![]() ![]() Happiness cannot be attained as long as we fail to understand its nature so the aim of philosophy must be the correct understanding happiness.ĥ. Live each moment as if it were the only moment of life life is short and ephemeral.Ĥ. In our endeavor to make sense of human existence, we must direct our attention primarily to the physical world because we are primarily physical beings.ģ. The one and only object of philosophy is human existence, and any other object can only be a source of distraction and an inconsequential way to satisfy the unhealthy sense of curiosity that afflicts human beings.Ģ. Navia, this bizarre behavior was based on philosophical principles. (Navia is author of Diogenes the Cynic (Humanities, 2005) and a number of other works on Diogenes and other topics in classical philosophy.) Navia provides us with the twelve main tenets of Diogenes philosophy:ġ. Asked by Alexander what he could do for him, Diogenes said, “Move so you don’t block the sun." He rejected offers of friendship. Once he asked Plato for some wine and figs. Plato sent a whole jug of wine. Diogenes complained scathingly, accusing Plato of having no sense whatsoever, to send more than he needed or asked for. Hemasturbated, urinated, defecated, and had intercourse in public, basically having no use whatsoever for social conventions and rules. He said the cure to Oedipus’ problems would be to legalize incest. If Diogenes did write anything, it hasn't survived.Īfter Diogenes, the school split into two streams, one emphasizing Diogenes-like behavior, the other, which led to Stoicism, developing his ideas. Bizarre behavior is what most people have heard about Diogenes. He walked backwards through Athens, holding a lantern in daylight, looking for a real human being. He lived in a "tub" (a large earthenware barrel). Cynicism was a School of Philosophy that was founded in Athens by Antisthenes (455-366 BCE), a student of Socrates. The School lasted about 800 years after Diogenes, and was a major influence on Stoicism. Our modern words "cynic" and "cynicism" are historically connected to this School, but their meanings are only tangentially related to Diogenes views. These are known only by the testimony of later writers. ![]() Diogenes was born about 413 BCE and died in 323 BCE, the same year, and, at least according to legend, the same day as Alexander the Great, who had an unrequited admiration for Diogenes. Sunday's program is about Diogenes the Cynic.
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