PERIPATETIC PHILOSOPHY (Lat. pert patctieus, from Gk. repttrarrirac6r, veripatetikos, given to walking about, from reporareiv, peri patein, to walk about, from rept, peri, around pa rein. to walk, from 7rdros, patos., path). A name applied to the philosophy of the school of Aristotle, derived, according to some, from the name of the building in which Aristotle lectured. As a school, the Peripateties had com paratively little interest in metaphysical problems, and spent most of their effort on the study of na ture and on an attempt to popularize the study of ethics. Some of them modified to a great extent the teaching of Aristotle, chiefly in a naturalistic direction. The later members of the school were in general faithful to hi; teachings. and derived much of their importance from their careful work in the arrangement and explanation of his writings. The two most prominent leaders, after Aristotle's death, were Theophrastus of Lesbos and Eudemus of Modes, Who developed his syllogistic methods of reasoning. and in the main did little more
than supplement his work. Theophrastus was suc seeded as head of the school in n.e. 288 or 287 by Strato of Lanipsacus, who held the position for eighteen years, and whose teaching was in the direction of a consistent naturalism. Andronicus of Rhodes, about 70 B.C., did much for the study of Aristotle; and to him is probably due the re ceived arrangement of his works. beginning with the Logic as a neeesoary foundation. The Peri patetics of the period following this, while they did much for exegesis, showed a leaning toward Stoicism, and by their eclectic tendency prepared the way for the combination of various systems characteristic of Neo-Platonism,