Diogenes of Sinope - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Diogenes of Sinope is said to have been a disciple of Antisthenes, a cynic whom Plato says in Phaedo was present at the death of Socrates. Diogenes, a celibate and a beggar who made his home in the streets of Athens, made a virtue out of extreme poverty. He taught contempt for human achievements and a return to animalism. His was a relentless campaign to "debunk" social values and institutions.
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The most shocking feature of his philosophy is his rejection of normal ideas about human decency. Performance artist, exhibitionist and philosopher, Diogenes is said to have eaten in the marketplace, peed on the man who insulted him, defecated in the ampitheatre, and pointed at people with his middle finger. Sympathizers considered him a devotee of reason and an exemplar of honesty. Detractors said he was an obnoxious ragpicker and an offensive churl.
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The stories told of Diogenes illustrate the logical consistency of his character. He inured himself to the vicissitudes of weather by living in a tub belonging to the temple of Cybele. He destroyed the single wooden bowl he possessed on seeing a peasant boy drink from the hollow of his hands. When asked how to avoid the temptation to lust of the flesh, Diogenes began masturbating. When rebuked for doing so, he replied, "If only I could soothe my hunger by rubbing my belly."
He used to stroll through the Agora at full daylight with a torch (or, as legend sometimes has it, a lantern). When asked what he was doing, he would answer, "I am just looking for an honest man." Diogenes looked for an honest man, and reputedly found nothing but rascals and scoundrels.
