Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander

1. Part Two Background Information ENTER Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander

2. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander Background Information Contents • Author • Diogenes • Cynicism • Alexander the Great • Aristotle & Plato • Hercules

3. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Author Gilbert Highet (1906—1978) was US “educator, author, and critic”. “He is noted for popularizing intellectual topics; wrote ‘Anatomy of Satire,’ 1962.” The end of Author.

4. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Diogenes Diogenes: (412 B.C. — 324 B.C.), Greek philosopher who founded the Cynic school of philosophy, stressing self-control and the pursuit of virtue. He was the son of Hicesias, who was exiled from his home town of Sinope, allegedly for defacing its debased currency. Thereafter, he lived in streets of Corinth and Athens where he is said to have lived in a barrel. He became the prototype of Cynicism. To be continued on the next page.

5. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Diogenes Diogeneshas been described as a Socrates gone mad. Like Socrates, he saw himself encouraging men to examine their own behaviour, and to live a virtuous life. By this, he meant a life of total self sufficiency free from social restraint, and distracting desires. Living life according to nature was interpreted by Diogenes to mean a back to the basic existence. Virtue lay in requiring the bare minimum for existence. He lived the life of a true ascetic. To be continued on the next page.

6. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Diogenes Diogenesdeemed man the most intelligent and the most foolish of the animals. For the proper conduct of human life, he claimed, we need "right reason or a halter". Most needed the halter. He is said to have wandered through the market place bearing a lamp in broad daylight proclaiming: "I am looking for a man." It was a matter of self mastery. Slavery was a matter of attitude. Diogenes himself had once been captured and sold as a slave. When asked by the slave master what he could do, he replied: "Govern men", and asked for a buyer who wanted a master. The purchaser made him tutor to his sons who did indeed obey and revere him. To be continued on the next page.

7. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Diogenes Cynic Diogenes: Diogenes became a disciple of Antisthenes, who was at the head of the Cynics. Antisthenes at first refused to admit him and even struck Diogenes with a stick. Diogenes calmly said, "Strike me all you want but I will not leave your presence, while you speak anything worth hearing." Antisthenes was so impressed with this reply that he admitted him into the Cynics. Diogenes fully adopted the principles and character of his master. How did he become a Cynic philosopher? To be continued on the next page.

8. comparison: DIOGENES AND ALEXANDER Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Diogenes Find out the similarities and differences. Find out the similarities and differences. During his lifetime, Diogenes encountered the most powerful of individuals and treated them with scorn. They in turn responded with admiration. When Alexander announced: "I am Alexander, the great king." Diogenes replied: "I am Diogenes the dog", using his nickname to show his contempt for the titles others valued. Alexander is quoted as saying that had he not been Alexander, he would have liked to have been Diogenes. The end of Diogenes.

9. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Cynicism Origin of cynicism Cynicismderives its name from the Greek word for Dog. Aristotle refers to Diogenes as "The Dog" and Diogenes had no problem with the nickname. Cynicism was not a school of philosophy, but rather an erratic succession of individuals which began with the philosopher Antisthenes. Cynicism emphasized moral self-mastery, rejection of government, property, marriage and religion. However, Diogenes was not above stealing, claiming all things are the property of the wise. To be continued on the next page.

10. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Cynicism What is cynicism? Cynicism: A philosophy, first expounded by Diogenes, that encourages indifference to social convention and material comforts in order to concentrate on self-knowledge. The aim of the Cynic was to become self-determining, hence free, by living in accordance with nature. To be continued on the next page.

11. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Cynicism Cynics were a small but influential school of ancient philisophers. Their name is thought to be derived either from the building in Athens called Cynosarges, the earliest home of the school, or from the Greek word for a dog (kuon), in contemptuous allusion to the uncouth and aggressive manners adopted by the members of the school. The Cynics agreed in taking a dog as their common badge or symbol. What is a cynic? To be continued on the next page.

12. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander • Cynicism What is a modern sense of “cynic”? From a popular conception of the intellectual characteristics of the school comes the modern sense of “cynic”, implying a sneering disposition, a disbelief in the goodness of human motives and a contemptuous feeling of superiority. The end of Cynicism.

13. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander IV. Alexander the Great Alexander IIIwas the King of Macedonia (336—323BC) and conqueror of Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia. His reign marked the beginning of the Hellenistic Age. Alexander's conquests and the administrative needs of his Greek-speaking successors promoted the spread of the Greek language and Greek culture across the eastern Mediterranean and into Mesopotamia. The end of Alexander the Great.

14. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander V. Plato & Aristotle Plato (427?—347 B.C.?) was a Greek philosopher, a follower of Socrates. He founded the Academy (386 B.C.), where he taught and wrote for much of the rest of his life. Plato presented his ideas in the form of dramatic dialogues, as in The Republic. To be continued on the next page.

15. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander V. Plato & Aristotle Quotations from Plato Either death is a state of nothingness and utter unconsciousness, or, as men say, there is a change or migration of the soul from this world to another… Now if death be of such nature, I say that to die is to gain; for eternity is then only a single night. He who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden. The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life. To be continued on the next page.

16. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander V. Plato & Aristotle Aristotle (385—323 B.C.) was the greatest of heathen philosophers. A pupil of Plato, the tutor of Alexander the Great, and the author of works on logic, ethics, metaphysics, natural sciences, politics, and poetics, he profoundly influenced Western thought. In his philosophical system, theory follows empirical observation, and logic, based on the syllogism, is the essential method of rational inquiry. To be continued on the next page.

17. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander V. Plato & Aristotle His father was court physician to the King of Macedonia. From the age of 17 to 37 he remained as pupil of Plato and was distinguished among those who gathered for instruction. The relations between the renowned teacher and his illustrious pupil have formed the subject of various legends. There were divergencies of opinion between the master, who took his stand on sublime, idealistic principles, and the scholar, who, even at that time, showed a preference for the investigation of the facts and laws of the physical world.   The end of Plato & Aristotle.

18. Lesson 4 - Wisdom of Bear Wood VI. Hercules Hercules was the son of Zeus and Alcmene, a hero of extraordinary strength who won immortality by performing 12 labors demanded by Hera. The end of Hercules.

19. Lesson 10 – Diogenes and Alexander Part Two Background Information This is the end of Part Two. Please click HOME to visit other parts.