![]() There is another darker retelling of Alexander the Great and Diogenes, once Diogenes was rummaging around in a pile of human bones, Alexander saw this and asked him what he was doing, Diogenes said “I was searching for the bones of your father but cannot distinguish them from those of a slave”.ĭiogenes also had an unfortunate run in with pirates, and was captured and made into a slave. “I suppose I would relax and enjoy myself” said Alexander, not expecting the question.ĭiogenes remarked, “ Why not save yourself a lot of trouble and enjoy yourself now?” This encounter continues, Diogenes asked the King what his plans are, and Alexander replied “I plan on conquering Greece, then all of Asia Minor, and eventually the whole world”, This reply made Alexander respect Diogenes even more, saying “ If I was not Alexander, then I should wish to be Diogenes”Īnd the philosopher quips, “ Were I not Diogenes, I would wish to be him as well”. Which Diogenes replied “ Yes, stand out of my sunlight” When he saw Diogenes hanging around the marketplace, sitting in his tub, Alexander stood before Diogenes and asked, as a wealthy and powerful ruler, that if there’s anything he can do for him, he needs only to ask, Alexander has heard of Diogenes’ reputation, and met him in Corinth. He is the equivalent of the ultimate internet edgelord in Ancient Greece.Īnother famous encounter that Diogenes had was with King Alexander the Great, one of history’s most famous bloodthirsty conqueror. He basically does not care at all on what the rest of society thought of him, and uses it to his advantage, making himself known throughout the cities. When he was asked if he believed in the Gods, Diogenes replied “ How can I when I see a god-forsaken wretch like you?”.Īnother incident was a man telling Diogenes that he would give him money if he can be persuaded, Diogenes said “ If I could have persuaded you, I would have persuaded you to hang yourself”,Īnd once when Diogenes saw that a prostitute’s son was throwing rocks at a crowd, Diogenes remarked “ Careful son, don’t hit your father” ”ĭiogenes was also famous for his cutting satire. Plato thought hard for a second, but Diogenes reached over, tapping Plato’s head with his finger, and said “I think you will find the ‘ emptiness’ here. “Where is the ’emptiness’ that’s in this empty cup?” asked Diogenes. “That’s because you have the eyes to see the cup,” said Plato, “but”, tapping his head with his forefinger, “you don’t have the mind to comprehend the`cupness’.”ĭiogenes walked up to the table, picked up a cup, looked inside and asked Plato, “Is it empty?” Plato nodded. Once Plato was discussing his theories, pointing to the cups on the table, he said that while there are many cups in the world, there is only one `idea’ of a cup, which he defined as a “cupness”ĭiogenes was present here, and said “I can see the cups on the table,but I can’t see the ‘cupness’”. ![]() Diogenes heard this and hurriedly rushed to Plato’s Academy, brandishing a plucked chicken, exclaiming “ Behold, Here is Plato’s man!” One time, Plato was trying to define a human being with the simplest term possible, he therefore defined man as a “featherless biped”. He was critical of his philosopher peers, mainly Plato (Socrates’ student). Unassumingly, Diogenes was a very smart man, having a sharp mind that can (and does) challenge and roast the most pompous of scholars and philosophers. When he was eating, a passerby by called him a dog, and Diogenes shoots back “It is you who are dogs, standing around and watching me eat my breakfast.” He lived in a tub in the middle of a marketplace in Athens, and his sole possession is a wooden bowl which he uses to eat and drink with, until he saw a young boy drinking from his hands, that he threw away his bowl, staying true to his way of life.ĭiogenes would eat and perform ‘bodily functions’ right there in the marketplace, in full view of everyone else, under the full pressure of the current societal norms and conventions. ![]() ![]() He chose to live like shameless beggar, criticizing those who have become superficial, delusional and vain. ![]() He has the most who is most content with the leastĭiogenes was an Ancient Greek Philosopher that is famous for his unusual outlook of life, Cynicism, which sets aside conventional desires for a simple lifestyle. ![]()
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