Zeno of Tarsus

Who is Zeno of Tarsus?

Zeno of Tarsus was a Stoic philosopher.

He was a pupil of Chrysippus, and when Chrysippus died c. 206 BC, he succeeded him to become the fourth head of the Stoic school in Athens.

According to Diogenes Laërtius, he wrote very few books, but left a great number of disciples. From what little is known about his philosophical views, he was an orthodox Stoic, but doubted the doctrine of the conflagration of the universe. This was a considerable modification of the physical theory of the Stoics, who held that the universe periodically dissolved into fire.

It is not known when he died. He was succeeded as head of the Stoic school by Diogenes of Babylon.