Arete of Cyrene (or Arate of Cyrene) (fl. late 5th and early 4th centuries BCE) was the daughter of Aristippus of Cyrene, a follower of Socrates. Arete is sometimes described as the successor of her father as head of the Cyrenaic school, but in fact it is not known whether Aristippus himself or his grandson – Aristippus the Younger – was the founder of that school. Some scholars doubt that Arete was a philosopher in her own right, but there are indications to the contrary. Her son was nicknamed "Mother-taught" (Greek: μητροδίδακτος) and some historians say she was an ancient Greek philosopher who taught both natural and moral philosophy in Attica. Although she is said to have written 40 books, no fragments of her work or accounts of its content are available.
References
- Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey (1986). Women in science: antiquity through the nineteenth century: a biographical dictionary with annotated bibliography. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. ISBN 026215031X.
