The History and Impact of Diogenes the Cynic - Ryan Steadman

The History and Impact of Diogenes the Cynic

Diogenes the Cynic, or Diogenes of Sinope, is a critical philosopher to study in any search for historical philosophers. Diogenes' story is further important to any study of the origins of cynicism, an important lane of philosophy as a whole which would later give rise or partial assistance to others, such as stoicism. Cynics and cynicism as a practice and methodology of thought rose with Diogenes himself (as the most common theories state), in the time of philosophers such as Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato. It was considered the shortcut to virtue by its practitioners, though not easily achieved or stuck to.

As with many other philosophers, the trend of butting heads over issues of free will, a proper existence, and finding meaning was retained with Diogenes. Unlike his peers, Diogenes tended to have a "bite" to his words, and allegedly, could have a physical bite as well. Before that, we should study his beginnings.

Above is an illustrated an animated video pertaining to Diogenes and the history of Cynicism.

Early Life

Diogenes was born on the year of 412 BC. His origin was the colony Sinope, under Greece, which became his identifying factor despite his later avoidance of a place of belonging, calling himself a "citizen of the world". Which in this context is rather ironic, considering how he is addressed...

Diogenes was the son of a man named Hicesias, who was a banker in Sinope. Though there is not a large amount of established record of his life, especially before his adulthood, it is largely assumed that Diogenes himself also participated in banking, either as a career or to help his father. This familial career would not last, apparently, as for some reason, Diogenes was soon no longer permitted within his home colony. 

Speculation is somewhat varied on the actual reason for Diogenes' banishment from the city of Sinope, but two prominent theories are as follows: 

The first theory (and perhaps a less believable theory) stated that Diogenes took a trip to visit the Oracle at Delphi, (an extremely prominent position for fourteen centuries that dictated the paths of empires) and was told that he should "deface the currency". After doing so, defacing the currency that he and his father worked on, he was removed from Sinope and 'realized' that the oracle had actually meant for him to deface the political value of the currency, hence his quest to destroy customs and certain societal values, later becoming his philosophy. 

The second theory states that similarly, Diogenes defaced the currency. This act was proven by coins found marked with the name Hicesias as the official that minted them being defaced around a chisel stamp. The second theory, however, is that the destruction of these coins was either due to a political message or more simply that Diogenes did so with his father for reasons still unknown or impulsive.

Athens and Later Life

Diogenes arrived in Athens after his banishment, allegedly coming with one slave who promptly abandoned him on arrival, leaving the man essentially penniless and worthless in the society he arrived at. Apparently, this slave was named Manes, leading to the quote "If Manes can live without Diogenes, why not Diogenes without Manes?", an interaction that plays out in surprising amounts of modern media. 

Diogenes would take this joking mentality and apparent willingness to deal with hardship into his personality for the rest of his future. On his arrival to Athens (once he was without any physical or intangible resources left to his name), Diogenes took to destroying the figurative coins of society rather than the physical currency that he had already defaced. By this, Diogenes meant to destroy the customs and regularities that ran society. 

Diogenes would soon be attracted, with this mindset, to the teachings of Antisthenes, who was both a student/peer of Socrates as well as the first generally recognized cynic aside from Diogenes himself due to Diogenes soon surpassing him in fame and widespread sensationalism. 

It is actually debated on whether he ever came into direct contact with Antisthenes, but regardless, Diogenes' take on cynicism blew up especially because of his action. Diogenes practiced what he preached, and did so publicly. Diogenes lived not in a home, but in a tub outside the temple of Cybele. This simple life left him completely exposed to the elements as well as the people of Athens, neither of which would be particularly pleasant to the average man, much less the "dog", and yet Diogenes lived as such to the age of 89. 

Shenanigans, Mischief, and Tomfoolery

Truly, many of the activities that Diogenes took part in as "Diogenes the dog" could be described by the header. To us, many seem humorous or confusing, as they were perceived by many at the time. Nonetheless, Diogenes and his antics did carry philosophical weight rather than being the insane rantings and offensive activities of a genuine madman (though you could be easily excused for assuming the latter was true either way). 

Diogenes was reported to have committed to antics and behavior generally condemned by society. Of course, these included primarily committing to every act in public, including but certainly not limited to eating in areas such as the marketplace, sleeping or living wherever he pleased, going to the bathroom out of the bathroom, and pleasing himself wherever he pleased. With these customs especially, it is clear that while his take is interesting, he was unable to achieve his goal, as if you were to see someone eating a head of lettuce in the Wal-Mart produce section you would still be weirded out, those seen relieving themselves on the street tend to be arrested immediately, and 'other activities' being equally condemned. 

Regardless, other actions exceeded these in fame and impact. Diogenes the dog's most famous act was to defy Plato's definition of humans as "featherless bipeds" by presenting a plucked chicken to his philosopher peer and his class, declaring "Behold! I've brought you a man!" This act became well known even among non-philosophers and the child populace, spawning countless online jokes, poorly crafted tee-shirts, and discussions due to the apparent humor of the situation. Due to this, Diogenes is arguably one of the more well-known philosophers among younger generations and those online.

Diogenes additionally was known to have commonly walked the streets of Athens, waving a lantern and declaring that he was searching for an "honest man", as well as simply a "human being", seemingly only able to find rascals and scoundrels. Finally, he met with Alexander the Great, who himself had been tutored in Philosophy. Alexander offered Diogenes anything he wanted (though some consider this a test, if Alexander had been a fan of Diogenes' philosophy and his apparent lack of desire for possessions or power, Diogenes taking this favor would be a direct move against his own values and pure hypocrisy.) Diogenes replied that he wished that Alexander would "Stand out of (his) sunlight". Alexander remarked that if he had to be someone else, he would choose the cynic. Diogenes replied that if he was someone else, he would also choose to be Diogenes.

Death

Diogenes would die at the incredible and still above average age of 89 in the year 323 BC. The accurate cause of his death is unknown; however, theories abound. These include his death to an infected dog bite (too symbolic for my personal belief), consumption of raw octopus, or that Diogenes himself simply chose to die and held his breath. His final instructions when the subject of death came were that in the case of his demise, the philosopher wished to be deposited outside the city, allowing the animals and nature to reclaim his body and to return what was once nature back to nature, and to strike one final blow to conventional values and "proper" treatment of the dead.