It was this determination to follow his own dictates and not adhere to the conventions of society that he was given the nickname of “dog,” from which the name “cynic” is derived. He believed that personal happiness is satisfied by meeting one’s natural needs and that what is natural cannot be shameful His life, therefore, was lived with extreme simplicity and without shame. He is credited with his massive contributions to the philosophy of cynicism a Greek philosophical sect that stressed stoic self sufficiency and the rejection of luxury. He was born in Sinope, an Ionian colony on the Black Sea. Taking this (rather valid) feedback on board, Plato and his pals added “with broad flat nails” to their definition of a man.Diogenes, also known as Diogenes the Cynic, was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy. Not to be outdone, Diogenes plucked a chicken and strolled into the academy, yelling, “Behold, I have brought you a man.” No word on whether this one was honest. Being rather tongue-in-cheek, Plato responded with “A featherless biped.” Which apparently passed for humour in Athens at the time. At some point in Athens, Plato was asked to describe a man. Perhaps the most famous story about Diogenes involves a chicken. When asked why he was doing this, Diogenes responded, “I do not want to be thought the only idler in such a busy multitude I am rolling my tub to be like the rest.”īut you know, in Ancient Greek… Who are you calling a chicken? He got up and started to push his jar/home around with no particular aim in mind. When the city burst into a flurry of activity (I assume they were all hanging bunting and desperately trying to recall the second verse of the national anthem), Diogenes was found not wanting. King Philip II of Macedon (who had a rather famous son named Alex), popped round to Corinth for a cuppa and a chat (I assume).
During his time in Corinth, a rather important man came to visit the city. He continued to yell at random passers-by and by many reports managed to find himself a new pot to sleep in.
Where did diogenes live free#
Once in Corinth, Diogenes did what he did best – he tutored his owner’s sons and was apparently set free at some point. Oh and being one of the three founding fathers of Cynicism.īut it wasn’t all fun and games, as Diogenes found himself captured by pirates and sold into slavery, winding up in the city of Corinth as a teacher (a fate worse than death).
Such as carrying a lamp around during the day, claiming he was looking for an honest man. Diogenes believed that if you were virtuous, it would be better shown in your actions and not your words, just like his hero Heracles (or Hercules if you insist on the Roman version.)īut Diogenes didn’t spend all of his time in Athens sleeping in his ceramic cave like an alcoholic hermit crab. I could understand if he’d been forced to empty it all by himself, but apparently that wasn’t the case. This thinker of the ages lived in an old wine pot in the market at Athens. So what separated Diogenes from Socrates and Plato? Well, for starters, he spent a fairly large portion of his life living in a pot. Living in pot – living in a baked clay pot (I’m looking at you, Pythagoras.) But they weren’t all that way, if indeed any of them really were.īut when you’re talking about the more unusual philosophers, you can’t get further from the image than Diogenes, who was born in modern day Turkey in 412 or 404 BC and died at Corinth in 323 BC (spoilers). Greek philosopher… Those words immediately summon to mind the image of a regal figure dressed in a dashing toga, putting the world to rights or ruining mathematics for everyone by coming up with a ridiculously convoluted way to see if your ladder is long enough. They’ve also given us quite a few philosophers over the years. When you think of Greece, a few things probably come to mind – sunshine, beaches, feta.
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