Thinker in a barrel. Who really was Diogenes - a swindler or a philosopher and did he live in a barrel

Diogenes' Barrel: A Philosopher's Ascetic Experiment

At the same time when the great philosopher Plato created the Academy, the great sculptor Praxiteles sculpted Aphrodite of Cnidus from the most beautiful hetaera Phryne, another great man who went down in human history lived in Athens - the Cynic philosopher Diogenes of Sinope.

A vulgar poem from my student days at the Faculty of Philosophy:

Diogenes lived in a barrel,
He held his...

The rhyme, however, hit the nail on the head: Diogenes really lived in a barrel, for which he was widely known throughout Hellas, and indeed, if you believe the legends about him that have survived to this day, he masturbated publicly.
The publicity of actions and deeds was his philosophical argument. Thus, in response to Plato’s definition of man as an animal devoid of hair and feathers, Diogenes caught a rooster, plucked it naked and, releasing it, solemnly proclaimed: “Now you are a man!” Plato was put to shame.
But let's get back to masturbation. According to one legend, Diogenes proved in this way that in freedom from needs and dominion over them, you can go as far as you like; a man can do without a woman. According to another, while masturbating, he stroked his stomach and said: “If only I could have such power over hunger.”
Alas, hunger was stronger than even Diogenes; the philosopher sometimes had to beg. But he did not humiliate himself, but demanded: “Give it to the philosopher, because he teaches you how to live, you fools!” The Greeks knew how to appreciate jokes, humor, and audacity, which they served Diogenes.
An association may arise with homeless people: begging, living in a barrel, being naked in public... Such a superficial analogy is fundamentally incorrect. That’s just it, that Diogenes had a “registration” and his “address” was known throughout Greece: “Athens (then Corinth), agora (trading, the most crowded square - approx. V.S.), barrel (large clay barrel , pithos, in which the Greeks stored wine). He could be rich and not need anything - he was invited by the rulers of many cities, in particular the powerful and wealthy Syracuse. Philip of Macedon called him to his place. But he refused powerful rulers their desire to patronize him, because he valued personal freedom above all else.
Diogenes is known to most as a Cynic philosopher and an extravagant eccentric, or, perhaps, it would be more accurate to call him an eccentric - according to Vasily Shukshin, who gave a whole gallery of images of charming eccentrics in his stories. But you can look at Diogenes in another way. Yes, in philosophy he is a Cynic, one of the founders of Cynicism. The Stoics also respected him. But the whole point is that in those days philosophy was considered not only as a kind of teaching, but also as a school (almost all ancient Greek philosophers invited students to their schools, had students, some charged them for mentoring, except, first of all, Socrates , who taught everyone for free) and, what is especially important to emphasize, as a way of life consistent with philosophy. They publicly staged a life experiment, including an intellectual invention (teaching), communication on its implementation (school) and a personal example of a lifestyle. This was the same Socrates. And this fully and absolutely applies to Diogenes, who in this sense can be called a practical philosopher, just as psychologists are now called practical psychologists if they work with patients. He lived in a barrel, and he placed it not somewhere on the outskirts of a big city, the same brilliant Athens, but in the most crowded and noisy square, almost in the center of the city, in the agora. He taught the Greeks a moral reassessment of hedonism, which at that time was considered habitual, mass behavior for them in its vulgar and vulgar manifestation with the pursuit of wealth, carnal binge pleasures and envy of everything excessive and displayed by the rich. This led to the corruption and decline of Athens, as later happened to imperial Ancient Rome.
Diogenes created metaphors that were brilliant in their simplicity and powerful fascinating effect, communicative and educational at the same time, the same famous metaphor of walking around the city with a lantern in his hands and the phrase “I’m looking for an honest man!” Diogenes’ metaphors were so brightly pedagogical that people liked them and have survived to this day, having a huge citation index in the modern quasi-hedonistic world, which is completely paradoxical and suggests the inescapability of the secular-ascetic mentality in people. But in ancient times, the same unconditional hedonist Alexander the Great said “I would like to become Diogenes.” Young Leo Tolstoy was so fascinated by Diogenes that he dressed up as Diogenes and dreamed of being like him. In his old age he became one.
Diogenes staged an experiment in secular asceticism, philosophically meaningful and practically embodied in his way of life and communication.
Diogenes was not a lazy tramp, he worked, only his work was unique: he was, as I already said, a practical philosopher. If Socrates conducted conversations and debates, then Diogenes performed instructive actions and actions like plucking a rooster. Moreover, he made his life itself a living textbook, a practical guide to the philosophy of Cynicism. He was and remains, perhaps, the only philosopher whose words and actions merged together, forming a philosophy of practical action. In the barrel he also wrote his works: “On Love”, “The State” (“Polity”), “Oedipus”, “Thyestes” (tragedies), etc. And right there on the market square he introduced his teaching. Some legends about his philosophical deeds-parables are so famous that they have long become a kind of world folklore.
The philosophical bodily practice of Diogenes, which formed the core of his teaching, is amazing in its power of influence and significance: where else to curb exciting desires, if not in your body. The Cynic declared that a real person has no right to be a slave to passions, greedy growing needs and all kinds of gluttony. A person is free and therefore must live simply and be content with little. Only then will he be happy and satisfied with himself and life. And this, among other things, means that a person must be fused with nature, not be pampered and frail, not be its desecrator and enemy. In addition to the fact that Diogenes lived in a barrel all year round, it must be added that he walked barefoot in the snow, his clothing was a simple tunic made of coarse linen, and when he once saw a boy drinking water, scooping it out of a stream with his palm, he threw it away and mug, realizing that you can do without it. This was Diogenes, and not for a day or two - for the sake of shockingness or philosophical courage - but throughout his life until his death at the 91st year of his life. And this is a feat.
He tempered his body: in the summer he rolled on the hot sand of the sun, and in the winter he hugged statues covered with snow. There is also a legend about the hardening of Diogenes.

One day a certain “Olympian” said to Diogenes:

What a pity, Diogenes, that you never took part in the Olympic competitions. Surely he would be the first!
- But I take part in competitions that are more important than the Olympic ones.
- Which ones are they? - the athlete did not understand.
Diogenes replied:
- I compete in the fight against vices.

The great significance of the philosophy of Diogenes and the Cynics lies in the fact that they taught people not to be slaves to luxury, comfort and material wealth, and showed an example of the power of a free spirit over the whims of needs. They made their body an obedient instrument of an unpretentious life, freed from the benefits of an effete civilization. Even powerful rulers envied Diogenes' freedom of spirit and independence. There is a whole series of legends about meetings with Diogenes of Alexander the Great. Here is one of the most famous.

One day Alexander the Great rode up to Diogenes and said:
- I am Alexander - the great king!
- And I am Diogenes the dog. I wag my tail to those who give it to me, I bark at those who refuse, and I bite others.
- Would you like to have lunch with me?
- Unhappy is the one who has breakfast, lunch and dinner whenever Alexander wants.
- Aren’t you afraid of me?
-Are you good or evil?
- Of course - good.
-Who is afraid of good?
- I am the ruler of Macedonia, and soon the whole world. What can I do for you?
- Move a little to the side, you’re blocking the sun for me!
Then Alexander rode off to his friends and subjects and said: “If I were not Alexander, I would have become Diogenes.”

The Greeks argued with Diogenes, scolded him, he did not remain in debt, but they also understood his greatness and loved him. When hooligans once broke his barrel, the wise city authorities decided to flog the hooligans and give Diogenes a new barrel. This is one of the legends about Diogenes.
Diogenes was buried near the city gates. A column was erected over the grave, and on it was a dog (a symbol of cynicism). Other compatriots honored Diogenes by erecting bronze monuments to him, on one of which was written:

Time will age bronze, only Diogenes glory
Eternity itself will surpass itself and will never die!

On another monument to Diogenes, in the philosopher’s homeland in Sinope, an epitaph was carved:

Time wears away both stone and bronze.
But your words, Diogenes, will live forever!
After all, you taught us to be content with little
And outlined the path to a happy life!

Centuries and millennia passed, but humanity remembered Diogenes. True, not always understanding it, and often vulgarizing it.
One of the sad examples of such vulgarization was presented by modern psychiatrists, calling one of the mental anomalies in human behavior “Diogenes syndrome.” The anomaly itself was described in 1955 in a study by A. Clark, G. Meinikar and J. Gray. Here is how “Diogenes syndrome” is described in one of the psychiatric dictionaries: “Diogenes syndrome is a term meaning a clinical condition characterized by a neglectful attitude of elderly people living alone to everyday issues. Most often it occurs in previously active people who are primarily work-oriented and have had social success. Gradually, with a departure from their usual professional and social activities, they stop caring about their appearance and home, which falls into disrepair and turns into a warehouse of old and useless things; do not pay enough attention to proper nutrition, which can lead to exhaustion and even death. At the same time, they experience irreversible character changes: distrust, unsociability, unrealistic attitudes and, most importantly, negativism towards people offering help.”
Psychiatrists don't care about the epitaphs of the ancients. Yeah, he walked around in sackcloth, lived in a barrel, which means he was sick, let’s call this deviation “Diogenes syndrome.”
But Diogenes lived in a barrel in the most crowded shopping area (!!!), closer to people! He did not shy away from people and was always in a state of public debate with them. And he was remarkably socially active - he looked for an honest person, revalued values. The syndrome itself is accurate, but the name attached to it is absolutely incorrect and indicates the philosophical and historical incompetence of psychiatrists.
The fascination of the image-symbol of the Cynic philosopher Diogenes of Sinope will be eternal for humanity, which searches for Man with fire during the day and understands that being content with little is the only salvation in a hyper-consumer world that provokes physical and spiritual obesity in a person. Diogenes consciously chose an ascetic option of life, albeit in its extreme, in many ways extreme form, and showed how a person is capable of becoming free and independent from the power of pleasurable pleasures and from the power of the powerful of this world.

Barrel of Diogenes

Barrel of Diogenes
According to legend, the ancient Greek philosopher of the Cynic school (cynics or cynics) Diogenes of Sinope (c. 400-325 BC) lived in a barrel, wanting to show that a true philosopher, who knew the meaning of life, no longer needs material wealth, so important for ordinary people. The Cynics believed that the highest moral task of man is to limit his needs as much as possible and thus return to his “natural” state. There is a legend that Diogenes, who considered the house an unnecessary luxury and had already moved into a barrel, nevertheless retained some utensils for himself, in particular a drinking ladle. But when he saw the boy drinking water from a handful, the philosopher refused the ladle.
The ancient writer Diogenes Laertius (3rd century) first spoke about Diogenes, who lived in a barrel.
“Barrel” is a conditional translation, since there were no barrels in their usual sense (wooden vessels tied with hoops) in Ancient Greece. As archaeological research shows, the only “barrel” in which Diogenes could live is a pithos - a large, sometimes as tall as a man, clay vessel for storing grain, wine and oil, similar to those terracotta pithos that were found by the English archaeologist Charles Evans in Western storeroom of the Knossos Palace (XVI century BC) in Crete.
Allegorically: about voluntary isolation from the outside world.

Encyclopedic Dictionary of winged words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.

See what “Barrel of Diogenes” is in other dictionaries:

Barrel of Diogenes

Barrel of Diogenes. To hide in a Diogenes barrel (foreign language) to move away from people (an allusion to the cynic Diogenes, who moved away from people by choosing a barrel as his place of stay). Wed. He saw Mark, and no matter how he hid in the Diogenes barrel, and Raisky... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)

To hide in Diogenes' barrel (foreign language) to move away from people (a hint to the cynic Diogenes, who withdrew from people by choosing a barrel as his place of residence) Cf. He saw Mark, and no matter how much he hid in Diogenes’ barrel, Raisky managed to catch the main features... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary

Book What is it about, symbolizing isolation from life, from society. BTS, 93; F 1, 33. /i> Goes back to one of the legends about the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes. BMS 1998, 56 57 ...

barrel of Diogenes- About the place of residence of a person leading an ascetic lifestyle. According to legend, the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes (404-323 BC) lived in a barrel, proving that it was possible to be happy by keeping your life needs to a minimum... Dictionary of many expressions

Tell (punish) forty barrels of prisoners. Simple Iron. There's a lot to say. implausible. BTS, 46, 93; Jig. 1969, 112; Podyukov 1989, 16; Mokienko 1986, 110; Mokienko 1990, 140; BMS 1998, 57. Plan seven barrels of prisoners... ... Large dictionary of Russian sayings

barrel- And; pl. genus. check, date chkam; and. see also barrel, barrel, barrel, barrel 1) a) A large wooden vessel with two flat bottoms and convex walls bound with hoops or a cylindrical metal container (usually used as... ... Dictionary of many expressions

AND; pl. genus. check, date chkam; and. 1. A large wooden vessel with two flat bottoms and convex walls bound with hoops or a cylindrical metal container (usually used as a container for storing and transporting food, fuel... encyclopedic Dictionary

Diogenes barrel- BARREL OF DIOGENES. Outdated Book Living conditions in complete solitude, away from society. Give Diogenes the barrel, Hannibal's sharp sword; What kind of glory did Carthage cut off so much from the shoulders! (K. Prutkov. Ambition) DIOGENES BARREL. He was the first... ... Phraseological Dictionary of the Russian Literary Language

The ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes lived in Greece in the fourth century BC. He became famous for many sayings that were preserved through oral traditions and the writings of later scientists and philosophers. To understand what the life ideal of Diogenes of Sinope is, you need to talk a little about his life.

Why did Diogenes sleep in a barrel?

Not all ancient Greek philosophers were called Diogenes, and certainly not many slept in a barrel. Diogenes, who is known to everyone and who lived and slept in a barrel, has the nickname of Sinope, in the further story simply Diogenes. According to the records of Diogenes Laertius, he was born in the city of Sinop.

Diogenes Laertius is an ancient philosopher and thinker, thanks to whom we know about the life and philosophy of Diogenes of Sinope. Diogenes Laertius himself is less known to us. Naturally, which of us loves philosophy? And the barrel of Diogenes, naturally Sinopsky, and his actions are more eccentric and memorable.

Ancient philosopher Diogenes

According to some sources, Diogenes was born into the family of the Moneychanger Hykesius. Money changer, it's like a banker today. As a result of some misadventures, they were expelled from their city. According to another version, he was the son of a craftsman and minted money for the city with his father. And they sometimes tend to stick to the hands of unscrupulous people.

Well, they minted money on a family contract not only for the state. But the result is not so important, and we won’t know exactly how, but the future philosopher was left without a livelihood. After long wanderings, he ended up in the city of Delphi. Every word is world history. Yes, it was in this city that the famous Delphic games originated.

And it was in this city that he asked the oracle what he should do next and what to do. To which he received an answer worthy of an oracle. The oracle, if anyone doesn’t know or doesn’t have time to look in the dictionary, is a priest - a soothsayer who predicted the fate of everyone. So, the Oracle advised him to start rethinking his values.

Diogenes took this literally, but not immediately, but a little later. One day he saw a mouse and thought: “This is God’s creature, it has nothing and it doesn’t need anything!” No villa in heaven, no luxury car, no beautiful wife - nothing! And he lives and enjoys life.”

And since he himself also had nothing, apparently, in order to justify his worthless existence, he came up with his own philosophy. This philosophy later formed the basis of the Cynic school. Its essence is that every person is self-sufficient and has everything he needs for life, including spiritual life, within himself.

Philosophy in a barrel or life according to Diogenes

This observation of a mouse was the life ideal of Diogenes of Sinope and the basis of his philosophy. He began to simplify his already simple life. He gave up everything he had. And he had a lot, because he was the son of a banker! This is a joke. Actually, he had at his disposal a bag and a bowl with a bowl, that is, a mug and a plate.

But one day, he saw that some boy was drinking water from his hand. And it immediately dawned on him that the boy had surpassed him in simplicity of life. You can do without a mug at all! The mug was immediately thrown away as unnecessary.

Another time he saw that the boy was slurping stew from a bowl made from a crust of bread. So you can do without a bowl! And now she flew after the mug. The fewer unnecessary things, the better.

The philosopher himself settled in the city square of Athens in a clay barrel. Such barrels were called “pithos”. They were the same size as a person and served to store grain, wine or something else, for example, a philosopher. Considering the value system of this ancient thinker, one can understand why Diogenes lived in a barrel.

This thinker was a supporter of “life according to reason.” He argued that a person has everything to be happy. But most people live in illusions and are deeply unhappy. They see happiness in having wealth. Diogenes devoted his entire life to dispel this idea of ​​happiness and life.

The great sage himself led a simple and ascetic life. As you can see, he did not own any property. By his example, he showed that happiness lies in the person himself, and not in his wealth and the things around him.

His philosophical statements

The sage's statements may seem shocking, and his actions provocative and even obscene. Diogenes led a completely free lifestyle, well, approximately as the current inhabitants of enlightened Europe imagine it. A small example of this democratic way of life.

One day, as usual, he was masturbating in front of everyone in the middle of the square. After all, he didn't have a wife. Passers-by remarked to him that democracy is democracy, but not to the same extent! To which came the “philosophical” answer: “It would be great if you could also satisfy your hunger by rubbing your belly!”

He sometimes walked among people in the main square of the city in broad daylight with a lit lantern and said: “I’m looking for a man.” So he wanted to show a misunderstanding of many of the essence of human life.

One day Diogenes climbed higher into the square and began to express his thoughts. Nobody listened to him. Everyone was passing by. Then he started screaming all kinds of nonsense and making animal noises. A crowd immediately gathered around him. The sage said that this is your whole essence. When he talked about useful things, no one wanted to listen. But as soon as he started bleating like a sheep, a crowd of scoundrels immediately gathered.

Diogenes and Alexander the Great

One day, Macedonsky decided to meet and talk with the sage. He found him basking in the sun. Alexander came up and said: “I am Macedonian!” To which the philosopher said: “And I am the dog Diogenes!” “Why do you call yourself a dog,” asked the great warrior. In response, he heard: “Whoever throws me a piece, I will bite him; whoever does not throw it, I will bark at him; and whoever is evil, I will bite him.”

Then Macedonsky asked if he was afraid of him? To which the sage asked a counter question: “Are you evil or good?” Hearing in response that he was kind, he replied that why should he be afraid of what is good. Macedonian said: “Ask for what you want!” And in return I heard from the ascetic: “Move away, you’re blocking the sun for me!”

After the death of the sage, ascetic and philosopher, the townspeople erected a monument in the form of a dog's head on his grave. The inscription on it reads: “Even bronze wears out over time, but your glory will not pass away. You managed to convince that life in itself is valuable and sufficient and showed its simplest path.”

This was the life ideal of Diogenes of Sinope, who lived in a barrel in the main square of Athens. And he is a philosopher, just like our domestic holy fools and blessed ones. We study only their “philosophers”, but not our own.

In Greece, not only were there no barrels, but most likely Diogenes never existed. The absence of the author's works in the originals clearly suggests falsification or fantasies of some later authors. For some reason, our historians do not at all allow the existence of literary fiction in the style of historical fantasy, although there are a huge number of examples. Walking under the canopy of porticoes or living in barrels, ancient Greek thinkers made great discoveries in passing, having no instruments other than a sundial and measuring distances by making incredible calculations based on the speed of movement of camel caravans. A small people who do not know metal processing technologies and live by subsistence farming, apparently having become terribly rich from the sale of goat cheese, suddenly field an army of one hundred thousand heavy infantry (the famous Macedonian phalanx) and throw the entire civilized world at the feet of their young king. It doesn’t matter that it is completely impossible to make a spear 15-17 meters long using wood and copper, it doesn’t matter that in all of Greece of that era it was impossible to produce copper, bronze, and even more so black bronze. For it is impossible to make bronze without developed metal processing of ferrous metals (i.e., steel is needed); furnaces for the extraction of tin are needed from polymetallic ore, and black bronze is generally aerobatics even today. It doesn’t matter that in 1914, all of Greece was able to put 84 thousand infantrymen under arms with great difficulty. The list can go on for a very long time. All historical science operates on data invented on soft sofas and in warm offices. Give hundreds of athletes shields weighing 15 kg, helmets weighing 6-7 kg. a spear weighing 4-5 kg, copper armor another 10 kg, swords weighing 3-4 kg. three darts weighing more than 1500 g. each, a knife, a backpack with a supply of food for three days and march in formation under the sun or rain across an unplowed field overgrown with weeds and bushes and you will understand that even the Roman legions are just nonsense. I'm not even talking about building them like a turtle. Stand with a shield weighing 15 kg, raising it above your head for at least 10 minutes. even without everything else. A simple example: at prices in the mid-15th century, one sheet of parchment cost 17 gold coins. Due to the terrible cost, a book of one hundred pages had the price of an average barony. What were the (suddenly lost) originals of the works of Roman historians recorded on? Especially in hundreds of volumes. Where did the two ships of papyrus from Egypt, which Napoleon took to France, disappear to? What is actually written in them? Why did the Great Inquisition burn ALL ancient books, even royal libraries? Why were all the chronicles and manuscripts in Rus' burned during the reform?

But in reality this is impossible to do. Everything has been destroyed or hidden. One can only deny obvious nonsense. And in historical opuses, no matter where you look, it’s complete nonsense. You might as well study history from The Lord of the Rings. The result will be similar. Why go far? I live in France and I can say with complete confidence that in this country there is no freedom of speech at all, but in Russia there is no freedom of speech either. The same events are interpreted in completely different ways. If you remove dates, names and titles from texts about the same event, then you will never believe that we are talking about the same thing. Even global events are covered completely differently.

Answer

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Name: Diogenes

Date of Birth: 412 BC e.

Age: 89 years old

Date of death: 323 BC e.

Activity: ancient philosopher

Family status: wasn't married

Diogenes: biography

Antiquity is considered fertile ground for the emergence of schools of philosophy - humanity has already made a cultural leap and expanded the horizons of knowledge, which, in turn, has given rise to even more questions. Then the teaching was formulated, supplemented and revised by his illustrious student. This teaching has become a classic and therefore remains relevant to this day.

Ancient philosophers in Raphael's painting "The School of Athens"

But there were other philosophical schools, for example, the school of the Cynics, founded by another student of Socrates - Antisthenes. A prominent representative of this trend is Diogenes of Sinope, who became famous for his eternal disputes with Plato, as well as for his shocking (sometimes even vulgar) antics.

Childhood and youth

Little is known about the life of Diogenes, and the information that remains is controversial. What is known about the biography of the philosopher fits into one chapter of the book by his namesake, the late antique scientist and bibliographer Diogenes Laertius, “On the Life, Teachings and Sayings of Famous Philosophers.”

According to the book, the ancient Greek philosopher was born in 412 BC, in the city of Sinope (hence the nickname), located on the shores of the Black Sea. Nothing is known about Diogenes' mother. The boy’s father, Hykesius, worked as a trapezite - that’s what money changers and money lenders were called in Ancient Greece.

Diogenes' childhood passed through turbulent times - conflicts constantly flared up in his hometown between pro-Greek and pro-Persian groups. Due to the difficult social situation, Hykesius began to counterfeit coins, but Trapezita was quickly caught red-handed. Diogenes, who was also about to be arrested and punished, managed to escape from the city. And so began the guy’s journey, which led him to Delphi.

In Delphi, tired and exhausted, Diogenes turned to the local oracle with the question of what to do next. The answer, as expected, was vague: “Reconsider values ​​and priorities.” At that moment, Diogenes did not understand these words, so he did not attach any significance to them and went on wandering.

Philosophy

The road led Diogenes to Athens, where he encountered the philosopher Antisthenes in the city square. It is not known how their acquaintance took place, but Antisthenes struck Diogenes to the core, and Diogenes aroused a feeling of hostility in Antisthenes. Then Diogenes decided to stay in Athens to become a student of the philosopher.

Diogenes did not have money (according to some sources, it was stolen by his comrade Manes, with whom Diogenes arrived in Athens), so he could not afford to buy a house or even rent a room. But this did not become a problem for the future philosopher: Diogenes dug next to the temple of Cybele (not far from the Athenian agora - the central square) a pithos - a large clay barrel in which the Greeks stored food so that it would not disappear (ancient version of the refrigerator). Diogenes began to live in a barrel (pithos), which served as the basis for the expression “Diogenes’ barrel.”

Although not immediately, Diogenes managed to become a student of Antisthenes - the elderly philosopher could not get rid of the persistent student even by beating him with a stick. As a result, it was this student who glorified Cynicism as a school of ancient philosophy.

The philosophy of Diogenes was based on asceticism, renunciation of all the blessings of existence, as well as imitation of nature. Diogenes did not recognize states, politicians, religion and clergy (an echo of communication with the Delphic oracle), and considered himself a cosmopolitan - a citizen of the world.

After the death of his teacher, Diogenes's affairs became very bad; the townspeople believed that he had lost his mind, as evidenced by his regular antics. It is known that Diogenes publicly engaged in masturbation, exclaiming that it would be wonderful if hunger could be satisfied by stroking the belly.

During a conversation with the philosopher, he called himself a dog, but Diogenes called himself that way before. One day, several townspeople threw him a bone like a dog and wanted to force him to chew it. However, they could not predict the result - like a dog, Diogenes took revenge on bullies and offenders by urinating on them.

There were also less extravagant performances. Seeing the incompetent archer, Diogenes sat down near the target, saying that this was the safest place. Standing naked in the rain. When the townspeople tried to take Diogenes under the canopy, Plato said that they shouldn’t: the best help for Diogenes’ vanity would be to not touch him.

Naked Diogenes

The history of the disagreements between Plato and Diogenes is interesting, but Diogenes only once managed to really beat his opponent beautifully - this is the case of Plato’s man and the plucked chicken. In other cases, victory remained with Plato. Modern scholars are of the opinion that the native of Sinop was simply jealous of his more successful opponent.

It is also known about the conflict with other philosophers, including Anaximenes of Lampsacus and Aristippus. In between skirmishes with competitors, Diogenes continued to do weird things and answer people's questions. One of the philosopher’s eccentricities gave the name to another popular expression – “Diogenes’ lantern.” The philosopher walked around the square with a lantern during the day, exclaiming: “I am looking for a man.”

In this way he expressed his attitude towards the people around him. Diogenes often spoke unflatteringly about the inhabitants of Athens. One day the philosopher began to give a lecture in the market, but no one listened to him. Then he squealed like a bird, and a crowd immediately gathered around him.

“This is the level of your development,” said Diogenes, “when I said smart things, they ignored me, but when I crowed like a rooster, everyone began to watch with interest.”

When the military conflict between the Greeks and the Macedonian king Philip II began, Diogenes left Athens, going by ship to the shores of Aegina. However, it was not possible to get there - the ship was captured by pirates, and everyone on it was either killed or captured.

From captivity, Diogenes was sent to the slave market, where he was purchased by the Corinthian Xeanides so that the philosopher would teach his children. It is worth noting that Diogenes was a good teacher - in addition to horse riding, throwing darts, history and Greek literature, the philosopher taught the children of Xeanidas to eat and dress modestly, as well as to engage in physical exercise to maintain their physical fitness and health.

Students and acquaintances offered the philosopher to buy him out of slavery, but he refused, claiming that this allegedly illustrates the fact that even in slavery he can be “the master of his master.” In fact, Diogenes enjoyed a roof over his head and regular meals.

The philosopher died on June 10, 323, while in slavery under Xeanides. Diogenes was buried face down - as requested. At his grave in Corinth there was a tombstone made of Parian marble with words of gratitude from his students and wishes for eternal glory. A dog was also made from marble, symbolizing the life of Diogenes.

Diogenes introduced himself to Alexander the Great as a dog when the Macedonian king decided to get acquainted with the famous marginal philosopher. To Alexander’s question: “Why a dog?” Diogenes answered simply: “Whoever throws a piece, I wag, whoever does not throw, I bark, and whoever offends, I bite.” To a humorous question about the breed of dog, the philosopher also answered without further ado: “When hungry - Maltese (i.e. affectionate), when full - Milosian (i.e. angry).”

Personal life

Diogenes denied the family and the state, arguing that children and wives are common, and there are no borders between countries. Based on this, it is difficult to establish the philosopher’s biological children.

Essays

According to Diogenes Laertius, the philosopher from Sinope left behind 14 philosophical works and 2 tragedies (in some sources the number of tragedies increases to 7). Most of them have been preserved thanks to other writers and philosophers using the sayings and sayings of Diogenes.

The surviving works include On Wealth, On Virtue, The Athenian People, The Science of Morals and On Death, and the tragedies include Hercules and Helen.

Quotes

• “Poverty itself paves the way to philosophy. What philosophy tries to convince in words, poverty forces us to do in practice.”
• “Philosophy and medicine have made man the most intelligent of animals, fortune telling and astrology the most insane, superstition and despotism the most unfortunate.”
• “Treat dignitaries like fire: stand neither very close nor very far from them.”