![]() ![]() The question of happiness is almost completely left out of Diogenes Laertios' account. That possessions and dependence or fame are by no means paths to eudaemonia for the Cynics manifests itself expressively in the following quotation: "When one praised Callisthenes happily and said that he led a life of opulence and splendor with Alexander, he replied: 'The unfortunate one who has to be commanded to every meal only by Alexander.'" Now this clearly shows the tendency to self-sufficiency, the principle of the Cynics to increase their material asceticism to a form of autarky. He is even said to have begged a statue for a gift in order to practice the art of having something knocked off. Already Antisthenes is said to have carried only a stick and a cross-bag, which Diogenes tried to surpass by throwing away even his cup when he had observed a child drinking from his folded palms analogously he proceeded with his bowl. He is also said to have spent most of his life in the open air, and when asked for an ephod, he is said to have folded his cloak, as Antisthenes had advised him to do. Nevertheless, his interpersonal dealings come across as histrionic, cynical, and dismissive, which in turn highlights the exclusivity of Cynicism as depicted in Diogenes Laertios.Īnother point is the presentation of the material asceticism of the Cynics. The former was certainly a radical loner, but he was by no means completely closed to access to other people. Thus, one can definitely see a misanthropic, or at least a separative intention of Diogenes of Sinope, which is portrayed in Diogenes Laertios. His mockery was universal, however, and did not even stop at the greats of his contemporaries, such as Plato. Diogenes of Sinope also seemed to distinguish between people of higher and lower quality, which is perhaps best illustrated by the following anecdote: "Once he cried aloud, 'Heda, people,' and when they ran up, he worked them with his stick, saying, 'People I called, not filth.'" Thus he distinguished between the rabble and the people, which must not remain inexplicable, after all Diogenes of Sinope himself knew the status of the free, as well as that of the slave. His maxim to live according to nature is probably also the origin of the bizarre traditions about public masturbation or eating food in the marketplace. For example, he is said to have occasionally raised his middle finger at his fellow human beings or even spat at them. Thus, it is ultimately reported of Diogenes of Sinope: "He was particularly strong in making known his contempt to others.", so that he also did not orient himself to moral or legal norms, but strove to conform to the law of nature. The work in the following is also oriented on the points mentioned: Already the deliberate comparison of Diogenes of Sinope with a dog, which stems from the fact that already Antisthenes, his teacher, was simply called an accomplished dog (Haplokyon), as handed down by Diogenes Laertios, shows the demarcation to man chosen by the Cynics. In the presentation of Cynicism in Diogenes Laertios I would like to refer primarily to the described traditions of Antisthenes, the formal founder of Cynicism, his most important student and probably best known representative of Cynicism, Diogenes of Sinope, as well as his contemporary, Krates.Ĭonspicuous in Diogenes Laertios' portrayal are a certain form of misanthropy of the Cynics, their exclusivity, the inclination to asceticism, the question of eudaemonia, the eloquence, the attitude to the female sex and to one's own body, lust, the gods, as well as their inclination to cosmopolitanism. Representation of the Cynics by Diogenes Laertios ![]() This article is based on a comparison of the two texts "Diatribe III.22 On Cynicism" by Epictetus " Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers", 6th book by Diogenes Laertios (this is the chronicler Diogenes and not the Cynic Diogenes of Sinope). From a methodological point of view, no source criticism is practiced in the following, but the scriptures are taken at their word (sola scriptura). ![]()
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