Ever since the first studies of Merkelbach and Burkert, Diogenes of Apollonia has always figured among the philosophers whose importance is considered to be a determining one on the Derveni author. Burkert's early study has already established the most obvious points of contact, and further studies on the papyrus have mainly taken over his conclusions.

However, two recent studies, the one by André Laks, the other by Richard Janko, have enlarged the scope of the discussion on the relationship between Diogenes of Apollonia and the author of the papyrus. The two papers, written independently of each other, consider the same basic question: what is the relationship between physics and religion in the papyrus? The two scholars come up with different answers, but Diogenes features in both. The Derveni author, according to Laks' interpretation, is an enlightened priest, who had developed a philosophically valid and interesting thesis by trying to navigate between Anaxagoras' Mind striving towards transcendence and Diogenes' completely immanent Intelligence. Janko, arguing from the opposing corner, tries to show that the Derveni author could well be one of the physiologoi, for ‘natural philosopher’ and magus are not mutually exclusive categories. Moreover, Janko claims that the similarities between the author's doctrines and those of Diogenes of Apollonia are so striking that the Derveni author might after all be Diogenes himself.

In what follows I shall propose a systematic comparison between the Derveni author and Diogenes of Apollonia. The focal points and the structure of the survey will be the same as in the case of Anaxagoras.