Did the work of the greek philosophers we know (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc.) survive because in their own time it was considered the very best, or was it by chance (and we may be missing something greater)?

by tontoreyimaginario

This always bugged me. Could there be greater (or equally great) philosophers whose work got lost, or did the greeks ensured that the "greatest hits" made it to the future? Thanks!

hillsonghoods

I discuss a similar topic in reply to this question: Was Aristotle really such a great philosopher, or is he mostly famous because of Alexander the Great?, through the lens of the third century AD's Diogenes Laertius, who wrote a book about philosophers. Hope that helps!