He famously lived in a barrel and rejected material possessions, arguing that they were unnecessary for a fulfilling life. He believed that people should reject material possessions, social status, and conventional values, and instead focus on living a simple and virtuous life.ĭiogenes believed that the virtues of honesty, self-sufficiency, and independence were essential for living a good life. In this essay, we will explore Diogenes’s philosophy and its implications for ethics, politics, and human nature.įor Diogenes, the goal of life was to live in accordance with nature and to be true to oneself. He was a controversial figure who rejected traditional social norms and conventions, living a simple and ascetic lifestyle. When Alexander’s comrades, in response, rebuked or belittled the cynic, the king defended the old philosopher by stating, “If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.” Diogenes replied likewise-if he were not himself, he would wish to be Diogenes, as well.Diogenes of Sinope was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE. When the Macedonian king asked if he could help Diogenes in any way, the old cynic replied bluntly that Alexander could help by not blocking the sun while he was lounging. Even though he never returned to Athens, when Alexander the Great arrived in Corinth in the mid 330s BCE, Diogenes was back to being his old self.Īccording to legend, Alexander found Diogenes (who reportedly by this time was living in a pot) sunbathing on the outskirts of Corinth. He tutored the sons of the man who had bought him, and he remained in Corinth for the rest of his life. Despite being enslaved, Diogenes apparently was able to regain most of his freedom. Legend claims that Diogenes somehow managed to be captured by pirates and was sold as a slave to a Corinthian man. When he was asked what he was doing, he proclaimed that he was searching for an honest man, and bemoaned that his search was fruitless. Another one of Diogenes the Cynic’s famous antics was roaming Athens with a lantern during the day.
In one instance, Diogenes was so dissatisfied with Plato’s description of mankind as bipeds without feathers, that he marched to the Academy with a plucked chicken to prove his point that Plato’s description needed to be broadened. He often invaded hubs of commerce and conversation to challenge the locals. Though he shunned civilization, Diogenes was not always a recluse. Specifically, Diogenes had no qualm urinating, defecating or, ahem, ejaculating any other bodily substances in the streets of Athens. tubs, wine casks or large pots), and did all his bodily functions in public. Imitating a dog, an animal he admired greatly, Diogenes ate where he pleased, slept in any shelter he could find (ex. Possessions should be discarded, laws should be challenged, etiquette and taboos should be discredited, and the body, with all its various functions, should not be shamed.ĭiogenes the Cynic was a perfect model for his philosophy-he practiced everything he preached. There were three main tenets to Diogenes’ way of life: self-sufficiency, poverty and shamelessness. In Diogenes’ philosophical outlook, man should live as ‘naturally’ as possible. Diogenes the Cynic served as a quintessential example of a student becoming the master, for he quickly outshone Antisthenes through his boldness, wit and sheer determination to live life in a gritty utopia of counter-culture cynicism. Diogenes and his teacher, Antisthenes, became two of the founding fathers of the philosophical school of Cynicism.
Whatever the exact cause, Diogenes was expelled from Sinope and found himself in Athens with-reportedly-only a wooden bowl or cup to his name, which he soon discarded.ĭiogenes was heavily influenced by the acetic teaching of the Athenian philosopher, Antisthenes, under whom he became a protégée. In fact, most accounts of Diogenes’ early life claim he was exiled from Sinope because he defaced or tampered with the local currency. His father was a moneychanger, or a minter, whose business was in currency.
The renowned philosopher, Plato, supposedly described Diogenes of Sinope as a “Socrates gone mad” and Alexander the Great (according to Plutarch) honored the man by saying, “If I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes.”ĭiogenes of Sinope grew up in a wealthy household. His name was Diogenes, and he would go on to impress and astound many of the great names from ancient Greece. During the late 5th century BCE, one of the most bizarre men to have ever lived was born in the Greek-colonized city of Sinope, located on the coast of the Black Sea in modern Turkey.
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