born perhaps 435 BC died perhaps 366 BC Greek philosopher Aristippus of Cyrene founded the school, based on prudence to temper the pursuit of pleasure to avoid discomfort. He, a pupil of Socrates, nevertheless adopted a very different outlook and taught the goal of life to adapt circumstances and to maintain proper control over adversity and prosperity. His pupils included Arete, his daughter. This son of Aritades in ancient Libya came present at the Olympic Games and fell in love with Ischomachus, the agriculturist, and so ardent a desire to see Socrates filled him, who went to Athens for the purpose almost to the time of his execution in 399 BC. [autho:Diodorus] dates him to 366 BC and thus agrees very well with the known facts and the statement of birth of Lais, the intimate courtesan, in 421 BC. This disciple of Socrates nevertheless wandered very far in principle and practice from the teaching and example of his great master. He lived luxuriously and happily sought sensual gratification and the company of the notorious Lais. He, the first such disciple of Socrates, also took money for his teaching and even told Socrates that he resided in a foreign land to escape the trouble of involvement in the politics of his native city. He passed part of his life at the court of Dionysius I the Younger of Syracuse, and Artaphernes, the satrap, drove the Spartans from Rhodes in 396 BC and also supposedly took him prisoner. He, however, at last apparently returned and spent his old age. Diogenes Laërtius tells the many anecdotes that no means give the notion of the mere slave of his passions, but from all circumstances of every kind, he rather took a dignity in extracting enjoyment and controlled adversity and prosperity alike. They illustrate and confirm the two statements of Horace that observed the precepts of Aristippus "to endeavour to adapt circumstances to myself, not myself to circumstances" and that, "every complexion of life, every station and circumstance sat gracefully upon him." Thus, reproached for his lust of bodily indulgences, he then answered that "it is not abstinence from pleasures that is best, but mastery over them without ever being worsted." When Dionysius, provoked at some of his remarks, ordered him to take the lowest place at table, he said, "You wish to dignify the seat." He maintained the same calm as prisoner to a satrap and enjoyed a banquet; a tyrant grossly insulted him with even spit, and his fellow pupils reviled him for faithlessness to Socrates. He seemingly insulted Xenophon and Plato, as seen from the Memorabilia, and maintains a discussion against Socrates in defense of voluptuous enjoyment, and from the Phaedo as a reproach doubtless mentions his absence at the death of Socrates only at Aegina, two hundred stadia from Athens. Aristotle too calls him a sophist and notices a story: Plato spoke with rather undue vehemence, and he replied with calmness. He imparted his doctrine to Arete, his daughter. Arete in turn imparted it to Aristippus the Younger, her son, who supposedly reduced it to a system. Diogenes Laërtius on the authority of Sotion and Panaetius ascribed authorship of a long list of books to Aristippus and says that Sosicrates of Rhodes states that he wrote nothing. People ascribed some forged letters.