Diogenes the Cynic

Source: http://philosophical-penis-jokes.smackjeeves.com/comics/1158148/cynic/

Diogenes the Cynic, also known as Diogenes of Sinope, was an interesting character in the history of philosophy. He lived in a barrel, preformed indecent acts in public, carried a lantern in broad day light and supposedly brandished a plucked chicken during a debate. With this information alone he sounds like someone suffering from mental illness instead of a man contemplating the nature of life. Diogenes however was far more intelligent than these anecdotes would suggest and his core principles are often overlooked when looking into Athenian philosophers. Diogenes believed in living a life of simplicity and without shame; that a man’s happiness required only his natural needs be fulfilled and that that which is natural can therefore not be shameful. He supposedly had begun looking for a place to live after arriving in Athens but it was taking too long and after seeing a mouse in the street he was inspired to live by adapting to his environment and took up residence in his famous clay tub.  He dedicated himself to a life with only the needs that he saw as naturally occurring.

Diogenes’s more dramatic actions were often done in satire of those around him acting in what he considered to be an overly prideful manner. His absurd antics were engineered with a point in mind, to mock the pitfalls of those around him. One of the wider spread stories about his comically scathing antics involves another famous Athenian philosopher, Plato. The story goes that Plato, when asked the question “what is a man” responded with “a featherless bipedal animal.” Diogenes was not satisfying with this answer so he supposedly took up a plucked chicken and brandished it about yelling “behold! Plato’s man!” Many of the stories of Diogenes pit him against Plato due to their differing views and he was even said to have crossed words with Alexander the Great. One such instance had the conqueror approach Diogenes while he sunbathed and offer him anything he wanted if he could only name it to which Diogenes told him to get out the way of his sun.

Alexandre et Diogène originally painted by Jacques Gamelin 1763

Diogenes was however a man of extremes and sometimes this lead to less noble actions like his tendency to urinate and masturbate in public. He claimed that if something is acceptable in private, it should be equally acceptable in public. The act itself does not change because it is being seen. In his mind, what he did was natural and by his own principles, that which is natural cannot be shameful. The many stories of Diogenes show a man who was firm in his principles, perhaps a bit too firm at times. He wanted for no material possession beyond necessity and saw those around him who clamored for needless things to be the real fools.

Diogenes was a man who stood by his view of the world and embraced humor and sarcasm to the nth degree in his interactions with others. In some ways, his satirical way of acting only further proved his point when facing off against opposing ideals. This kind of straightforward view is something that could be seen as refreshing to some people who are just beginning to explore philosophy and are expecting to be surrounded by the kind of grand and abstract concepts that only those who have dedicated themselves to study can reach; many people may even see philosophy as something that can only be conceptualized of by going beyond our world, like the teachings of Plato. Diogenes may not have been the grand thinker that the other Athenian ancients were, but his work is generally underrated because of his absurd actions.