Diogenes of Sinope was an ancient Greek philosopher and self - proclaimed " Citizen of the World " who , at unlike points , allegedly lived in a wine barrelful ( or peradventure another kind of jar ) , piss on guests at a banquet , and made a veritable practice of insulting famous figures and lecturing shoppers in the marketplace . Plato reportedly call him “ a Socrates gone excited , ” while twenty-first centuryhistorianshave compared his life to “ one longMonty Pythonsketch . ” But , though some believed him to be screwball , Diogenes was also one of the most respected and darling philosophers of the 4th century BCE , and one of the founders of the ancient Grecian school of ism know as Cynicism .
It ’s important to note , from the start , that there is a Brobdingnagian amount of historical speculation about Diogenes : The philosopher leave behind no first - hand accounts of his own lifespan ( or if he did , they ’ve since been lose ) , and his larger - than - life character has likely inspired plenty of apocryphal narrative over the last 2500 or so years . Nevertheless , the caption and legacy of Diogenes , as much as the existent soul , have trifle an all-important role in the evolution of doctrine as a subject .
Often said to have been born in 412 BCE in Sinope , now a city in Turkey , Diogenes seems to have had an unremarkable childhood . His forefather work with money — perhaps as a banker or minter . As a young man , Diogenes begin work with his don , but before long , the yoke had a aliveness - transfer brush with the law : For reasons now lost to metre , Diogenes ( or possibly his father , or perchance both of them ) begin defacing money . While some historians believe their motivations were political , others think the defaced coin may have been the solution of an incident involving the Oracle of Delphi . Either direction , Diogenes soon skipped town — perhaps because he was expatriate , or because he fled before he could be prove for his crimes .
He headed to Athens , the capital of Grecian philosophical system and acculturation , where he became entrance with the precept of a philosopher named Antisthenes who preach a life history ofasceticism and simplicity . Diogenes took those teachings to heart in a more extreme way than his teacher , renounce almost all of his physical self-command and embracing a life ofhomelessness . He took up abode in a cask ( some describe it as a jar , others as a wine barrel or tub ) at the Temple of Cybele . When he see a baby cupping his hands to drink water system , the revolutionary philosopher bedevil aside his own cup , remarking something along the lines of “ A child has beaten me in perspicuousness of living . ”
Diogenes began building upon the moral and political theory of Antisthenes , eventually develop a lived ism that was inspire by , but distinct from , his mentor ’s . That philosophy , which embraced poverty and reject the textile and ethnic trapping of Hellenic life story , came to be known as Cynicism .
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But the Cynicism of Diogenes was more than an austere motion . Diogenes did n’t just renounce possessions — he encourage salaciousness , break taboos , and was relentlessly and proudly rude . For Diogenes , honestywas a central value , and he saw Athenian conventions and fashion as a form of Trygve Lie . He was sound out to walk the streets holding up a standard candle or lantern and shining it into the faces of passersby , take to be looking for “ an good valet ” or a “ human being ” [ PDF ] .
He also make water in public . The philosopher believed that any human action that was look at natural and acceptable in private , like urination , should be acceptable in public space as well . He famously consume food in the marketplace , an act that was view taboo , and , when face , replied , “ I did , for it was in the market - place that I was hungry . ”
The philosopher wielded absurdity and wit like weapons , using them to interrogate conventions , and to make fun of the aristocrats , intellectual , and philosopher of his time .
On one function , Diogenes showed up at Plato ’s academy to repugn the famed philosopher ’s definition of a man . Because Plato had once defined a human as a “ unfeathered biped animal ” ( an intentionally all-embracing definition ) , Diogenes arrived carry a hustle poultry , call out , “ Behold ! I ’ve brought you a human . ”
On another function , a group of loaded Athenians at a banquet began throw osseous tissue at Diogenes , calling him a hotdog . Diogenes responded by lifting his branch and urinating on the banqueters .
In fact , Diogenes was often associated with wiener . He onceexplained , “ I fawn upon those who give me anything , and bark at those who give me nothing , and sting the rogues . ”The wordCynicitself is related to the Grecian watchword for dog , though it ’s unclear whether Cynicism is named for Diogenes ’s phylogenetic relation for the animal , or for his teacher’sacademy , which was call “ The Temple of The White Dog . "
A bust of Diogenes in the Vatican Museum . recognition : Getty Images
After years of torturing the cerebral elite group of Athens ( many of whom , it should be noted , really loved his entertaining caper ) , Diogenes end up in Corinth . To be more specific , he was catch by piratesduring a voyage to Aeginaand sell to a wealthy Corinthian make Xeniades . When asked if he had any science , Diogenes replied , “ That of governing men . ” Xeniades instated Diogenes as the private instructor for his son , and finally Diogenes became like a member of the kinsperson ( whether he was ever officially relieve is a matter of argument , though it ’s light he was allowed to do what he wanted ) .
Diogenes lived in Corinth for the rest of his day , where he continued to advance his philosophical system and know a life story of impoverishment . He is believed to have pass away in 323 BCE at the historic period of 90 , though like much of his sprightliness , the cause of his death is a source of debate . Some consider the philosopher was bite by a hot dog , others that he ate a spot of bad octopus , and still others that he held his breath until he died . Most historians , however , believe he likely drop dead of honest-to-goodness age - come to complaint . Though Diogenes had call for his clay be thrown to the hot dog , his friend and fans insisted he obtain a proper interment . His friends placed a marble column and a statue of a dog above his grave .
