As Laërtius recounts, Diogenes publicly denounced the works of elder philosophical rivals, including students of Socrates such as Euclides - 'bilious,' in the words of Diogenes - and even Plato. Proclaiming that 'a child has beaten me in plainness of living,' Diogenes then discards one of his few possessions, a drinking cup, realizing that true asceticism meant living without one.ĭiogenes also developed a reputation for having a sharp tongue, and he scorned other schools of philosophy as strongly as he embraced his own form of cynicism. In one famous anecdote recounted by Laërtius, Diogenes witnesses a young child scooping handfuls of drinking water from a fountain.

Diogenes gave away the vast majority of his possessions, keeping only that which was truly necessary. In some accounts, it is reported that Hicesius was imprisoned and died as a result of his son's actions.Īs noted by the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Diogenes inherited from Antisthenes a lifelong practice of asceticism - namely, he endeavored to live as simply and frugally as possible, even if that meant going against societal convention in the process. Diogenes of Sinope (ca.412 - 323BC) was a Greek Cynic philosopher. The truth of the matter is still debated, however, as Laërtius claims that other chroniclers accused Diogenes himself of the adulteration - presumably, a synonym for forgery. Per Laërtius, Diogenes and his family left Sinope after Hicesius 'adulterated' the coinage of the state - i.e., mixed the precious metal of the coins with lower-grade metals, thus devaluing them - that had been entrusted to Hicesius, who was a banker. However, a certain calamity meant that Diogenes, Hicesius, and the rest of Diogenes' family were forced into exile, after which Diogenes gravitated toward Athens, which would become his home and the cradle of his legend. His father, Hicesius, was a banker in the city, and it seems that Diogenes was due to live a privileged life in Sinopean society. According to Diogenes Laërtius, the future philosopher came from a wealthy family in Sinope, a Greek colony and city in what is now modern-day Turkey.

Diogenes lamp