STRATON of Stageira (311 - 254 BC) was a Greek materialist philosopher associated with the Peripatetic school. An admirer of Aristotle, he was a proponent of empiricism and a fierce critic of philosophy that placed belief before observable truths. Though unpopular with many of his peers for his often acerbic personal manner, his commentaries on Aristotle were considered an important work. Much of his writing was lost in the destruction of the Library of Alexandria.