teaching *On the Art of Conversation *On the Beautiful *On the Just: two dialogues *What is the Beautiful However, in recent times it has been argued that what Diogenes Laërtius meant was, rather, that Simon had been the first with whom Socrates entertained philosophical conversations.S. Molinelli (2018), 'Simon the Athenian: archaeological, sociological and philosophical remarks on a philosopher-shoemaker', in S. Pickup and S. Waite (eds.), ''Shoes, Slippers & Sandals: Feet and footwear in Classical Antiquity'', Routledge: 133-142, at 140.

Notes

References

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