The life of Diogenes will have truly humbled every great philosopher from the East to West. For none would want to live as an intellectual beggar prideful of being completely free. Much respects and honour of Diogenes that brings out boldly the deeper aspects of any shallow preconceived concepts. JamesWhiskey
@@PhiloNauticaa Diogenes knocked on the door of Plato's house, and upon the door being opened for him, he immediately entered and stomped his dirty feet repeatedly and defiantly upon Plato's recently acquired bear-skin rug. After he turned to Plato, who was watching in amazement, and Diogenes said, 'Thus do I trample upon the Pride of Plato !' Plato calmly yet assertively replied, 'Yes Diogenes, but with how much more Pride have you done so !'
Wow, what an intriguing and bold exploration of Diogenes' life! This video brilliantly captures the eccentric yet profound philosophy of a man who challenged societal norms in the most unconventional ways. Loved the storytelling and historical insight-keep up the great work!
Such a great channel. I like how the topics brought are like medicine in a sick and mad world that we live in, and make us reflect about what really matters.
"I’m reminded of Diogenes again: he used to live naked; he was a very healthy and beautiful man. Even Alexander the Great felt a little jealous. He had everything, but the beauty of Diogenes, his marble-like body, his statue-like firmness…. He was lying one day by the side of the river which was his resting place. Four thieves, whose function was… because in those days almost all over the world man was sold and purchased. Women particularly had a good price, and healthy strong men also had a good price. Slaves were an accepted fact almost all over the world. So these four thieves were engaged in the business of catching hold of people and taking them to the marketplace. They saw this man and discussed among themselves: “This man will fetch a good price, perhaps the best ever. But he seems to be too strong even for four persons. He will kill us if we try to catch hold of him; he looks dangerous.” And Diogenes was listening because they were discussing what to do just behind the bushes. Diogenes said, “You idiots! You don’t have to do anything! Just come out! Follow me!” They said, “But where?” He said, “To the marketplace where you want to sell me! There is no need to catch hold of me. I am coming on my own. Let this be also an experience. Anyway I am good for nothing.” The thieves became very afraid seeing the strangeness of the man. “Even to follow him is dangerous; he may turn, or jump and hit somebody.” They kept their distance. Diogenes said, “Don’t be afraid! Just stay close! Are you taking me to the marketplace or am I taking you?” With great fear they came close to him. And in the marketplace where people, men and women, were auctioned, Diogenes jumped on the table and shouted at the crowd that had come to purchase people, “Here is a master for sale! Is there any slave who is ready to purchase him?” There was great silence, the man certainly was a grandeur in himself. Even kings had come to purchase but they had to think twice whether to purchase this man. He could be dangerous, he could be ferocious if he can jump on the table and declare himself, “Here is a master! Is there anyone ready to purchase him?” Finally one king dared to purchase him, and he said, “To whom is the money to be given?” Diogenes showed those four persons who were hiding in the crowd. “Give the money to these four people. They have brought me here. And bring your chariot closer so I can come in the chariot.” Now slaves are not supposed to order kings, but even this king felt a weakening of the heart. He told his charioteer to bring the chariot close by. Diogenes jumped on the chariot and sat by the side of the king, and the king was trembling. He had purchased unnecessary trouble. This man can simply take him by the neck and throw him out of the chariot. “Rather than purchasing a slave I have purchased a master; he was right.” But Diogenes said, “Don’t be afraid; I’m not going to do any of the things that you are thinking. I am a peace-loving man. Let us make an agreement: I shall not disturb you, you should not disturb me.” The king was very willing. He said “I am absolutely ready, I will not disturb you. You can have a part of the palace, and whatever you need will be provided. But please keep the agreement, don’t disturb me. I am a man with a very weak heart, and you seem to be very dangerous.” Diogenes said, “Don’t be worried. As far as killing is concerned I am absolutely against it; harassing anybody I am absolutely against. You will find in me a great master; you can learn much. You have purchased the only master who has ever been sold, and I have sold myself. In fact I needed some disciples. Now you, your wife, your brothers, your children, all are my disciples - agreed?!” In the forest the chariot was moving towards the kingdom. Not to agree with this man was very dangerous because there was only the charioteer and the king, and he was enough for both. So whatever he said the king went on saying, “Yes, absolutely agreed.” And as they were entering the kingdom, Diogenes jumped out of the chariot, said goodbye to the king and said, “I was just joking! For those four poor men I had to play this role. My river has come. If you want sometime some advice you are welcome. Take note of my address: this river, and do you see that dog?” He had only one dog as a friend. Because of this dog as a friend, his name became “Diogenes the Cynic.” The friendship with the dog also came in a very special way. One day he was running towards the river with a begging bowl, just as Buddha had a begging bowl. He was thirsty, but just as he was reaching to the water, a dog came running, overtook him and started drinking the water. He said, “My God! Why am I carrying this bowl? The dog is in a better position!” He threw the begging bowl in the river and learned the way of drinking water like the dog. The dog certainly became very friendly to the man, so he invited the dog to share with him whatever he got for food. The dog was his only companion, and he would talk to it. Even when Alexander was standing by his side, he was making a joke of it. Alexander said, “I’m going to conquer the world.” Rather than answering him, he looked at the dog and said, “Do you hear? This fellow is going to conquer the world!” Then to Alexander: “Before conquering the world you will be finished. If you are as wise as this dog, you would rest here, because what will you do after conquering the world?” Alexander had to concede: “After conquering the world I will certainly rest and relax.” Diogenes said, “Look at my dog, how relaxed! You can come on this side, I have no objection; I don’t possess this river. I don’t know who possesses this river, but we both live here and we welcome you. There is no need to take so much trouble to conquer the world and then rest; why not begin rest now?” Alexander said, “I can understand your logic, and I am not able to answer it. But now that I have started my journey of conquering, I will have to go and fulfill my desire.” Diogenes said, “It is up to you, but remember the day you die that I have told you life is very short and the world is very big. Most probably you will die before you have conquered the world.” And Diogenes was right, Alexander died at the age of only thirty-three, and the last memory in his mind was of Diogenes: “That wise man told it right. Even his dog agreed by waving his tail, ‘You are right. If he wants to rest he should begin now.'” Diogenes is not historically very much in the line of the great Greek philosophers: Socrates, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Heraclitus. Nobody mentions Diogenes much for the simple reason that he was not a man who took the world seriously. Somewhere he found a lamp, an old lamp, which somebody may have thrown away. So he lit the lamp and, still with his dog, carried it day and night always lighted even in full daylight and people would say, “It is strange, Diogenes; why are you carrying this lamp in the full sunlight?” And he would say, “I am in search of an authentic man. Just to see into his eyes, I keep this lamp. Up to now I have failed.” The day he died in Athens, the dog was sitting by his side and the lamp was there, and somebody asked, “Diogenes, you are dying; can you say something about what happened to the authentic man? Did you find any authentic man?” And his last words were, “Unfortunately I did not find an authentic man, but fortunately nobody has stolen my lamp; that much I can say in favor of humanity. I am a naked man, I sleep and anybody could have stolen it.” He never took life seriously but lived with as much joy and glory as any buddha."
It's funny how sometimes people are jalous of dogs and say "Oh it would be such a nice life being a dog". Now when I hear this I have to think of Diogenes
I have often seen Diogenes as a Greek Zen Master but without the comfort of a monastery. I have various imaginary conversations in my fancy between Diogenes and the Buddha and between Diogenes and Hui Neng the Sixth Patriarch.
If you examine the new testament about Jesus Christ carefully, you will also find he is trying to teach buddhist philosophy in the best way possible, using cultural and linguistic features of his homeland ... Good luck my friend, the journey you are on will not attract friends.
History is often distorted, and old stories are often exaggerated. There are surely anecdots in Diogenes' life that while having some truth in them, are exaggerated to extreme to fit the narrative.
Personally,I thought Diogenes was a mix of insane arrogance and lazy.I would not have liked him as a friend.However he had a great reflection on rich people.I believe it was something he said to the fact of ,”a rich person having many fine things,but is a slave to it all.” Now if you saw Downton Abbey,you can see the trouble Lord always worried about always having enough money to keep a hold of his possessions.So there is that as an example.However Diogenes was a dick and would spit in his benefactors face.
9:32 the guy literally lived like an animal and did the dirty in public and then complains that people are animals I mean if your house is made of glass
Diogenes was criticizing people’s pretensions of civility. As you pointed out, Diogenes lived like an animal and made no pretensions to civility. So what are you on about his “glass house”? His point wasn’t, “You aren’t civil _like me.”_ His point was, “You aren’t civil like you imagine.”
If you have the will power to do that just by holding your breath, then you pretty much already beat life and might as well go when you want on your own terms.
Living like a dog is not civilized nor free -- somebody has to pay for the dog-food, or at least provide the bones. If Diogenes were sincere in his wanting to live according to nature, he would have lived in the wild with the wolves in a cave or in a den somewhere -- not in a man-made tub in Athens.
@@SDog-s1q Even if it is somewhat absurd to think of a man living with wolves, the reality is that he could have left the city for the wilderness -- as some people do -- and lived-off the land by hunting and gathering and/or farming, instead of begging for food.
@@SDog-s1q My real, objection to Diogenes is that he is somewhat like the Hippies of the 1960s. They supposedly rejected society, yet remained parasitic on that same society they supposedly were rejecting.
@@alwaysgreatusa223 Well afterall maybe that wasn't an option during his time as its easy for you to suggest being a hunter or a farmer when Greeks would go to and be on wars.He was albeit,a highly educated philosopher who questioned and debated and challenged many theories and debates of his time.Funny a modern man suggest a cynic greek philosopher to be a farmer. To imagine that if he was sincere enough to be free from burden and means by living in a cave or the wilderness is baffling when history clearly taught us he was The Mad Socrates who lives and begs in the city market and him living in the city was his way of sincerity as he could've always ended his life by not begging and living in cities. Least,i hope u know that he wanted his corpse to be thrown to the wild for nature and animals to consume .
Personally,I thought Diogenes was a mix of insane arrogance and lazy.I would not have liked him as a friend.However he had a great reflection on rich people.I believe it was something he said to the fact of ,”a rich person having many fine things,but is a slave to it all.” Now if you saw Downton Abbey,you can see the trouble Lord always worried about always having enough money to keep a hold of his possessions.So there is that as an example.However Diogenes was a dick and would spit in his benefactors face.
The life of Diogenes will have truly humbled every great philosopher from the East to West. For none would want to live as an intellectual beggar prideful of being completely free. Much respects and honour of Diogenes that brings out boldly the deeper aspects of any shallow preconceived concepts. JamesWhiskey
Well, it humbled Plato, that's for sure!
@@PhiloNauticaa Diogenes knocked on the door of Plato's house, and upon the door being opened for him, he immediately entered and stomped his dirty feet repeatedly and defiantly upon Plato's recently acquired bear-skin rug. After he turned to Plato, who was watching in amazement, and Diogenes said, 'Thus do I trample upon the Pride of Plato !'
Plato calmly yet assertively replied, 'Yes Diogenes, but with how much more Pride have you done so !'
Wow, what an intriguing and bold exploration of Diogenes' life! This video brilliantly captures the eccentric yet profound philosophy of a man who challenged societal norms in the most unconventional ways. Loved the storytelling and historical insight-keep up the great work!
Thank you!
Such a great channel. I like how the topics brought are like medicine in a sick and mad world that we live in, and make us reflect about what really matters.
Glad you liked them, Keep Supporting!
Very similar to Buddhism - all suffering stems from desires
Yes - and Alexander went to India. The philosophers with Alexander met Indian sages.
"I’m reminded of Diogenes again: he used to live naked; he was a very healthy and beautiful man. Even Alexander the Great felt a little jealous. He had everything, but the beauty of Diogenes, his marble-like body, his statue-like firmness….
He was lying one day by the side of the river which was his resting place. Four thieves, whose function was… because in those days almost all over the world man was sold and purchased. Women particularly had a good price, and healthy strong men also had a good price. Slaves were an accepted fact almost all over the world. So these four thieves were engaged in the business of catching hold of people and taking them to the marketplace.
They saw this man and discussed among themselves: “This man will fetch a good price, perhaps the best ever. But he seems to be too strong even for four persons. He will kill us if we try to catch hold of him; he looks dangerous.”
And Diogenes was listening because they were discussing what to do just behind the bushes. Diogenes said, “You idiots! You don’t have to do anything! Just come out! Follow me!”
They said, “But where?”
He said, “To the marketplace where you want to sell me! There is no need to catch hold of me. I am coming on my own. Let this be also an experience. Anyway I am good for nothing.”
The thieves became very afraid seeing the strangeness of the man. “Even to follow him is dangerous; he may turn, or jump and hit somebody.” They kept their distance.
Diogenes said, “Don’t be afraid! Just stay close! Are you taking me to the marketplace or am I taking you?”
With great fear they came close to him. And in the marketplace where people, men and women, were auctioned, Diogenes jumped on the table and shouted at the crowd that had come to purchase people, “Here is a master for sale! Is there any slave who is ready to purchase him?”
There was great silence, the man certainly was a grandeur in himself. Even kings had come to purchase but they had to think twice whether to purchase this man. He could be dangerous, he could be ferocious if he can jump on the table and declare himself, “Here is a master! Is there anyone ready to purchase him?”
Finally one king dared to purchase him, and he said, “To whom is the money to be given?” Diogenes showed those four persons who were hiding in the crowd. “Give the money to these four people. They have brought me here. And bring your chariot closer so I can come in the chariot.”
Now slaves are not supposed to order kings, but even this king felt a weakening of the heart. He told his charioteer to bring the chariot close by. Diogenes jumped on the chariot and sat by the side of the king, and the king was trembling. He had purchased unnecessary trouble. This man can simply take him by the neck and throw him out of the chariot. “Rather than purchasing a slave I have purchased a master; he was right.”
But Diogenes said, “Don’t be afraid; I’m not going to do any of the things that you are thinking. I am a peace-loving man. Let us make an agreement: I shall not disturb you, you should not disturb me.”
The king was very willing. He said “I am absolutely ready, I will not disturb you. You can have a part of the palace, and whatever you need will be provided. But please keep the agreement, don’t disturb me. I am a man with a very weak heart, and you seem to be very dangerous.”
Diogenes said, “Don’t be worried. As far as killing is concerned I am absolutely against it; harassing anybody I am absolutely against. You will find in me a great master; you can learn much. You have purchased the only master who has ever been sold, and I have sold myself. In fact I needed some disciples. Now you, your wife, your brothers, your children, all are my disciples - agreed?!”
In the forest the chariot was moving towards the kingdom. Not to agree with this man was very dangerous because there was only the charioteer and the king, and he was enough for both. So whatever he said the king went on saying, “Yes, absolutely agreed.”
And as they were entering the kingdom, Diogenes jumped out of the chariot, said goodbye to the king and said, “I was just joking! For those four poor men I had to play this role. My river has come. If you want sometime some advice you are welcome. Take note of my address: this river, and do you see that dog?”
He had only one dog as a friend. Because of this dog as a friend, his name became “Diogenes the Cynic.”
The friendship with the dog also came in a very special way. One day he was running towards the river with a begging bowl, just as Buddha had a begging bowl. He was thirsty, but just as he was reaching to the water, a dog came running, overtook him and started drinking the water.
He said, “My God! Why am I carrying this bowl? The dog is in a better position!” He threw the begging bowl in the river and learned the way of drinking water like the dog.
The dog certainly became very friendly to the man, so he invited the dog to share with him whatever he got for food. The dog was his only companion, and he would talk to it.
Even when Alexander was standing by his side, he was making a joke of it. Alexander said, “I’m going to conquer the world.”
Rather than answering him, he looked at the dog and said, “Do you hear? This fellow is going to conquer the world!” Then to Alexander: “Before conquering the world you will be finished. If you are as wise as this dog, you would rest here, because what will you do after conquering the world?”
Alexander had to concede: “After conquering the world I will certainly rest and relax.”
Diogenes said, “Look at my dog, how relaxed! You can come on this side, I have no objection; I don’t possess this river. I don’t know who possesses this river, but we both live here and we welcome you. There is no need to take so much trouble to conquer the world and then rest; why not begin rest now?”
Alexander said, “I can understand your logic, and I am not able to answer it. But now that I have started my journey of conquering, I will have to go and fulfill my desire.”
Diogenes said, “It is up to you, but remember the day you die that I have told you life is very short and the world is very big. Most probably you will die before you have conquered the world.”
And Diogenes was right, Alexander died at the age of only thirty-three, and the last memory in his mind was of Diogenes: “That wise man told it right. Even his dog agreed by waving his tail, ‘You are right. If he wants to rest he should begin now.'”
Diogenes is not historically very much in the line of the great Greek philosophers: Socrates, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Heraclitus. Nobody mentions Diogenes much for the simple reason that he was not a man who took the world seriously.
Somewhere he found a lamp, an old lamp, which somebody may have thrown away. So he lit the lamp and, still with his dog, carried it day and night always lighted even in full daylight and people would say, “It is strange, Diogenes; why are you carrying this lamp in the full sunlight?”
And he would say, “I am in search of an authentic man. Just to see into his eyes, I keep this lamp. Up to now I have failed.”
The day he died in Athens, the dog was sitting by his side and the lamp was there, and somebody asked, “Diogenes, you are dying; can you say something about what happened to the authentic man? Did you find any authentic man?”
And his last words were, “Unfortunately I did not find an authentic man, but fortunately nobody has stolen my lamp; that much I can say in favor of humanity. I am a naked man, I sleep and anybody could have stolen it.” He never took life seriously but lived with as much joy and glory as any buddha."
Thanks
It's funny how sometimes people are jalous of dogs and say "Oh it would be such a nice life being a dog". Now when I hear this I have to think of Diogenes
I have often seen Diogenes as a Greek Zen Master but without the comfort of a monastery. I have various imaginary conversations in my fancy between Diogenes and the Buddha and between Diogenes and Hui Neng the Sixth Patriarch.
If you examine the new testament about Jesus Christ carefully, you will also find he is trying to teach buddhist philosophy in the best way possible, using cultural and linguistic features of his homeland ...
Good luck my friend, the journey you are on will not attract friends.
Diogenes’ Lamp is a good read 🕯️
He clearly didn’t live in Canadian winters.
I love the story of Diogenes the Cynic. Classic.
It's Crazy how much I relate to him... like I feel a lot like this but not to this extreme.
So you're a happy person too
History is often distorted, and old stories are often exaggerated.
There are surely anecdots in Diogenes' life that while having some truth in them, are exaggerated to extreme to fit the narrative.
True to some extent
Dioceses to Plato:
Define a man.
Plato:
A man walks upright on two legs.
Diogenese with a chicken by its neck:
Behold! A man!
"Behold, Plato's man!"
This is good
This guy was a G💯
Savage!
For all it´s worth he could then sing the song, "I did it my way". I think i have met the dude already, better than the usual empty shell of a vessel.
I don't agree that living in filth, poverty and squalor is a good way to live.
Did people call him a dog because he acted like a dog, or did he act like a dog because people called him a dog 🤔
He doesn't care about people's opinion at all, so the first one!
Diogenes went too far to cope with poverty. 😅
Personally,I thought Diogenes was a mix of insane arrogance and lazy.I would not have liked him as a friend.However he had a great reflection on rich people.I believe it was something he said to the fact of ,”a rich person having many fine things,but is a slave to it all.” Now if you saw Downton Abbey,you can see the trouble Lord always worried about always having enough money to keep a hold of his possessions.So there is that as an example.However Diogenes was a dick and would spit in his benefactors face.
9:32 the guy literally lived like an animal and did the dirty in public and then complains that people are animals I mean if your house is made of glass
Diogenes was criticizing people’s pretensions of civility. As you pointed out, Diogenes lived like an animal and made no pretensions to civility. So what are you on about his “glass house”?
His point wasn’t, “You aren’t civil _like me.”_ His point was, “You aren’t civil like you imagine.”
This guy was NUTS! Although there is something amusing about him. Committing suicide isnt the brightest move if you ask me.
Well, There were quite a few other acts that weren’t particularly impressive either xD
If you have the will power to do that just by holding your breath, then you pretty much already beat life and might as well go when you want on your own terms.
I feel he was too extreme proving his points and urinating on others is disgusting! There's far better methods to convey a message.
What he says is that when people would throw bones at him to imply he was like a dog, then we would urinate on them to “be a dog”
Right, but maybe he was irrate. Maybe he had been treated really bad already?
Karl Marx's inspiration?
Living like a dog is not civilized nor free -- somebody has to pay for the dog-food, or at least provide the bones.
If Diogenes were sincere in his wanting to live according to nature, he would have lived in the wild with the wolves in a cave or in a den somewhere -- not in a man-made tub in Athens.
If men dwelled with animals peacefully like Eden,maybe he would have rather than livin amongst society 😂
@@SDog-s1q Even if it is somewhat absurd to think of a man living with wolves, the reality is that he could have left the city for the wilderness -- as some people do -- and lived-off the land by hunting and gathering and/or farming, instead of begging for food.
@@SDog-s1q My real, objection to Diogenes is that he is somewhat like the Hippies of the 1960s. They supposedly rejected society, yet remained parasitic on that same society they supposedly were rejecting.
@@alwaysgreatusa223 Well afterall maybe that wasn't an option during his time as its easy for you to suggest being a hunter or a farmer when Greeks would go to and be on wars.He was albeit,a highly educated philosopher who questioned and debated and challenged many theories and debates of his time.Funny a modern man suggest a cynic greek philosopher to be a farmer.
To imagine that if he was sincere enough to be free from burden and means by living in a cave or the wilderness is baffling when history clearly taught us he was The Mad Socrates who lives and begs in the city market and him living in the city was his way of sincerity as he could've always ended his life by not begging and living in cities.
Least,i hope u know that he wanted his corpse to be thrown to the wild for nature and animals to consume .
Diogonies was a Communist!
tl;dw: The world’s first incel.
Personally,I thought Diogenes was a mix of insane arrogance and lazy.I would not have liked him as a friend.However he had a great reflection on rich people.I believe it was something he said to the fact of ,”a rich person having many fine things,but is a slave to it all.” Now if you saw Downton Abbey,you can see the trouble Lord always worried about always having enough money to keep a hold of his possessions.So there is that as an example.However Diogenes was a dick and would spit in his benefactors face.
Noone would have liked him as a friend. The man used to do unacceptable things in streets