Anaxarchus

Anaxarchus (c. 380 – c. 320 BC) was a Greek philosopher of the school of Democritus. He accompanied Alexander the Great into Asia, and his philosophical views suggest he was a forerunner of the Greek skeptics. Born in Abdera, Thrace, Anaxarchus's relationship with Alexander is described ambiguously in historical accounts. Some portray him as a flatterer who advised Alexander to be worshipped as a god, while others depict him as ironically critical of the monarch. For instance, when Alexander claimed divinity, Anaxarchus pointed to his own bleeding wound to highlight his mortality. He is also noted for earning the enmity of Nicocreon, the tyrant of Cyprus, with a joke. When captured, Nicocreon ordered Anaxarchus to be pounded to death, a torture he endured with remarkable fortitude, famously stating that Nicocreon was only pounding his vessel, not his true self. When threatened with having his tongue cut out, Anaxarchus bit it off and spat it at the tyrant. Little is known of his specific philosophical views, but he is thought to bridge Democritus's atomism and Pyrrho's skepticism. He shared ethical traits with Cynic and Cyrenaic schools. Anaxarchus studied under Diogenes of Smyrna and influenced Pyrrho to adopt a philosophy of agnosticism and suspension of judgment. He was praised for his indifference and sang-froid, earning him the epithet *eudaimonikos* (fortunate). His pragmatical skepticism suggested that given the uncertainty of existence, the best approach is to pursue happiness (*eudaimonia*) through indifference (*adiaphora*), deeming efforts to differentiate truth from falsity useless and detrimental to happiness. He wrote a work titled *About the Monarchs*, discussing the dual nature of knowledge. Plutarch also reports an anecdote where Anaxarchus told Alexander about infinite worlds, causing the conqueror dejection.