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324/321 BC), also known as Diogenes of Sinope, was an ancient Greek philosopher during the period of Classical Greece, and one of the founders of Cynicism.

Renowned for his ascetic lifestyle and radical critiques of social conventions, he became a legendary figure whose life and teachings have been recounted, often through anecdote, in both antiquity and modernity. Diogenes advocated a return to nature, the renunciation of wealth, and introduced early ideas of cosmopolitanism by proclaiming himself a "citizen of the world". Diogenes was born to a prosperous family in Sinope. His life took a dramatic turn following a scandal involving the debasement of coinage, an event that led to his exile and ultimately his radical rejection of conventional values. Embracing a life of poverty and self-sufficiency, he became famous for his unconventional, shameless behaviors that openly challenged societal norms, such as living in a large ceramic jar or wandering public spaces with a lit lantern in daylight, claiming to be "looking for a man", that is to say "for a wise man" (sophos). His memorable encounters, including that with Alexander the Great, along with various accounts of his death, have made him a lasting symbol of philosophical defiance to established authorities and artificial values.

Ancient sources disagree on who was responsible: some blame Hicesias, others Diogenes, while a further tradition asserts that Diogenes committed the fraud and fled, whereas his father, who oversaw the treasury, was arrested and died in prison.

When the slave escaped, Diogenes dismissed his ill fortune by saying, "If Manes can live without Diogenes, why not Diogenes without Manes?". Garcia Gonzalez has argued that this anecdote, like other stories about Diogenes, is symbolic rather than factual, using the names "Manes" and "Diogenes" as generic representations to convey philosophical ideas.

It is said that Alexander was so impressed by this—and by the arrogance and grandeur of spirit of a man who could treat him with such disdain—that he said to his courtiers, who were laughing and joking about the philosopher as they walked away, "But I'll tell you this: if I were not Alexander, I would be Diogenes!"

According to Roubineau, given the tomb at Corinth and the account of his death in the Craneion, it seems likely that Diogenes died in or near Corinth.

Laërtius states that Diogenes became a disciple of the original cynic philosopher Antisthenes (c. Socrates called himself a gadfly; Diogenes called himself a dog. Diogenes' philosophy was shaped by his status as an exile.

When Aristippus asked Diogenes what benefit he derived from philosophy, Diogenes replied: "The ability to be rich without having a single obol". Diogenes once said he was a cynic or dog-like because he "fawns upon those who give him anything and barks at those who give him nothing." It remains unclear whether Diogenes became a beggar before embracing philosophy or if he deliberately rejected working as a philosophical choice, though some credit Antisthenes with this influence.

The Cynic Monimus was the slave of a Corinthian money-changer who heard tales about Diogenes from Diogenes' master Xeniades. Hegesias of Sinope was a disciple of Diogenes known as "Dog collar." Philiscus and his younger brother Androsthenes were so charmed by Diogenes that they recruited their father Onesicritus to the Cynic life. In the second century BC, Hippobotus omitted Cynicism from his list of philosophical schools, but Diogenes Laertius (3rd century AD) later argued that Cynicism was a legitimate school of philosophy, not merely a lifestyle.

The fragment, part of a larger image of the legendary meeting between Diogenes and Alexander, was restored in the 18th century based on a medieval drawing, adding the figure of Alexander and a new head for Diogenes derived from a statue in the Villa Albani.

The Diogenidae family and Diogenes genus of hermit crabs have been named in reference to Diogenes's jar.

Quick Facts

• When the slave escaped, Diogenes dismissed his ill fortune by saying, "If Manes can live without Diogenes, why not Diogenes without Manes?".
• Diogenes advocated a return to nature, the renunciation of wealth, and introduced early ideas of cosmopolitanism by proclaiming himself a "citizen of the world".
• Diogenes was born to a prosperous family in Sinope.
• Ancient sources disagree on who was responsible: some blame Hicesias, others Diogenes, while a further tradition asserts that Diogenes committed the fraud and fled, whereas his father, who oversaw the treasury, was arrested and died in prison.
• His memorable encounters, including that with Alexander the Great, along with various accounts of his death, have made him a lasting symbol of philosophical defiance to established authorities and artificial values.

Source material: Wikipedia - "Diogenes". Adapted and summarized for DiscoverScroll. Original contributors are credited through the linked Wikipedia article. Read original on Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes were made from the original.