Mad Dog Diogenes – Ancient Greek Cynic Philosopher

The ancient Greek philosopher, Diogenes the Cynic (c. 404-323 B.C), also known as Diogenes of Sinope, one of the founders of Cynicism and a contemporary of Plato and Alexander the Great, is best known for his radical philosophy and for holding a lantern to the faces of the citizens of Athens claiming he was searching for an honest man.

 

 

Diogenes was no ordinary run of the mill wise old man of ancient Greece, he was a controversial figure who lived his wretched life in a ceramic wine jar.

Known for his wit, satire and his disregard for anyone and anything, he had many labels:

 “A Socrates went mad”, declared Plato, “Diogenes the Dog”, exclaimed his fellow Athenians, others, less polite, called him a lunatic.

Today’s labels for Diogenes would most likely include; fanatic, extremist, bigot, activist, anarchist and yes, lunatic!

 

The Early Life of Diogenes

 

 

Diogenes was born in Sinope into an affluent family (his father, Tresius, a rich money-lender, owned the local mint), was exiled from Sinope for debasement of currency (Issuing coins of a certain face value but with less metal content than previous issues).

Some say it was Diogenes himself who did this, and that he was thrown out by his father, in fact Diogenes Laërtius , a third century biographer of the Greek philosophers, states that Diogenes himself, had “adulterated the public money”.

After being thrown out of Sinope, Diogenes made his way to Greece, with his man-servant, Manes, who, on arrival, promptly deserted him.

 

Diogenes Visits the Oracle at Delphi

 

Diogenes, having no idea what to do with the rest of his life, decided to consult Pythia, the oracle at Delphi, to see if she could enlighten him.

Pythia did not give Diogenes the answer he expected, she advised him to deface the currency!

“Well’, thought Diogenes, “I tried that and look where it got me, surely she means deface the political currency, I’ll head off to Athens and provoke the people there by challenging their values and way of life, I’ll stir them up big time!”

 

Diogenes in Athens

 

 

Before setting off for Athens, Diogenes had contacted a friend asking him to rent him a small house there, however, on his arrival, he found the friend had let him down and he was without a place to live.

Undeterred, Diogenes tossed his cloak into a large, empty, wine cask, near the Agora, the market place, and called it home.

Once in Athens Diogenes was drawn to Antisthenes, a philosopher of ascetic teachings, a school of ancient Greek philosophy known today as cynicism.

Initially, Antisthenes refused to accept Diogenes as a student, even going so far as to beat him with a stick in order to get rid of him but eventually was worn down by his persistence.

 Like Antisthenes, Diogenes believed in self-control, the importance of virtue, the rejection of material things and status and to live as simply as possible.

 

Origins of the Word Cynic

 

 

Today the word cynic conjures up images of grumpy old men or pessimists, however, back in the fifth century B.C, cynic meant something entirely different and was used as an insult against Diogenes and his followers.

The word “cynic” comes from the Greek word kynikos, (κυνικός) meaning  “dog-like”, which derives from the word, kyôn (κύων or kynos), meaning dog and was used to describe the dog-like behavior of Diogenes who lived in the streets, ate raw meat and performed his natural bodily functions in public like a shameless animal.

 

What is Cynicism?

 

No works of Diogenes exist today as he believed his teachings were better understood through actions and conversation rather than through the reading of books.

The philosophy of Diogenes, cynicism, was to live a life of virtue, avoid earthly pleasures, live in poverty as simply as possible and to achieve Eudaimonia (a state of well-being), through living life in accordance with nature.

This meant enjoying the simple things, being happy with the least; a sip of cool water on a hot day, the feel of the sun on your skin after winter, to live life in the now, for Diogenes, this was how to live the good life.

 

The Good Life

 

 

To bring about this state of simple happiness Diogenes insisted the masses, of whom he had a low opinion, calling them ignorant, obedient sheep, should break free from their chains of social norm, reject wealth, sex and power and get rid of their possessions.

Diogenes made a distinction between actual poverty and the feeling of poverty.

 In his way of thinking even Greek tyrants could be considered “poor” if they continually felt unable to meet the financial obligations of their social class.

Diogenes practiced what he preached, he lived in a wine jar and owned nothing.

After seeing a young boy using his cupped hands to drink water from a river he even threw away his wooden bowl, exclaiming; “A child has beaten me in plainness of living”.

 

Diogenes – Citizen of the World

The First Cosmopolitan

 

Diogenes, the first to call himself a “cosmopolites”, a citizen of the world, is said to have stated:

“Let the whole world be bed large enough for me, let me call the universe my home“,

and when he was called a lunatic retorted:

“I am not mad, I’m just different from you”.

Diogenes spent his days generally getting up the noses of fellow Athenians by spouting off in the marketplace and pulling stunts such as carrying a lantern in broad daylight in order to find an honest man.

 

 

Diogenes ridiculed customs and traditions, stating that anyone who attended the famous Dionysia celebrations were fools and  tried to force his ideas and way of living on whoever crossed his path.

He had total disrespect for the other philosophers of Athens, thinking them hypocrites, and loved nothing better than to criticize and embarrass his contemporaries.

He called Plato’s lectures a waste of time and after hearing Plato define Man as an animal, biped and featherless, Diogenes plucked a fowl and brought it into the lecture-room with the words;

“Behold, here is man”

 

 

Famous Sayings and Anecdotes of Diogenes

 

 

Whilst watching a bungling bowman at an archery contest Diogenes went and sat next to the target explaining that it was the only place where he felt safe.

When Diogenes noticed a prostitute’s son throwing stones at a crowd and said to him:

“Be careful boy, you might hit your father” and after being reproached for masturbating in public, Diogenes answered:

‘If only it was as easy to banish hunger by rubbing the belly as it is to masturbate”.

 When asked which wine he preferred, “That for which other people pay”, was his answer.

Diogenes requested that when he died he be buried face downwards because the Macedonians were rising in power so quickly that the World would soon be turned upside down and then he would be facing the right way up.

 

Life in Corinth

 

 

How and why Diogenes ended up in Corinth is not clear.

Some accounts tell us he had made a habit of spending his winters in Athens and summers in Corinth.

Another story claims that on a trip to visit Aegina, he was captured by pirates who then took him to Crete where he was sold in a slave market to Xeniades, a Corinthian.

Seeing Xeniades among the other bidders, Diogenes is reported to have turned to the auctioneer and said, “Sell me to him; he needs a master”.

When the slave auctioneer asked in what he was proficient, he is said to have replied, “In ruling men.”

 

Diogenes Meets Alexander the Great

 

 

Whilst in Corinth Diogenes is said to have been visited by Alexander the Great, who had heard of his reputation.

Alexander offered Diogenes anything his heart desired, to which Diogenes answered:

“Move a little to the right, you are blocking my sun”

Apparently Alexander was so overcome by the arrogance and the spirit of this man who could treat him with such disdain, that he said to his courtiers, who were taunting and joking at the philosopher:

“I’ll tell you this, if I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes!”

To which Diogenes replied:

“If I were not Diogenes, I would still wish to be Diogenes”.

 

 

The Death of Diogenes

 

Diogenes is thought to have lived the rest of his life in Corinth with Xeniades, who had put Diogenes in charge of tutoring his young sons.

After being freed by Xeniades, it is reported that he stayed in Corinth, living in a cypress grove on the outskirts of the city overlooking the harbor and died there at around the age of ninety.

 Diogene’s death, of course, could be nothing normal, after all, nothing in his life was classed as normal.

There are various stories, one that he decided to die, so just held his breath and that was that, another story has him dying from eating raw octopus and yet another states he died from an infected dog bite.

Diogenes is said to have left instructions to be thrown outside the city wall on his death so wild animals could feast on his body.

 

Original Anarchist and Ultimate Activist

 

 

After reading the above thoughts, lifestyle and general goings on of Diogenes the Cynic, I’m sure you can understand why I think of him as the original anarchist and ultimate activist!

I’m sure, that if I could go back in time and meet this mad dog called Diogenes, I would absolutely adore him!