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Philosopher

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Hypatia of Alexandria

c. 355–415 · Neoplatonism · Ancient

Hypatia was a mathematician, astronomer and Neoplatonist teacher in Alexandria, daughter of the mathematician Theon. She taught pagans and Christians alike; her student Synesius, later a bishop, wrote her admiring letters that survive. She worked on editions of Ptolemy's Almagest and perhaps on Diophantus and Apollonius, but none of her own writings survive. In 415 she was murdered by a Christian mob amid a political feud between the prefect Orestes and Bishop Cyril.

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Our main sources are Socrates Scholasticus, Damascius and John of Nikiu, who disagree on details.

No writings of hers survive, so the library gives no well attested quote. One misattribution card is included as a lesson in checking.

Start here

Edward Watts, Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher.

Separates evidence from legend.

Quotations

Key ideas

  • Mathematics and astronomy

    Commentary and editing of the great technical works.

  • Neoplatonism

    Taught a philosophy of the One and the life of the mind.

  • Public teaching

    Respected across religious lines in a divided city.

Major works

  • None survive ()

    Possible work on Ptolemy and Diophantus, known only by report.

Influences

Influenced

  • Synesius of Cyrene

Common misreadings

  • She was not killed simply for being a scientist; politics drove the murder.
  • The film Agora and many posters invent sayings for her.

Topic hubs

Famous lines Hypatia of Alexandria never said

Misattributed means the library does not treat the sentence as theirs. Questionable means there is a real doubt, which is not the same as a proof they never wrote it. Both are listed here.

  • Misattributed

    “Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.”

    Not from Hypatia. No writings of hers survive. The line comes from Elbert Hubbard's 1908 fictionalised sketch, where it is spoken by her father Theon to Hypatia: 'Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all,' said Theon. Later posters moved it to her.

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FAQ

What is the best book to start with?

Edward Watts, Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher. Separates evidence from legend.

What is the most famous quote?

This library does not measure fame. It also does not file a line for Hypatia of Alexandria that it is willing to treat as a settled quotation.

What is the most misquoted line?

The library marks this as Misattributed: “Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.” Not from Hypatia. No writings of hers survive. The line comes from Elbert Hubbard's 1908 fictionalised sketch, where it is spoken by her father Theon to Hypatia: 'Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all,' said Theon. Later posters moved it to her.

What is one key idea, in a sentence?

Mathematics and astronomy: Commentary and editing of the great technical works.