--- title: "Theophrastus (?372-?287BC) - IVU - International Vegetarian Union" description: "Theophrastus (?372-?287BC): Greek peripatetic philosopher, noted esp. for his Characters , a collection of sketches of moral types." url: "https://ivu.org/international-vegetarian-union/resources/interviews/2543-history-greece-rome-theophrastus.html" date: "2026-11-06T00:22:52+00:00" language: "en-GB" --- # Theophrastus (?372-?287BC) ![Theophrastus (?372-?287BC)](https://ivu.org/images/legacy/history/banners/history-greece-rome-theophrastus.png)Greek peripatetic philosopher, noted esp. for his *Characters*, a collection of sketches of moral types. | **Collins English Dictionary** direct link: [amazon.co.uk](http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0004704533/ivurecipesaro-21) **The Heretic's Feast**: A History of Vegetarianism *by Colin Spencer* buy direct from (USA) (UK)Extract from '*The Heretics Feast*' by Colin Spencer: We find a true vegetarian again in Theophrastus, Aristotle’s pupil. Born in Lesbos in 372 BC he studied in Athens under Aristotle and became his friend, travelling back to Lesbos with him, where Aristotle established a philosophical circle in Mytilene, the capital. It was here that Aristotle first studied biology and scrutinised the natural aims of plants and animals, for in knowing their final goals he believed that they could understand their structure and development. Perhaps his pupil began work on his own Inquiry into Plants and Growth of Plants, two books which have survived, but his own findings and thoughts differ from his teacher’s in quite radical way. He did not think that animals existed for the sake of humans, and thought killing animals unnecessary and unjust, and that the habit of eating them must have begun when war destroyed crops. If plants and vegetable food were abundant there was no need to eat animal flesh. Extract from a review of *Animal Minds and Human Morals - The Origins of the Western Debate* by Richard Sorabji. Review by Stephen Salkever: For Sorabji, the pro-animal side of the ancient debate, the side arguing that the gap between human and animal psychology is not so large, is best represented by various Aristotelians (especially Theophrastus, Aristotle's successor as leader of the Peripatos) and Platonists. | **Animal Minds and Human Morals: The Origins of the Western Debate** *by Richard Sorabji* buy direct from: (USA) (UK) Full Review A note on this archive. The history section of this website is drawn from a body of legacy content originally compiled by John Davis, former manager of the International Vegetarian Union. It represents his curation of historical material, and in places includes passages written by him directly. Over the years, the IVU website has migrated between several different hosting servers. In the course of these migrations, a number of PDF files were unfortunately lost, and **some links to PDF documents may no longer function**. Where this is the case, we have chosen to leave the original link text in place, as it may itself carry information of historical value. - Hits: 1705 ### Vegan Recipes - [![Cuban Black Bean Soup 2](https://ivu.org/media/zoo/images/cuban-black-bean-soup-2-1779552500_00f934e37343fcfc5a73f2bf1695d6e2.jpg "Cuban Black Bean Soup 2")](https://ivu.org/vegan-recipes-around-the-world/vegan-food-academy/front-page/item/cuban-black-bean-soup-2.html "Cuban Black Bean Soup 2") #### [Cuban Black Bean Soup 2](https://ivu.org/vegan-recipes-around-the-world/vegan-food-academy/front-page/item/cuban-black-bean-soup-2.html "Cuban Black Bean Soup 2") [Protein Rich](https://ivu.org/vegan-recipes-around-the-world/vegan-food-academy/front-page/category/proteiin-rich.html) [Cuba](https://ivu.org/vegan-recipes-around-the-world/vegan-food-academy/front-page/category/cuba.html) [Main course](https://ivu.org/vegan-recipes-around-the-world/vegan-food-academy/front-page/category/main-course-for-lunch-and-dinner.html) [Soups](https://ivu.org/vegan-recipes-around-the-world/vegan-food-academy/front-page/category/soup.html) [Caribbean](https://ivu.org/vegan-recipes-around-the-world/vegan-food-academy/front-page/category/caribbean.html) - 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[ pdf ](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutrition-articles/health-nutrition/250-2024-the-omniveg-study-health-outcomes-of-shifting-from-a-traditional-to-a-vegan-mediterranean-diet-in-healthy-men-a-controlled-crossover-trial.html) [ 2024 The OMNIVEG STUDY Health outcomes of shifting from a traditional to a vegan Mediterranean diet in healthy men A controlled crossover trial](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutrition-articles/health-nutrition/250-2024-the-omniveg-study-health-outcomes-of-shifting-from-a-traditional-to-a-vegan-mediterranean-diet-in-healthy-men-a-controlled-crossover-trial.html) Popular 2782 downloads - [ pdf ](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutrition-articles/health-nutrition/205-plant-based-nutrition-exploring-health-benefits-for-atherosclerosis-chronic-diseases-and-metabolic-syndrome-a-comprehensive-review.html) [ Plant Based Nutrition Exploring Health Benefits for Atherosclerosis, Chronic Diseases, and Metabolic Syndrome—A Comprehensive Review](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutrition-articles/health-nutrition/205-plant-based-nutrition-exploring-health-benefits-for-atherosclerosis-chronic-diseases-and-metabolic-syndrome-a-comprehensive-review.html) Popular 3834 downloads - [ pdf ](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutrition-articles/health-nutrition/204-2024-plant-and-animal-fat-intake-and-overall-and-cardiovascular-disease-mortality-main-folder-all-cause-mortality.html) [ 2024 Plant and Animal Fat Intake and Overall and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Main Folder All Cause Mortality](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutrition-articles/health-nutrition/204-2024-plant-and-animal-fat-intake-and-overall-and-cardiovascular-disease-mortality-main-folder-all-cause-mortality.html) Popular 4052 downloads ![](https://ivu.org/media/yootheme/cache/02/adult-guide-029d8cad.png)### The International Vegetarian Union’s Vegan Nutrition Guide for Adults In 2 versions: - [For healthcare professionals](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutritional-guide/the-international-vegetarian-union-s-vegan-nutrition-guide-for-adults-healthcare-professionals.html) - [General Public Edition](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutritional-guide/guide-for-non-healthcare-professionals.html) [Get it now](https://ivu.org/nutrition/nutritional-guide.html) ![](https://ivu.org/images/banners/booklet2.jpg)### Vegetarian Nutrition Booklet A Dietary Approach to Vegetarianism for Kids and Adolescents The intention of this booklet is present to kids and adolescents a healthy vegan diet [Read more](https://ivu.org/nutrition/vegetarian-nutrition-book-for-kids-and-adolescents.html) Vegan Nutrition ![](https://ivu.org/media/yootheme/cache/a6/logo_IVU_01_SLOGAN-a678b962.png) ### Presidents, Chair and Council - 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