The Dog | Diogenes

(Self-Sufficiency)

Modern “cynicism” (mistrust of others’ motives) is almost the opposite of Diogenes. He didn’t distrust people—he trusted them to be honest animals. Today’s cynic sneers; Diogenes laughed. Diogenes The Dog

The imagery of Diogenes is inseparable from his props: his tub (often misidentified as a barrel) and his lamp. and status. He sought out Antisthenes

Most exiles would have sought pity or tried to blend in. Diogenes did the opposite. He declared war on hypocrisy, social convention, and what he saw as the delusional pursuit of wealth, power, and status. He sought out Antisthenes, a student of Socrates and the founder of Cynicism, and became his most famous disciple. But Diogenes soon surpassed his teacher, pushing the philosophy of radical self-sufficiency ( autarkeia ) to its logical extreme. Diogenes The Dog