In other words, if somebody describes you as cynical, then it isn’t really much of a compliment! However, the term hasn’t always carried such negative overtones. Today, the term ‘cynical’ means something along the lines of ‘motivated by self-interest’ and/or ‘mistrusting of people and their intentions’. The Meaning of the Term ‘Cynicism’ Has Changed Over the Centuries Alexander visiting Diogenes, late 18th–early 19th century, author unknown, via the Met Museum. The four walls and roof of a regular house were luxuries he could easily forego.Ģ. He found a large clay wine jar to shelter inside and quickly realized that he could live in the jar quite comfortably. But when the friend failed to respond to his letter, Diogenes simply roamed the streets. He was banished from the city for defacing coins, and arrived in Athens with no prospects and nowhere to stay.Īccording to one source, Diogenes wrote to a friend of his and asked if they knew of any available accommodation in Athens. He was supposedly one of Antisthenes’ first pupils, eventually dedicating his entire life to the practice of Cynicism.ĭiogenes began this process when he first arrived in Athens after being exiled from his home town of Sinope (a coastal city in modern day Turkey). Diogenes was likely born around 404 BC and died in 320 BC. Only a few scraps of information exist today, but we can still piece together some of his biography. Most of what we know about Diogenes comes from later philosophers who didn’t know him during his lifetime. Diogenes of Sinope Was a Strange Man Diogenes by John William Waterhouse The Iliad is a great read, but reading about a figure like Diogenes is just as pleasurable. We have enough Iliads we need more volumes like this one. When I first saw this volume being produced, it was exciting to see a publishing house coming out with Cynic material instead of the next translation of the Iliad. The end notes of the volume are essential to grasping an understanding of the text and it is recommended that the reader cross-reference with the end notes for each passage. The material is made from actual quotes and snippets from the Ancient Authors themselves. Oxford has done a fantastic job in this volume of getting to the root of what Cynicism is all about without resorting to becoming a secondary source book. Because the book is constructed using aphorisms and segments of works, it makes good sense to categorize the pieces into sections like these, and it really streamlines the message of Cynicism a great deal. The Cynic perspective can be glimpsed from looking at some of the section titles of this brilliant (and brave) compilation from Oxford World Classics: The Sage as Beggar, A Shortcut to Philosophy and Virtue, The World of Illusion, Politicians and Rulers, Diogenes as Wit, Old Age & Death, amongst others. See his work here: What Is Ancient Philosophy? by Pierre Hadot If Ancient Philosophy was more about lifestyle (as Pierre Hadot would have it) than theory, Cynicism is a perfect example of a _living_ philosophy. Aristippus, who is part of this volume and compliments Diogenes and his Cynic gang, is a very good example of a lesser known philosopher who had a profound influence (think Epicurus) and is interesting in his own way. Traditionally, ancient philosophy has focused on the “big” philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, but that is doing a disservice to many other thinkers whose influence was quite extraordinary in its own light. It is critical to understand the Cynics and Diogenes if you want to understand ancient thought. If much of this seems to have commonalities with religious sects and their message, it is no mistake - Cynicism was a missionary philosophy (though not religious by any means). This is the only way to begin to cure the ailments of the world. The Cynics' job was to show others how to “See the world aright” and begin living in accordance with Virtue. Diogenes and his entourage made it the objective of their lives to provide an honest (parrhesia), prophetic, and corrective assessment of the world as they saw it - prideful, misguided, ill, clouded. Much of Ancient Cynicism can be encapsulated in the phrase “Coming to see the world as it is…”.
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