Cynics Cynics Cynicism was not so much a philosophy, but a way of life characterized by asceticism, anti-conformism and anti-conventionalism. The Cynics are regarded as one of the minor Socratic schools. It was founded in the fourth century BC by Antisthenes the Athenian . The name ï¿½cynicï¿½ derives from the Greek word for ï¿½dogï¿½ (kuon) denoting their denial of luxuries, wealth and social status. The core of cynicism is the virtue of well being and happy life beyond any conventional value. Eminent Cynics were Diogenes of Synope and Crates of Thebes . Cynicism had a strong influence to Stoic philosophy. Antisthenes of Athens Antisthenes of Athens (c.445-c.360 BC) is regarded as the founder of Cynicism. He was a student of Gorgias, but later he became a pupil and follower of Socrates. He usually expressed his distain for conventional values and pleasure. For Antisthenes, desire leads to pleasure and pleasure to the misery of insufficient and temporal happiness.

For Antisthenes only virtue is sufficient for real happiness, that is well-being. A virtuous person is sufficient with whatever is present and with future expectations and social conventions. According to Diogenes Laertius (Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers VI ): And the doctrines he adopted were these. He used to insist that virtue was a thing which might be taught; also, that the nobly born and virtuously disposed, were the same people; for that virtue was of itself sufficient for happiness. And was in need of nothing, except the strength of Socrates. He also looked upon virtue as a species of work, not wanting many arguments, or much instruction; and he taught that the wise man was sufficient for himself; for that everything that belonged to any one else belonged to him. He considered obscurity of fame a good thing, and equally good with labour. And he used to say that the wise man would regulate his conduct as a citizen, not according to the established laws of the state, but according to the law of virtue.

Translated by Yonge Diogenes of Sinope Diogenes of Sinope (c.400-c.325 BC) was a follower of Antisthenes and probably the most popular of the Cynics. Plato called Diogenes ï¿½Socrates gone madï¿½. He had an extreme personality with strong views. He denied pleasure and physical wealth for asceticism. He had the nickname ï¿½the dogï¿½ because of his shamelessness. He used to live in a barrel with only possessions a robe to wear and a stick to walk. There are many stories for Diogenesï¿½ rebellious and anti-conformal character. According to some ancient sources Diogenes carried a lighted lamp in broad daylight looking in the streets of Athens for the honest man. But the most famous anecdote of his life is related to Alexander the Great. When Alexander stood before him and asked him if he had any desire, Diogenes asked Alexander to move a little to one side because he was blocking the sun. There lived a wise man in ancient Greece whose name was Diogenes. Men came from all parts of the land to see him and talk to him.

Diogenes was a strange man. He said that no man needed much, and so he did not live in a house but slept in a barrel, which he rolled about from place to place. He spent his days sitting in the sun and saying wise things to those who were around him. When Alexander the Great came to that town he went to see the wise man. He found Diogenes outside the town lying on the ground by his barrel. He was enjoying the sun. When he saw the king he sat up and looked at Alexander. Alexander greeted him and said: "Diogenes, I have heard a great deal about you. Is there anything I can do for you?" "Yes," said Diogenes, "you can step aside a little so as not to keep the sunshine from me." The king was very much surprised. But this answer did not make him angry. He turned to his officers with the following words: "Say what you like, but if I were not Alexander, I should like to be Diogenes." Cynics | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Z Cynics Cynicism originates in the philosophical schools of ancient Greece that claim a Socratic lineage.

To call the Cynics a “school” though, immediately raises a difficulty for so unconventional and anti-theoretical a group. Their primary interests are ethical, but they conceive of ethics more as a way of living than as a doctrine in need of explication. As such askēsis—a Greek word meaning a kind of training of the self or practice—is fundamental. The Cynics, as well as the Stoics who followed them, characterize the Cynic way of life as a “shortcut to virtue” (see Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 6, Chapter 104 and Book 7, Chapter 122). Though they often suggest that they have discovered the quickest, and perhaps surest, path to the virtuous life, they recognize the difficulty of this route. The colorfulness of the Cynic way of life presents certain problems. The triumph of the Cynic as a philosophical and literary character complicates discussions of the historical individuals, a complication further troubled by a lack of sources. The evidence regarding the Cynics is limited to apothegms, aphorisms, and ancient hearsay; none of the many Cynic texts have survived.

The tradition records the tenets of Cynicism via their lives. It is through their practices, the selves and lives that they cultivated, that we come to know the particular Cynic ēthos. Table of Contents References and Further Reading 1. History of the Name The origin of the Cynic name kunikos, a Greek word meaning “dog-like”, is a point of contention. Two competing stories explain the source of the name using the figure of Antisthenes (who Diogenes Laertius identifies controversially as the original Cynic), and yet a third explanation uses the figure of Diogenes of Sinope . First, Antisthenes is said to have taught in the Cynosarges , which is a Greek word that might mean “White Dog,” “Quick Dog,” or even “Dog’s Meat”. The Cynosarges is a gymnasium and temple for Athenian nothoi. "Nothoi" is a term that designates one who is without Athenian citizenship because of being born to a slave, foreigner, or prostitute; one can also be nothoi if one’s parents were citizens but not legally married.

According to the first explanation, the term Cynic would, then, derive from the place in which the movement’s founder worshipped, exercised, and, most importantly, lectured. Such a derivation is suspect insofar as later writers could have created the story through an analogy to the way in which the term “Stoic” came from the Stoa Poikilē in which Zeno of Citium taught. Though nothing unquestionably links Antisthenes or any other Cynic to the Cynosarges, Antisthenes was a nothos and the temple was used for worshipping Hercules, the ultimate Cynic hero. A second possible derivation comes from Antisthenes’ alleged nickname Haplokuōn, a word that probably means a dog “pure and simple”, and is presumably referring to his way of living. Though Antisthenes was known for a certain rudeness and crudeness that could have led to such a name, and later authors, including Aelian, Epictetus, and Stobaeus, identify him as a kuōn, or dog, his contemporaries, such as Plato and Xenophon, do not label him as such.

This lack lends some credence to the notion that the term kunikos was applied to Antisthenes posthumously, and only after Diogenes of Sinope, a more illustrious philosopher-dog, had arrived on the scene. If Antisthenes was not the first Cynic by name, then the origin of the appellation falls to Diogenes of Sinope, an individual well known for dog-like behavior. As such, the term may have begun as an insult referring to Diogenes’ style of life, especially his proclivity to perform all of his activities in public. Shamelessness, which allowed Diogenes to use any space for any purpose, was primary in the invention of “Diogenes the Dog.” The precise source of the term “Cynic” is, however, less important than the wholehearted appropriation of it. The first Cynics, beginning most clearly with Diogenes of Sinope, embraced their title: they barked at those who displeased them, spurned Athenian etiquette, and lived from nature. In other words, what may have originated as a disparaging label became the designation of a philosophical vocation.

Finally, because Cynicism denotes a way of living, it is inaccurate to equate Cynicism with the other schools of its day. The Cynics had no set space where they met and discoursed, such as the Garden , the Lyceum , or the Academy ; for Diogenes and Crates, the streets of Athens provide the setting for both their teaching and their training. Moreover, the Cynics neglect, and very often ridicule, speculative philosophy. They are especially harsh critics of dogmatic thought, theories they consider useless, and metaphysical essences. 2. Major Figures and the Cynic Lineage The major figures within Cynicism form the pivotal points within a lineage traced from Antisthenes, Socrates’ companion and a major interlocutor in the Socratic dialogues of Xenophon (see especially his Memorabilia and Symposium), through his student, Diogenes of Sinope, to Diogenes’ pupil Crates, and from Crates to both Hipparchia of Maronea, the first known woman Cynic philosopher, and Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism.

Some others among the more notable Cynics include Metrocles of Maronea, brother to Hipparchia and pupil of Crates, Menippus, Demonax of Cyprus, Bion of Borysthenes, and Teles. Thinkers heavily influenced by Cynic thought include Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes of Assos, Aristo of Chios, Musonius Rufus, Epictetus , Dio Chrysostom, and the emperor Julian. The Socratic schools tend to trace their lineage directly back to Socrates and the Cynics are no exception. As such, the historical authenticity of this heredity is suspect. Nevertheless, it accurately tracks a kind of intellectual transmission that begins with Antisthenes and is passed on to Diogenes, Crates, and Zeno. Cynics seem to have survived into the third century CE; two of Julian’s orations from 361 CE disparage the Cynics of his day for lacking the asceticism and hardiness of “real” Cynics. As a “school” of thought, Cynicism ends in the sixth century CE, but its legacy continues in both philosophy and literature. 3.

Cynic Ethics Foremost for understanding the Cynic conception of ethics is that virtue is a life lived in accord with nature. Nature offers the clearest indication of how to live the good life, which is characterized by reason, self-sufficiency, and freedom. Social conventions, however, can hinder the good life by compromising freedom and setting up a code of conduct that is opposed to nature and reason. Conventions are not inherently bad; however, for the Cynic, conventions are often absurd and worthy of ridicule. The Cynics deride the attention paid to the Olympics, the “big thieves” who run the temples and are seen carrying away the “little thieves” who steal from them, politicians as well as the philosophers who attend their courts, fashion, and prayers for such things as fame and fortune. Only once one has freed oneself from the strictures that impede an ethical life can one be said to be truly free. As such, the Cynics advocate askēsis, or practice, over theory as the means to free oneself from convention, promote self-sufficiency, and live in accord with nature.

Such askēsis leads the Cynic to live in poverty, embrace hardship and toil, and permits the Cynic to speak freely about the silly, and often vicious, way life is lived by his or her contemporaries. The Cynics consistently undermine the most hallowed principles of Athenian culture, but they do so for the sake of replacing them with those in accord with reason, nature, and virtue. a. Living in Accord with Nature and Opposing Conventions Though the imperative to live life in accord with nature is rightly associated with Stoicism, the Stoics are following a Cynic lead. Diogenes of Sinope fervently rejects nomos, or convention, by showing the arbitrary and frequently amusing nature of Athenian social, religious, and political mores and trampling the authority of religious and political leaders. Fundamental to this is a redefinition of what is worthy of shame. Diogenes’ body is disorderly, a source of great shame among the Athenians and the reservoir for the principle of shamelessness among the Cynics. Diogenes uses his body to upend the conventional association of decorum with the good. He breaks etiquette by publicly carrying out activities an Athenian would typically perform in private.

For example, he eats, drinks, and masturbates in the marketplace, and ridicules the shame felt when one’s body is unruly or clumsy. This does not mean, however, that there is nothing about which a person ought to feel shame. For example, in Lives of Emminent Philosophers, one finds the following anecdote: “Observing a fool tuning a harp, ‘Are you not ashamed,’ he said, ‘to give this wood concordant sounds, while you fail to harmonize your soul with your life?’ To one who protested ‘I am unfit to study philosophy,’ Diogenes said, ‘Why then live, if you do not care to live well?’” (Diogenes Laertius, Book 6, Chapter 65; R.D. Hicks’ translation is altered for this article.) As Diogenes ’ reappraisal of shame suggests, the Cynics are not relativists. Nature replaces convention as the standard for judgment. The Cynics believe that it is through nature that one can live well and not through conventional means such as etiquette or religion.

One reads that Diogenes of Sinope “would rebuke men in general with regard to their prayers, declaring that they asked for things which seemed to them to be good, not for such as are truly good” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 6, Chapter 43). This captures the crux of the Cynic notion of living in accord with nature and contrary to convention. Praying for wealth, fame, or any of the other trappings convention leads one to believe are good is a mistaken enterprise. Life, as given by nature, is full of hints as to how to live it best; but humans go astray, ashamed by petty things and striving after objects, which are unimportant. Consequently, their freedom is hindered by convention. i. Freedom and Parrhēsia The Cynics clearly privilege freedom, but not merely in a personal sense as a kind of negative liberty. Instead, freedom is advocated in three related forms: eleutheria, freedom or liberty, autarkeia, self-sufficiency, and parrhēsia, freedom of speech or frankness.

Their conception of freedom has some shared aspects with other ancient schools; the notion of autonomy which derives from the imperative that reason rule over the passions is found in the ethics of multiple Classical and Hellenistic thinkers. A specifically Cynic sense of freedom, though, is evident in parrhēsia. An element of parrhēsia, which can be overlooked when it is defined as free or frank speech, is the risk that accompanies speaking so freely and frankly. Legendary examples of the Cynic’s fearlessly free speech occur in Diogenes of Sinope’s interchanges with Alexander the Great. One such example is the following: “When he was sunning himself in the Craneum, Alexander came and stood over him and said, ‘Ask of me any boon you like.’ To which he replied, ‘Stand out of my light’” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 6, Chapter 28).

At another point, Alexander pronounces his rank to Diogenes of Sinope by saying, “I am Alexander the Great King.” Diogenes responds with his own rank, “I am Diogenes the Cynic,” which is to say “Diogenes the Dog” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 6, Chapter 60). The examples above demonstrate the unique confluence of humor, fearless truth telling, and political subversion which distinguishes the Cynic way of living. With a few notable exceptions, the philosophers of antiquity can be found at some time or another in the company of rulers (Plato, Aeschines, and Aristippus all attended the court of Dionysius, Xenophon is intimately associated with Cyrus, Aristotle with the Macedonian ruling family, and so on). The Cynics, however, made it a point to shun such contact. The Cynics strive for self-sufficiency and strength, neither of which is capable of being maintained once one enters into the conventional political game. The life of an impoverished, but virtuous and self-sufficient philosopher is preferable to the life of a pampered court philosopher.

Diogenes Laertius writes that, “Plato saw [Diogenes of Sinope] washing lettuces, came up to him and quietly said to him, ‘Had you paid court to Dionysius, you wouldn’t now be washing lettuces,’ and [Diogenes] with equal calmness answered, ‘If you had washed lettuces, you wouldn’t have paid court to Dionysius’” (Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 6, Chapter 58). The lesson of this exchange is clear: whereas Plato views paying court as freeing one from poverty, the Cynic sees poverty as freeing one from having to pay court to a ruler. This second sense of freedom so forcefully advocated by the Cynics, comprises both autarkeia, or self-sufficiency, and parrhēsia, or the freedom to speak the truth: something one at court is never free to do.

It is no surprise, then, that when asked what is “the most beautiful thing in the world,” Diogenes replied, “Parrhēsia.” (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book 6, Chapter 69.) ii. Training and Toughness In order to live the Cynic life, one had to be inured to the various physical hardships entailed by such freedom. This required, then, a life of constant training, or askēsis. The term askēsis, defined above as a kind of training of the self but which also means “exercise” or “practice,” is appropriated from athletic training. Instead of training the body for the sake of victory in the Olympic Games, on the battlefield, or for general good health, the Cynic trains the body for the sake of the soul. The examples of Cynic training are multiple: Antisthenes praised toil and hardship as goods; Diogenes of Sinope walked barefoot in the snow, hugged cold statues, and rolled about in the scalding summer sand in his pithos; Crates rid himself of his considerable wealth in order to become a Cynic.

The ability to live without any of the commodities usually mistaken for necessities is liberating and beneficial. It is also, however, a difficult lesson: “[Diogenes of Sinope] used to say that he followed the example of the trainers of choruses; for they too set the note a little high, to ensure that the rest should hit the right note” (Diogenes Laertius, Book 6, Chapter 35). 4. Cosmopolitanism The Cynics are not always given credit when it comes to the notion of cosmopolitanism, for the origin of this term is at times ascribed to Stoicism. Moreover, when it is attributed to Cynicism, it is often characterized as a negative tenet that gains content only once it is transplanted into Stoic doctrine (see John L. Moles’ discussion of “Cynic Cosmopolitanism” in The Cynics).

However, cosmopolitanism can be fully understood within its Cynic context if it is taken as more than an oxymoron or a pithy retort: “Asked where he came from, [Diogenes of Sinope] said, ‘I am a citizen of the world [kosmopolitēs]’” (Diogenes Laertius, Book 6, Chapter 63). In this last quote, Diogenes is responding to a question calling for him to state his origin with what seems to be a neologism. To be a politēs is to belong to a polis, to be a member of a specific society with all of the benefits and commitments such membership entails. By not responding with the expected “Sinope,” Diogenes is renouncing his duty to Sinopeans as well as his right to be aided by them. It is important to note that Diogenes does not say that he is apolis, that is, without a polis; he claims allegiance to the kosmos, or the universe. The Cynics, then, cast the notion of citizenship in a new light. To the Greek male of the Classical and Hellenistic period, citizenship was of utmost value.

The restrictions on citizenship made it a privilege and these exclusions are, to the Cynic, absurd. Under cosmopolitanism, the Cynic challenges the civic affiliation of the few by opening the privilege to all. General national affiliation was likewise esteemed, and Diogenes’ cosmopolitan response is therefore also a rejection of the limitations of such a view. Finally, cosmopolitanism revises the traditional conception of the political duties of an individual. As such, the Cynic is freed to live according to nature and not according to the laws and conventions of the polis. The conventional polis is not just rejected but replaced. This has important ethical connections to the notion of living in accord with nature, and can likewise be seen as an important precursor to the Stoic understanding of physis, or nature, as identical to the kosmos, or universe. 5. The Cynic Legacy The first and most direct Cynic influence is upon the founding of Stoicism. One story, preserved in Diogenes Laertius, tells of Zeno of Citium reading a copy of Xenophon’s Memorabilia in a bookshop while shipwrecked in Athens.

He became so taken with the figure of Socrates that he asked the bookseller where he might find such a man. At just that moment, Crates passed by, and the bookseller pointed him out as the one to follow. Though this, like many of Diogenes Laertius’ stories, may strike one as too propitious to be historically accurate, it preserves the way in which the primary tenets of Stoicism emerge out of Cynicism. The primacy of ethics, the sufficiency of virtue for happiness, the cultivation of indifference to external affairs, the definition of virtue as living in accord with nature, and the importance placed on askēsis, all mark the shared terrain between the Cynics and the Stoics. Indeed, when various Stoic thinkers list the handful of Stoic sages, Cynics, and especially Diogenes of Sinope, are typically among them. Epictetus in particular advocates the Cynic stance, but warns against taking up lightly something so difficult (see Discourses 3.22). Within political philosophy, the Cynics can be seen as originators of anarchism.

Since humans are both rational and able to be guided by nature, it follows that humans have little need for legal codes or political affiliations. Indeed, political associations at times require one to be vicious for the sake of the polis. Diogenes’ cosmopolitanism represents, then, a first suggestion that human affiliation ought to be to humanity rather than a single state. The impact of Cynicism is also felt in Christian, Medieval, and Renaissance thought, though not without a good deal of ambivalence. Christian authors, for example, praise the Cynics for their self-discipline, independence, and mendicant lifestyle, but rebuke the bawdy aspects of Cynic shamelessness. Finally, the mark of the Cynic is found throughout the texts of literature and philosophy. Menippean Satire has a clear debt, and Diogenes of Sinope in particular appears as a character in literary and philosophical contexts; Dante, for example, situates Diogenes with other virtuous but pagan philosophers in the first level of hell and Nietzsche is especially fond of both Diogenes and the Cynic attitude. One striking example occurs in section 125 of The Gay Science.

Here Nietzsche alludes to the anecdote wherein Diogenes searches for a human being with a lit lamp in daylight (D.L. 6.41). In his own rendition, Nietzsche tells the story of the madman who entered the marketplace with a lit lamp on a bright morning seeking God. It is this same madman who pronounces that God is dead. 6. References and Further Reading Billerbeck, Margarethe. Die Kyniker in der modernen Forschung. Amsterdam: B.R. Grüner, 1991. Branham, Bracht and Marie-Odile Goulet-Cazé, eds. The Cynics: The Cynic Movement in Antiquity and Its Legacy. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. Dudley, D. R. A History of Cynicism from Diogenes to the 6th Century A.D. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1937. Epictetus. The Discourses as Reported by Arrian. Trans. W.A. Oldfather. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1928. Goulet-Cazé, Marie-Odile.

L’Ascèse cynique: Un commentaire de Diogène Laërce VI 70-71, Deuxième édition. Paris: Libraire Philosophique J. VRIN, 2001. Goulet-Cazé, Marie-Odile and Richard Goulet, eds.Le Cynisme ancien et ses prolongements. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1993. Hock, R.F. “Simon the Shoemaker as an Ideal Cynic,” in Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 17 (1976). Diogenes Laertius. Lives of Eminent Philosophers Vol. I-II. Trans. R.D. Hicks. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1979. Long, A.A. and David N. Sedley, eds. The Hellenistic Philosophers, Volume 1 andVolume 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987. Malherbe, Abraham J., ed. and trans. The Cynic Epistles. Missoula, Montana: Scholars Press, 1977. Navia, Luis E.

Diogenes of Sinope: The Man in the Tub. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1990. Navia, Luis E. Classical Cynicism: A Critical Study. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1996. Navia, Luis E. Antisthenes of Athens. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2001. Paquet, Léonce. Les Cyniques grecs: fragments et témoignages. Ottawa: Presses de l’Universitaire d’Ottawa, 1988. Sloterdijk, Peter. Critique of Cynical Reason. Trans. Michael Eldred. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1987 Author Information Cynicism - By Movement / School - The Basics of Philosophy A huge subject broken down into manageable chunks Random Quote of the Day: By Movement / School > Ancient > Cynicism Cynicism is a school of philosophy from the Socratic period of ancient Greece, which holds that the purpose of life is to live a life of Virtue in agreement with Nature (which calls for only the bare necessities required for existence).

This means rejecting all conventional desires for health, wealth, power and fame, and living a life free from all possessions and property. Cynics lived in the full glare of the public's gaze and aimed to be quite indifferent in the face of any insults which might result from their unconventional behaviour. They saw part of their job as acting as the watchdog of humanity, and to evangelize and hound people about the error of their ways, particularly criticizing any show of greed, which they viewed as a major cause of suffering. Many of their ideas (see the section on the doctrine of Cynicism for more details) were later absorbed into Stoicism . The founder of Cynicism as a philosophical movement is usually considered to be Antisthenes (c. 445 - 365 B.C.), who had been one of the most important pupils of Socrates in the early 5th Century B.C. He preached a life of poverty, but his teachings also covered language, dialogue and literature in addition to the pure Ethics which the later Cynics focused on.

Antisthenes was followed by Diogenes of Sinope , who lived in a tub on the streets of Athens, and ate raw meat, taking Cynicism to its logical extremes. Diogenes dominates the story of Cynicism like no other figure, and he came to be seen as the archetypal Cynic philosopher. He dedicated his life to self-sufficiency ("autarkeia"), austerity ("askesis") and shamelessness ("anaideia"), and was famed for his biting satire and wit. Crates of Thebes (c. 365 - 285 B.C.), who gave away a large fortune so he could live a life of poverty in Athens, was another influential and respected Cynic of the period. Other notable Greek Cynics include Onesicritus (c. 360 - 290 B.C.), Hipparchia (c. 325 B.C.), Metrocles (c. 325 B.C.), Bion of Borysthenes (c. 325 - 255 B.C.), Menippus (c. 275 B.C.), Cercidas (c. 250 B.C.) and Teles (c.

235 B.C.). With the rise of Stoicism in the 3rd Century B.C., Cynicism as a serious philosophical activity underwent a decline, and it was not until the Roman era that there was a Cynic revival. Cynicism spread with the rise of Imperial Rome in the 1st Century A.D., and Cynics could be found begging and preaching throughout the cities of the Roman Empire, where they were treated with a mixture of scorn and respect. Cynicism seems to have thrived into the 4th Century A.D., unlike Stoicism , which had long declined by that time. Notable Roman Cynics include Demetrius (c. 10 - 80 A.D.), Demonax (c. 70 - 170 A.D.), Oenomaus (c. 120 A.D.), Peregrinus Proteus (c. 95 - 167 A.D.) and Sallustius (c. 430 - 500 A.D.). Cynicism finally disappeared in the late 5th Century A.D., although many of its ascetic ideas and rhetorical methods were adopted by early Christians. What Is Cynicism? By N.S.

Gill's Ancient/Classical History Glossary Definition: Historically, Cynicism started as a philosophical movement in the 4th Century B.C. that lasted until the Fall of Rome. Its practioners are Cynics. "We are told that in every spot in Roman Alexandria one was bound to come upon a group of noisy and disrupting Cynics, 'bawling out the usual street corner invocations to Virtue in a loud, harsh voice, and abusing everyone without exception,' as Lucian describes them (The Passing of Peregrinus)." Navia, Luis E. Classical Cynicism: A Critical Study. 1996. Rather than a school of philosophy, Cynicism refers to an informal group of philosophers with certain attitudes and unconventional behaviors who either called themselves Cynics or were so-called by others. The goal of Cynicism was to attain arete (Greek) or virtus (Roman), a quality we imperfectly translate "virtue." [See "Virtue and Circumstances: On the City-State Concept of Arete," by Margalit Finkelberg.AJPh, Vol. 123, (Spring, 2002), pp.

continue reading below our video 10 Best Universities in the United States 35-49.] It is the strength to overcome one's thoughts, feelings, and the circumstances of one's life. Because arete was their goal, Cynics disregarded social conventions and appearance, making them pariahs: What would have shamed their contemporaries did not shame the Cynics. Self-sufficiency required practice (askesis). They required freedom and frankness, which politics disallowed. Classical Cynicism is credited with founding anarchism. Antisthenes, an associate of Socrates, is counted the 1st Cynic, making Cynicism an offshoot of Socratic teaching. The latest practitioner of classical Cynicism was Sallustius (5th C.).

In between were, among others, Diogenes of Sinope , Crates of Thebes, Hipparchia and Metrocles of Maroneia, Monimus of Syracuse, Menippus, Bion of Borysthenes, Cercidas of Megalopolis, Meleager and Oenomaus of Gadara, Demetrius of Rome, Demonax of Cyprus, Dio Chrysostom, and Peregrinus Proteus. Examples: Famous for his laudatory mention by Alexander the Great, the surly, lantern-toting Diogenes of Sinope was called Kynos -- Greek for dog -- for his lifestyle and contrariness. It was from this word for dog that we get the word Cynicism. Diogenes of Sinope is also known for his cosmopolitanism, literally. When asked where he was from he said he was a citizen of the kosmos (world). CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Cynic School of Philosophy Home > Catholic Encyclopedia > C > Cynic School of Philosophy Cynic School of Philosophy Help support New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download .

Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more  all for only $19.99... The Cynic School, founded at Athens about 400 B.C., continued in existence until about 200 B.C. It sprang from the ethical doctrine of Socrates regarding the necessity of moderation and self-denial. With this ethical element it combined the dialectical and rhetorical methods of the Eleatics and the Sophists . Both these influences, however, it perverted from their primitive uses; the Socratic ethics was interpreted by the Cynics into a coarse and even vulgar depreciation of knowledge , refinement, and the common decencies, while the methods of the Eleatics and the Sophists became in the hands of the Cynics an instrument of contention (Eristic Method) rather than a means of attaining truth . The Cynic contempt for the refinements and conventions of polite society is generally given as the reason for the name dogs (kúnes) by which the first representatives of the school were known. According to some authorities, however, the name Cynic arose from the fact that the first representatives of the school were accustomed to meet in the gymnasium of Cynosarges.

The founder of the school was Antisthenes, an Athenian who was born about 436 B.C., and was a pupil of Socrates . The best known among his followers are Diogenes of Sinope , Crates, Menedemus, and Menippus. Antisthenes himself seems to have been a serious thinker and a writer of ability. In his theory of knowledge he advocated individualistic sensism as opposed to Plato's intellectualistic theory of ideas ; that is to say, he taught that the sense-perceived individual alone exists and that there are no universal objects of knowledge . In ethics he maintained that virtue is the only good and that pleasure is always and under all conditions an evil . Self-control, he said, is the essence of virtue, and a wise man will learn above all things to despise material needs and the artificial comforts in which worldly men find happiness . Diogenes, generally referred to as "Diogenes the Cynic", is one of the most striking figures in Greek history; at least, his personality with its eccentricities, its coarse humour, its originality, and its defiance of the commonplace, has appealed with extraordinary force to the popular imagination .

His interview with Alexander, of which the simplest version is to be found in Plutarch, was greatly exaggerated by subsequent tradition. The followers of Diogenes, namely, Crates, Menedemus, and Menippus, imitated all his eccentricities and so exaggerated the anti-social elements in the Cynic system that the school finally fell into disrepute. Nevertheless, there were in the Cynic philosophy elements, especially the ethical element, which later became a source of genuine inspiration in the Stoic School. This element, combined with the broader Stoic idea of the usefulness of intellectual culture and the more enlightened Stoic concept of the scope of logical discussion, reappeared in the philosophy of Zeno and Cleanthes, and was the central ethical doctrine of the last great system of philosophy in Greece. Cynics | Article about Cynics by The Free Dictionary Cynics | Article about Cynics by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Cynics (sĭn`ĭks) [Gr.,=doglike, probably from their manners and their meeting place, the Cynosarges, an academy for Athenian youths], ancient school of philosophy founded c.440 B.C.

by Antisthenes Antisthenes , b. 444? B.C., d. after 371 B.C., Greek philosopher, founder of the Cynics. Most of his paradoxical views stemmed from his early Sophist orientation, even though he became one of Socrates' most ardent followers. ..... Click the link for more information. , a disciple of Socrates. The Cynics considered virtue to be the only good, not just the highest good as Socrates had asserted. To them, virtue meant a life of self-sufficiency, of suppression of desires and restriction of wants. The Cynics paraded their poverty, their antagonism to pleasure, and their indifference to others, thereby gaining a reputation for fanatical unconventionality. After Antisthenes the principal Cynics were Diogenes Diogenes , c.412–323 B.C., Greek Cynic philosopher; pupil of Antisthenes. He was born in Sinope and lived in Athens. He taught that the virtuous life is the simple life, and he dramatically discarded conventional comforts, living in a tub. ..... Click the link for more information. of Sinope and Crates, his pupil.

The Cynics, who survived until the 6th cent. A.D., influenced the Stoics, with whom they shared some philosophical objectives (see Stoicism Stoicism , school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium (in Cyprus) c.300 B.C. The first Stoics were so called because they met in the Stoa Poecile [Gr.,=painted porch], at Athens, a colonnade near the Agora, to hear their master Zeno lecture. ..... Click the link for more information. ). Cynics one of the Socratic schools of philosophy in ancient Greece. Its exponents, notably Antisthenes, Diogenes of Sinope, and Crates of Thebes, sought not so much to construct a systematic theory of being and knowledge as to work out a particular way of life and to test it out experimentally on themselves. Their chief legacy to subsequent generations was not the treatises they wrote but primarily anecdotes about them, such as Diogenes’ barrel and his demand that Alexander the Great “stand aside and not block the sunlight” and Crates’ consummation of his marriage in a public square.

The primitive nature of Cynic philosophizing, so striking in comparison to the skillful dialectic of Platonism and Aristotelianism, reflected their attempt to formulate ideas in the simplest possible way. To think in the Cynic manner is only a means; the goal is to follow the Cynic way of life. The Cynic doctrine, formed during the crisis of the classical polis by persons who had no place in civic life (the founder of Cynicism, Antisthenes, was illegitimate), summed up the experience of the individual who could rely spiritually only upon himself and urged this individual to regard his existence apart from patriarchal ties as an opportunity to achieve the highest good, spiritual freedom.

Following the example of Socrates, the Cynics carried his teachings to unprecedentedly radical conclusions, which they surrounded with an aura of paradox, sensation, and street scandal; Plato rightly called Diogenes a “Socrates gone mad.” Whereas Socrates had still shown respect for the most widely accepted precepts of traditional patriotic morality, the Cynics defiantly called themselves “citizens of the world” (they coined the term “cosmopolitan”) and made a point of living not by society’s laws, but by their own, willingly accepting the status of beggars or “holy fools.” They chose as the optimal human condition precisely the one that was considered not only the most calamitous but also the most humiliating: Diogenes readily applied to himself the words of the fearful curse, “without community, home, or fatherland.” The Cynics wished to be “naked and alone”; social relations and cultural conventions seemed to them illusory, so much “smoke.” As an intellectual provocation, they rejected all shame, insisting, for example, that incest and cannibalism were permissible.

The “smoke” had to be dispersed, revealing the essence of humanity, in which man must envelop and enclose himself in order to become absolutely immune to any blow from without. For the Cynics all forms of physical and spiritual poverty were preferable to wealth; it was better to be a barbarian than a Greek, better to be animal than human. Simplification of life was accompanied by intellectual simplification. Thus insofar as the Cynics concerned themselves with the theory of knowledge, they criticized general concepts, especially Plato’s “ideas,” as harmful inventions that complicated the act of relating directly to an object. The Cynic philosophy was a direct source of Stoicism, which softened the paradoxes of Cynicism and introduced a more constructive attitude toward political life and intellectual culture, while retaining the Cynics’ concern with ethics over other philosophical disciplines. The Cynic way of life had an ideological influence on the shaping of Christian asceticism, especially in such manifestations as “holy fools” (iurodivyi) and mendicants.

The Cynic school must be classed among the various intellectual movements—from the yogis and dervishes to today’s hippies— that arise in internally disordered societies, compensating for the lack of social freedom by permitting antisocial freedom. REFERENCES Antisthenes of Athens - Ancient History Encyclopedia Antisthenes of Athens by Joshua J. Mark published on 13 August 2014 Antisthenes of Athens (c. 445-365 BCE) was a Greek philosopher who founded the Cynic School. He was a follower of Socrates and appears in Plato ’s Phaedo as one of those present at Socrates’ death. He is one of the primary interlocutors in Xenophon ’s works Memorabilia and Symposium . Antisthenes, like Crito, was among the older students of Socrates’ and Charles Kahn writes that he was regarded as Socrates’ most important follower (Kahn, 4-5). He believed that virtue could be taught and that only the virtuous were truly noble.

It should be noted, however, that `Virtue’ here is a translation from the Greek word `arete’ which meant something closer to `personal excellence’ than the English word `virtue’. In Plato’s Meno it was argued that arete could not be taught (else noble fathers would have produced noble sons and such was not, empirically, the case) but Antisthenes argued otherwise in that he had learned arete from Socrates and, therefore, arete could be taught. Influence of socrates Socrates' students all founded philosophical schools of one kind or another and all of them were so diverse that it is a testimony to the expansive quality of Socrates' philosophy that so many men could interpret his teachings in such different ways. The hedonistic philosopher Aristippus, for example, claimed to be following Socrates' example in living a life in pursuit of pleasure while Plato claimed he was carrying on Socrates' vision through an ascetic discipline of the mind. Antisthenes, also, asserted that his philosophy was grounded in Socrates' original vision.

It seems almost impossible, at first, that Aristippus, Plato, and Antisthenes could have had the same teacher, so different are their philosophies at first glance. Underlying all three, however, is that very same virtue which Socrates held so dear: the importance of being free to be true to oneself and one’s own convictions in life. The Cynic School Antisthenes founded stressed the importance of prevailing over adversity by acceptance of it, that arete is the same for women as it is for men, and that this personal excellence is displayed in deed more so than in word. These same values, expressed differently, were taught by both Plato and Aristippus. Early Life Regarding his early life, the biographer Diogenes Laertius (3rd century CE) writes: Antisthenes was an Athenian, the son of Antisthenes. And he was said not to be a legitimate Athenian; in reference to which he said to someone who was reproaching him with the circumstance, "The mother of the Gods too is a Phrygian;" for he was thought to have had a Thracian mother.

On which account, as he had borne himself bravely in the battle of Tanagra, he gave occasion to Socrates to say that the son of two Athenians could not have been so brave. And he himself, when disparaging the Athenians who gave themselves great airs as having been born out of the earth itself, said that they were not more noble as far as that went than snails and locusts. Originally he was a pupil of Gorgias the rhetorician; owing to which circumstance he employs the rhetorical style of language in his Dialogues, especially in his Truth and in his Exhortations. And Hermippus says, that he had originally intended in his address at the assembly, on account of the Isthmian games, to attack and also to praise the Athenians, and Thebans, and Lacedaemonians; but that he afterwards abandoned the design, when he saw that there were a great many spectators come from those cities . Afterwards, he attached himself to Socrates, and made such progress in philosophy while with him, that he advised all his own pupils to become his fellow pupils in the school of Socrates.

And as he lived in the Piraeus , he went up forty furlongs to the city every day, in order to hear Socrates, from whom he learnt the art of enduring, and of being indifferent to external circumstances, and so became the original founder of the Cynic school (I, II). Antisthenes The Cynic The focus of Antisthenes’ work was ethics (although he also wrote on physics, logic, and literature ) and he seems to have devoted himself extensively to that subject. He also wrote a literary criticism on the Odyssey, an essay on dying, and works dealing with every subject from music to `the uses of wine’. Diogenes Laertius claims there “are ten volumes of his writings extant” though, today, only his Ajax and his Odysseus remain. He is considered the first Cynic philosopher (`cynic’ from the Greek for `dog’, Kynos, or Kynikos which means dog-like) and, by example, taught Diogenes of Sinope and others, like Crates, how to live truly and shamelessly.

Regarding the origin of the name `cynic’ Diogenes Laertius writes, “He used to lecture in the Gymnasium , called Cynosarges [meaning place of the white dog] not far from the gates; and some people say that it is from that place that the sect got the name of Cynics. And he himself was called Haplocyon (downright dog).” The word `cynic' did not have the same meaning at the time as it does in the modern day and did not mean `skeptical' or refer to someone who believes human beings are only motivated by self-interest and personal desires, but meant `dog-like' in that the Cynics were thought to live like dogs. Antisthenes and his followers had few possessions beyond their cloaks and bags, lived where they could find shelter, and did not seem to engage in any kind of work. The evolution of the word `cynic' to its present meaning may come from the Cynics' lack of regard for accepted theories on ethics, morality, the gods, and the proper way to live one's life. The Cynic School was characterized by the discipline of self-denial and rejection of unnecessary material objects.

AntisthenEs or Diogenes? Whether Antisthenes was, in fact, the founder of the Cynic school or whether that honor belongs to Diogenes of Sinope has long been disputed. It is argued that Antisthenes could not have taught both Diogenes of Sinope and Crates of Thebes and impossible that Crates went on to teach Zeno of Citium as he lived long after the deaths of these men. This argument further claims that the disputed chronology was created by the Stoics later in order to link Zeno of Citium's teachings directly back to Socrates. The other side argues that Antisthenes did, in fact, have Diogenes of Sinope and Crates of Thebes as pupils and Crates certainly could have taught and influenced Zeno of Citium. This claim is further disputed by scholars who claim that Diogenes came to Athens after Antisthenes had died and point out that Aristotle refers to the followers of Antisthenes as `Antistheneans' and not as `Cynics'.

There is no resolution to this debate in scholarly circles thus far but the majority contend that Antisthenes founded the Cynic School and taught Diogenes of Sinope the Cynic philosophy which found full expression later through Zeno of Citium. The Cynic School The Cynic School was characterized by the discipline of self-denial which rejected luxuries, social status, and the acquisition of wealth and unnecessary material objects. It was thought that, by freeing oneself from those social conventions associated with `being someone' that one would be free to become oneself. Since virtue could be taught, and virtue (or, specifically, personal excellence), led to contentment, one could lead the happiest life by placing the pursuit of one's own virtue before all else. Since material gain was seen to often interfere with such a pursuit, it was rejected in favor of the ascetic life. Further, concerns about the future and one's fate were considered superfluous and a needless distraction. Adherents of Antisthenes' philosophy were encouraged to focus on the present and be content with what they had and what they were doing in the present day rather than waste time worrying about what they might be doing or where they might be tomorrow.

Regarding Antisthenes' philosophy, Diogenes Laertius writes: And the doctrines he adopted were these. He used to insist that virtue was a thing which might be taught; also, that the nobly born and virtuously disposed, were the same people; for that virtue was of itself sufficient for happiness. And was in need of nothing, except the strength of Socrates. He also looked upon virtue as a species of work, not wanting many arguments, or much instruction; and he taught that the wise man was sufficient for himself; for that everything that belonged to any one else belonged to him. He considered obscurity of fame a good thing, and equally good with labour. And he used to say that the wise man would regulate his conduct as a citizen, not according to the established laws of the state, but according to the law of virtue. And that he would marry for the sake of having children, selecting the most beautiful woman for his wife. And that he would love her; for that the wise man alone knew what objects deserved love (V). Antisthenes died in Athens of a disease which may have been consumption.

He is said to have borne his illness and impending death with calm and acceptance as simply another part of the life he had so enjoyed and so saw no reason to complain. The Cynics and Diogenes, the Philosopher who Lived in a Barrel The Cynics and Diogenes, the Philosopher who Lived in a Barrel January 5, 2015 by Janet Cameron 2 Comments Diogenes claimed he was happy living in his barrel, with his clock, his stick and his breadbag. Image by inarizoo Philosophy is not a discipline without its eccentrics, and surely the most famous Cynic of all, Diogenes, must be the prime example. Nevertheless, Diogenes lived in harmony with his beliefs and remained true to himself, although his barrel must have been an uncomfortable domain for a human being. Today, if we describe someone as “cynical,” we mean that they are scornful of human sincerity or sentimentality and may be insensitive to the distress of others. In the times of the Ancient Greeks, it was more complicated.

The Cynics – First of Four Important Schools of Philosophy In “Cynics and Sceptics” in his History of Western Philosophy, Bertrand Russell explains that four Schools of Philosophy were founded around the time of Alexander the Great, and these were the Cynics, the Sceptics, the Stoics and the Epicureans. It all started with a philosopher called Antisthenes, who lived in Athens around 400B.C. Antisthenes was instructed by Socrates and he was fascinated by the great master’s extreme frugality. ________________ Would you like to see more articles like this? Support This Expert's Articles, This Category of Articles, or the Site in General Here. Just put your preference in the "I Would Like to Support" Box after you Click to Donate Below: Until Socrates died, Antisthenes lived comfortably within an aristocratic circle without ever attempting to portray any unorthodox behaviour or theories. After the death of Socrates, Antisthenes was no longer a young man, but, in an instant, he did a tremendous about-turn, professing to despise all the trappings of power and affluence he formerly valued.

Antisthenes decided he wanted to be good. He consorted with, and dressed like, working men. He preached in the open air in order to reach all those less fortunate and less educated than he was. He eschewed government, marriage, property and the established religious order. He was an inspiration to his disciple, Diogenes. However, when Diogenes first came into Antisthenes’s life, the master was not impressed. Russell recounts that he tried to send Diogenes away, even beating him with a stick. Simply, Antisthenes could not take to Diogenes. Perhaps he was concerned that the young man was the son of a disreputable money-lender. Whatever Antisthenes said or did, Diogenes was unwavering. He wanted wisdom and it had to be the wisdom of Antisthenes or nothing. Eventually, the master succumbed and let him study under his tutelage. Diogenes Develops the Philosophy of the Cynics “The Cynics emphasized that true happiness is not found in external advantages such as material luxury, political power, or good health.

True happiness lies in not being dependent on such random and fleeting things,” says Jostein Gaardner in Sophie’s World. Imagine living in a barrel with just three possessions to your name – a cloak, a stick and a bread bag. This suited Diogenes, since nobody could steal away his precious happiness. There is some controversy about the true nature of this alternative home (see below) but whether a tub, a barrel or a pitcher, it must have been a hard life for him. Gaardner relates a charming story about Diogenes, although I cannot be sure whether it is a literally true story or an allegory. (It also appears, briefly, in Russell) Either way, it demonstrates the true essence of the Cynic philosophy: “One day, while he was sitting beside his barrel enjoying the sun, he was visited by Alexander the Great. The emperor stood before him and asked if there was anything he could do for him. Was there anything he desired?” “Yes,” Diogenes replied. “Stand to one side. You’re blocking the sun.” Thus Diogenes showed he was no less happy and rich than the great man before him.

He had everything he desired.” Cynics are not concerned about their own health or about the health or wellbeing of other people. Suffering and death is neither here nor there. Diogenes Lives Like a Dog Diogenes decided to live like a dog, and that is how he came to be called a “Cynic,” which means “canine.” Bertrand Russell says: “He rejected all conventions – whether of religion, of manners, of dress, of housing, of food or of decency. One is told that he lived in a tub, but Gilbert Murray assures us that this is a mistake; it was a large pitcher, of the sort used in primitive times for burials. He lived like an Indian fakir by begging.” (Gilbert Murray was an Australian-born intellectual and an expert in the language and culture of Ancient Greece.) Diogenes shows Alexander the Great he’s happier living like a dog. Image by inarizoo Diogenes said he wanted to be a brother to the entire human race, and not only humans, but all of animal creation. It is, however, important to realise that Diogenes’s cynicism is far from our modern understanding of the word.

He was devoted to virtue and disparaged the value of worldly goods. He espoused liberation from desire and indifference to the vagaries of fortune. Like a much later philosopher, Rousseau, he felt that the arts made our lives artificial. Resignation to the Natural Order – a Protest Against Evil As a contemporary of the more cheerful Aristotle, Diogenes was actually more in line with the Hellenistic age to come. Philosophy was to take a downward turn, to see the world as bad, and to seek independence from the world by resisting its temptations. Bertrand Russell says: “Only subjective goods – virtue, or contentment through resignation – are secure, and these alone, therefore, will be valued by the wise man. Diogenes, personally, was a man full of vigour, but his doctrine, like all those of the Hellenistic age, was one to appeal to weary men, in whom disappointment had destroyed natural zest.” Russell points out that this was not a system that could promote science, art or statesmanship. On the contrary, it was little more than a protest against evil without accompanying useful goals. Cynicism continued to be in fashion in Alexandria in the early third century B.C.

Resignation – Or a Callous Indifference? During this time, it was the trend to deliver sermons about how happy one could be living the simple life, without the normal trappings of civilisation. There is even mention of the stupidity of mourning your dead children. Russell quotes from one such sermon, by a Cynic called Teles, and there is something sinister about this quotation, even beyond its callous indifference to bereavement. It is not clear why Russell doesn’t point this out. In my view, the Cynics were known for eschewing the ownership of property, so this comment certainly appears to be inconsistent: “Because my son or wife is dead, is that any reason for my neglecting myself, who am still alive, and ceasing to look after my property.” However, Russell adds, at the end of his chapter, “Popular Cynicism did not teach abstinence from the good things of this world, but only a certain indifference to them.” It does seem though, that from the original and sincere practices of Diogenes, eccentric although they might appear, to the callous and inhumane statement of Teles, something unpleasant and even a little corrupt has crept into the equation.

Fortunately, the next major School of Philosophy was that of the Stoics, which derived some of its impetus from the Cynics, but was a more balanced and human philosophy. © Copyright 2015 Janet Cameron, All rights Reserved. Written For: Decoded Past

Question: Which philosopher founded the Cynics?
Answer: Antisthenes