• PugJesus@lemmy.worldOPM
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    1 month ago

    Explanation: Diogenes was an Ancient Greek philosopher who lived in an empty wine barrel on the streets and passed along unconventional wisdom to passers-by, often unasked for. Such brilliance as “If only it were as easy to banish hunger by rubbing my belly!” when accosted for masturbating in public, and “Behold, a man!” whilst holding a plucked chicken, when Plato’s Academy defined a man as a featherless biped.

    Unironically, though, his iconoclasm, while eccentric, does show a well-considered and coherent value system, and for that reason, despite everything, was a major influence on later philosophers, especially the Cynic school. Alexander the Great famously said, “If I were not Alexander, I would want to be Diogenes.” to which according to some accounts Diogenes replied, “If I were not Diogenes, I too would want to be Diogenes.”

    • Hugin@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Cynic means dog like. It was used to describe Diogenes because he frequently shit in the street like a dog.