The Philosopher Who Laughed Himself to Death

Of all the ways a philosopher might meet their end—executed like Socrates, exiled like Aristotle—Chrysippus of Soli chose perhaps the most unexpected exit: he laughed himself to death.

The year was approximately 206 BCE. Chrysippus, then in his seventies, had spent decades as the head of the Stoic school in Athens. He'd written over 700 works on logic, ethics, and physics. He was one of the most prolific thinkers of the ancient world.

And then came the donkey.

The Fatal Feast

According to Diogenes Laërtius, the ancient biographer who documented the lives of philosophers, Chrysippus was at a feast when someone gave his donkey wine to drink. The intoxicated animal then stumbled toward a fig tree and began attempting to eat the figs.

Watching this ridiculous spectacle, Chrysippus reportedly shouted to a nearby servant: "Now give the donkey a drink of pure wine to wash down the figs!"

He found his own joke so hilarious that he collapsed into uncontrollable laughter. He couldn't stop. He literally died laughing.

Could This Actually Happen?

Modern medicine suggests it's not impossible:

• Asphyxiation from prolonged, violent laughter cutting off oxygen
• Cardiac arrest triggered by extreme physical strain
• Syncope (fainting) leading to a fatal fall
• Ruptured brain aneurysm from increased pressure

For an elderly man already weakened by age, a fit of uncontrollable laughter could theoretically prove fatal. Medical literature documents several cases of "death from laughter," though they're exceedingly rare.

The Irony of a Stoic's Death

Here's what makes this death particularly bizarre: Chrysippus was a Stoic. The entire Stoic philosophy centers on emotional restraint, rational control, and maintaining composure in the face of life's absurdities.

Stoics believed that external events shouldn't disturb one's inner tranquility. They practiced apatheia—freedom from destructive passions.

And yet their greatest logician died because he couldn't stop laughing at a drunk donkey eating fruit.

Some historians suggest this might be exactly the point. Perhaps the story was invented or embellished by critics of Stoicism to mock the philosophy—look, even their greatest teacher couldn't control his emotions when it mattered most.

Alternative Accounts

Diogenes Laërtius actually provides two versions of Chrysippus's death. In the other account, the philosopher simply died from drinking too much undiluted wine at a feast. Less colorful, perhaps more plausible.

But history remembers the donkey story. It's too perfectly absurd to forget.

Whether literally true or an ancient joke at the Stoics' expense, Chrysippus's death reminds us that even the most disciplined minds can be undone by the utterly ridiculous. Sometimes life—and death—refuses to be taken seriously.