Sinope was being disputed between pro- Persian and pro- Greek factions in the 4th century, and there may have been political rather than financial motives behind the act. The coins were deliberately defaced in order to render them worthless as legal tender. During this time there was much counterfeit money circulating in Sinope. This aspect of the story seems to be corroborated by archaeology: large numbers of defaced coins (smashed with a large chisel stamp) have been discovered at Sinope dating from the middle of the 4th century BC, and other coins of the time bear the name of Hicesias as the official who minted them. It seems likely that Diogenes was also enrolled into the banking business aiding his father.Īt some point (the exact date is unknown), Hicesias and Diogenes became involved in a scandal involving the adulteration or debasement of the currency, and Diogenes was exiled from the city and lost his citizenship and all his material possessions. Nothing is known about Diogenes’ early life except that his father, Hicesias, was a banker. No writings of Diogenes are known but there are some details of his life from anecdotes ( chreia), especially from Diogenes Laërtius‘ book Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers and some other sources. There he passed his philosophy of Cynicism to Crates, who taught it to Zeno of Citium, who fashioned it into the school of Stoicism, one of the most enduring schools of Greek philosophy. ĭiogenes was captured by pirates and sold into slavery, eventually settling in Corinth. Diogenes was also noted for having mocked Alexander the Great, both in public and to his face when he visited Corinth in 336 BC. He criticized Plato, disputed his interpretation of Socrates, and sabotaged his lectures, sometimes distracting listeners by bringing food and eating during the discussions. He became notorious for his philosophical stunts, such as carrying a lamp during the day, claiming to be looking for an honest man. He begged for a living and often slept in a large ceramic jar, or pithos, in the marketplace. Diogenes Searching for an Honest Man (1640-1647) by Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione held at the National Gallery of Artĭiogenes made a virtue of poverty. There are many tales about his dogging Antisthenes‘ footsteps and becoming his “faithful hound”. He declared himself a cosmopolitan and a citizen of the world rather than claiming allegiance to just one place. He had a reputation for sleeping and eating wherever he chose in a highly non-traditional fashion, and took to toughening himself against nature. He used his simple lifestyle and behaviour to criticize the social values and institutions of what he saw as a corrupt, confused society. He modelled himself on the example of Heracles, and believed that virtue was better revealed in action than in theory. After being exiled, he moved to Athens and criticized many cultural conventions of the city. His father minted coins for a living, and Diogenes was banished from Sinope when he took to debasement of currency. He was born in Sinope, an Ionian colony on the Black Sea coast of modern day Turkey, in 412 or 404 BC and died at Corinth in 323 BC. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia DiogenesĬynic philosophy Cosmopolitanism Solvitur ambulandoĭiogenes ( /daɪˈɒdʒɪniːz/ dy-OJ-in-eez Ancient Greek: Διογένης, romanized: Diogénēs ), also known as Diogenes the Cynic (Διογένης ὁ Κυνικός, Diogénēs ho Kynikós), was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |