When I teach about Greek philosophers, Diogenes is my favourite. Aristotle has his science, Plato his Republic and Archimedes his puzzle but Diogenes stands out for his wit, his dedication to the practical application of his philosophy and his sheer gall. From Alexander the Great to the men of Athens at large he had no respect or fear.
Who was Diogenes?
Diogenes was born in Sinope between 412 and 404 BC to the mintmaster of the city. He had to leave suddenly when it was discovered that either he, his father or both of them were debasing the currency of the city. He fled to Athens and criticised the conventions of the city. Athens was, in his view, a confused, corrupt and materialistic society. He modelled himself according to the example of Heracles believing that virtue was better as an example rather than a theory. This was in contrast to Plato and his abstract philosophy. When Plato defined a man as a featherless biped Diogenes mocked him with a plucked chicken, behold “Here is Platos man!”
He took to sleeping in a barrel and begging thus making a virtue of poverty. He would go around the marketplace and exclaim that he loved the marketplace because he liked to see all the things that he did not need. Sometimes he would roam the city with a lighted lamp going up to important people and sighing. Eventually someone asked him what he was doing and he replied that he was looking for a “honest man”. This made the Athenians very angry. They continued to be angry and bemused by this man who held their powerful city with such disregard. Athenian culture would eventually win the peace against Sparta when Sparta won the Peloponnesian War. Diogenes critiqued the commerce, he offended common decency, he scorned family and political ties to the point where he described himself as cosmopolitan even the wealth that was the driving force of Athenian culture. Life in his philosophy was free and simple when a man was living in poverty and not weighed down with material possessions. He even broke his only drinking bowl when he witnessed a slave drinking from his hands, he then cursed himself for holding onto an encumbrance.
He was eventually captured by pirates who sold him as a slave. When the auctioneer asked him what job he would be good for as a slave he replied that he would be perfect as a master.
In steps The Great
In Corinth Alexander the Great was excited to hear that Diogenes lived in the city. Alexander found Diogenes sunbathing and asked him what favour he could do for the great man. Diogenes replied that there was, “Yes, stand out of my sunlight!”
At one dinner party they asked him what they should do with his body when he died. He replied that they should not waste their money on a memorial nor their time on a funeral but rather they should throw his body in a ditch. Horrified, they responded that the dogs would eat it. He replied that if they put a stick in the bodies hand it would beat the dogs off if it were unhappy.
His disciples recorded his philosophy which was to influence Stoicism which is still influential to this day and I think that in our celebrity obsessed and materialistic society we can learn something from the notion that we would be freer if we held our stuff more lightly.