![]() Monimos, a student of Diogenes the Cynic, seems to be mocked here for being greedy compared to other Cynics, and carrying three knapsacks of food. Proverbs, no, he went much further, the dirty beggar,Īnd declared all human suppositions to be illusion.įrom Menander’s comedy The Groom. Like “Know thyself”, by heaven, or other of the quoted The following relates to Monimos of Syracuse: There was a man named Monimos, Philo, a wise one,īut none too famous – who carried a knapsack?. ![]() These lines might be taken to refer to what was considered the essence of the Cynic philosophy, the legacy of Diogenes being what the ancients describe as a “short-cut to virtue” consisting of a life of voluntary poverty and self-imposed hardship for the purposes of philosophical training. Since you taught mortals the doctrine of self-sufficiencyĪnd showed them the easiest path through life.Įngraved on bronze statues of Diogenes the Cynic erected in Corinth following his death, according to Diogenes Laertius. O Diogenes, will remain intact through all eternity, ![]() Even bronze yields to time, but your glory, Death by holding one’s breath was considered a form of suicide favoured by philosophers. Much of what is known about his life in Athens and Corinth comes from the work The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laertius (3rd century CE). These verses describe some of the stereotypical accoutrements and behaviours of the Cynics. His cause of death has been given as either severe food poisoning from eating a raw ox's foot, rabies from a dog bite, or suicide by holding his breath. “Diogenes” means son of Zeus, and “Cynic” comes from the word for dog. The staff-bearer with the doubled cloak who lived in the open air,īut has gone off because he pressed his lips and teeth togetherĪnd held his breath for he was Diogenes in very truth,Ĭercidas of Megalopolis, in Diogenes Laertius. What is the main thing Diogenes gets praised for here? Teaching the doctrine of self-sufficiency ( autarkeia), or self-reliance, which is paradoxically described as the “easiest path through life”. The staff and cloak are mentioned as typical accoutrements, along with the knapsack. I’ve also included some ancient verse about his student Monimos of Syracuse. Here are some lines of ancient Greek verse about Diogenes of Sinope, the founder of Cynic philosophy.
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