TIL Hi, I'm Peter Adamson and you're listening to the History of Philosophy podcast brought to you with the support of the philosophy department at King's College London and the LMU in Munich online at history of philosophy.net.

Today's episode, Greeks bearing gifts. philosophy. that we've managed to get so far into this history of the subjects without mentioning a single fistbite. philosophers get into arguments, but usually without coming to blows. I will confess to wondering what might happen if they did.

The biographical compilation written in Antiquity by Dageniz-Learcius provides rich material

for the imagination here.

He informs us that Plato studied wrestling and that the very name Plato, meaning broad, may have referred to his muscular build.

By contrast, Aristotle is described as having slim legs and the affected dress of a courtier.

Diogenes leaves little doubt that if these two got into a fight, there would be only one outcome.

To paraphrase the Jock character, played by Emilio Estevez in the classic 1985 teen comedy, The Breakfast Club,

there would be two hits, Plato hitting Aristotle and Aristotle hitting the floor.

Sadly, but if we're honest, also rather entertainingly, the peaceable record of philosophers is now going to come to an end.

Two of the greatest humanists of the 15th century, Poggio Braculini and George Trappizuntius had a quarrel which escalated to the point that Poggio attacked George and tried to gouge out his eyes.

George retaliated with a punch and went for a knife chasing Poggio into a hasty retreat.

Later, George would complain to the Pope that Poggio hired a hitman to take revenge.

Not an edifying spectacle, especially from two men who devoted their lives

to the edification of their contemporaries.

Yet the event was entirely characteristic of the backbiting and rivalry that raged between humanist scholars.

In fact, the hostility with Ptojo is not even the most famous clash between George and another

humanist.

Better known, and more interesting, in philosophical philosophical terms was the conflict between George Trebizuntius and Bessarian.

This despite the fact that George and Bessarian had a good deal in common, both of them held from the Greek East. Ironically, the Sarian

was actually from Trebizond, whereas George was from Crete. He's often called George of Trebizond,

but the surname Trapezuntius just indicates that his grandfather was from there.

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