Greek here, one small detail, which I see most non-greek documentaries about Diogenes fail to mention: Diogenes's exact answer to Alexander in Greek was: "Αποσκότησόν με", which literally means "un-darken me". However, that verb has both a literal and a metaphorical interpretation. Alexander, as the great king that he portraited himself, promised to give Diogenes anything that he would wish for. Upon hearing that, Diogenes requested that he "be removed from the darkness" of ignorance, aka be enlightened. Alexander, realizing that even he couldn't possibly give Diogenes any knowledge that he didn't already possess, walked away mumbling.
According to Greek sources, after Alexander said: "why, If I were not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes" Diogenes replied: "and if I were not Diogenes, I would wish to be Diogenes"
That's really interesting that Alaxander with so much ambition and greed would want to be like diogenes. They lived nearly opposite lives. I could see diogenes never wanting to be anyone else tho
@@graphospasm5394 the point was that Diogenes asked something so blatantly outside of the power of Alexander that it made all of his pomp and praise seem irrelevant, what Alexander meant was that Diogenes had discovered a power beyond what any man was capable of granting. So to ask it was to demonstrate the absurdity of mankind’s arrogance. Alexander understood this and that’s the meaning of his comment.
Simon,you missed out the story when he was roaming the streets during daylight with a lighted lamp. When asked what he was doing he replied 'looking for an honest man
My favorite twist on that is eating loudly at a lecture of his on self-restraint and someone took his stick away from him and started hitting him for eating loudly. Diogenes' reply to the frustrated man was something along the lines of "I'm giving you figs straight from the tree and you knock them off my hand, preferring to look at fake ones in a painting". He always found the punchline. A lot of people considered his actions just random repulsive acts of pointless provocation or as if he was just trying to appear interesting. But in every account there's an obvious lesson to be learned.
00:12:38 You forgot the best part: Diogenes' response to Alexander's wish to be him. In response, Diogenes said "Yes, if I also was Alexander the Great *_I, too, would wish to be Diogenes."_*
lol He really was a brave man, considering Alexander was such a psycho he sometimes killed friends (while in a drunken rage). I'm just recently discovering the lesser known stoics like Diogenes and Epictetus and Seneca (almost EVERYONE knows Socrates and Plato), and MORE people should hear this amazing stuff. Thanks for the telling us 'the best part' lol
Pray excuse my nit-picking, but I heard the line (in response to Mr. the Great's, "if I were not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes") as, "... and if I were not Diogenes, then I would also wish to be Diogenes"
never said it, probably never thought it. Pseudo comments sound great until you realise some regular sweaty nerd came up with it in their basement bedroom.
Yeah, no. There was a counterpoint against social complacency, a purpose, in his actions. Trolls are just morons happy to inflict the wastage of their own time on other peoples'.
He would be disgusted or amused at your lack of understanding of the points he was making. He was holding a warped mirror to the world and its concerns that everyone accepted readily. These others here have called him weak. Yet I wonder if they could what they did, live as a homeless person in the ancient world, as a point of principle. The man was sharp enough to have lectured publicly. He could have made his way as a celebrated teacher if he had softened his stance just a little. But he didn't. He took his philosophical stance to the extreme because he truely didn't give a crap about the vanities and trifles that we, as those then, think essential. The reeking herd, the polluted flock. That's strength that these here cannot comprehend let alone copy. I certainly couldn't live like that. Homelessness is horrible enough in the modern world, back then it would have been hell.
Gregory Bycraft You fool, why limit yourself to such animalistic solitude when apparently there’s hot single moms in your area?! More left for me, I guess
Kenneth Martin You don’t need to be lugging around an awkward sized piece of paper. Cast away your greedy materialism & embrace the purity of holding nothing 🤔
Just don´t become a drug addict since in that situation you will be wasting your precious time in looking for money for drugs instead of on working on your philosophy
I'd like to correct one thing: Diogenes was NOT a stoic. He taught his philosophy,now called cynicism, to the teacher of stoicisms founder. There is a clear relation between stoicism and cynicism, but Diogenes was not an actual stoic.
In fact cynicism means dogism in English if I translated literally in Hellenic. Cyon κύων is dog. Don't forget they called him Diogenes The Dog Διογένης ο κύων. It's a shame that Hellenic is 30% of all Indo-European languages and some others and still people don't know the importance and history of this language. They even call the country and inhabitants the wrong name.
Thanks for clarifying that. Watching the video I was a bit confused as to how he was stoic. From what I know of stoicism, he didn't seem to fit the bill.
@@faelreklaw8837 and Greeks probably also call all countries around the world the wrong name. It’s not unusual, and especially doesn’t merit having a chip on your shoulder about it.
He chose the life he lived, so who is to say that he wouldn't have been drowning in pussy if he had chose to live like everyone else. Technically still his choice to live that way.
My favorite quote of his was said when we was rummaging through bones. Alexander asked him what he was doing and he replied: "I am searching for the bones of your father but cannot distinguish them from those of a slave."
Diogenes also found a woman bowing to a statue of a God to which he replied, "Are you not afraid good woman, with the gods being omnipresent, that by attempting to show your virtue, you are in fact showing your arse?" He has also been quoted as saying "Blushing is the color of virtue." (Probably said after the woman became embarrassed at what he had just pointed out.)
Really good one. Note also there's a story about Alexander (Iskander in the East) and how he decided not to go further into India. Besides his army ready to mutiny on him and all that. He met a Brahman on asking for an area's leader to conquer/bribe/threaten him. Found a nearly naked old man with a bowl under a tree. Though more polite he reminded him much of Diogenes. Nothing he could offer or threaten him with so he left.
@@islandboy9381 And too full of self serving psychological complexes, self-validations, self-justification and irrational anger towards whatever fictional character they don't like at the moment.
Nah this dude would be way to funny. Someone would offer him a stage. He’d still be like hose actors that live in studios but have millions of dollars.
@@rednarok umm drugs were legal after the Catholic Church came too Cannabis wasn't made illegal in America until the 1930s ... There's many reports of Queen Victoria eating hash laced candies for her period cramps... And opium dens were on every street corner during the wild west days... How stupid are you to think the Catholic Church is what outlawed drugs...
@Andrew Brent most likely no since Cannabis ... The Indian hemp plant wouldn't have made its way to Greece by that time .. but then again maybe it did ... Any instances of Greek hemp cloth? Also obligatory Mel Brooks reference ... "ROMAN RED!"
@@KenMabie so, in Rome, before the Christian religion took hold there used to be mass gatherings where intelligent people would use drugs with similar effects as LSD.
Diogenes would have loved social media. It's taken his idea of "any act that you do in private, you should in public" to whole new exhibitionist levels.
Rarely I find proper content on my favorite philosopher. Thanks for doing your research and formulating this video in such a way, it's a breath of fresh air to see a serious take on the subjects I'm most interested in.
This synopsis only skims certain anecdotes and doesn't apply much thought to what his philosophy strived for. Quite a bit has been left out. In 2012, I came across a very rare account on how disciplined he was when it came to his sexual appetites. Also there are two stories from Aesop, one that shows him displaying a favouritism in his treatment others. Upon first reading, it seems that he condescending for being ignored when he was about give thanks for help. Yet the moral is that supplying kindness to others should not be offered whimsically. Personally, this last account can be seen as having influenced some Stoics' position on ethics.
@@nikolai9520 Well every account leaves out a lot of the info (at least a lot of the info I've managed to find on Diogenes), even though there isn't much info on him at all. But this one at least deals with respect to its subject, anything else on youtube is just a travesty. But, aside from the fact that I haven't read what you found out in 2012, what I really strive for is people understanding that when it comes to Diogenes, every story had its meaning. I've had too many people to talk to about this who think Diogenes was just seeking attention. Even if he was, which is not something you can ever prove anyway, every anecdote served a purpose, every provocation had a meaning to it. Sadly, most of it gets lost on translation and interpretation. It's hard to separate fact from fiction and there are a lot of treasures that are missed when it comes to Diogenes, specifically the ones you have to dig through etymology for to find real context. But given the fact that this can't be done in a 2 hour presentation (trust me, I've tried), let alone 10-20 minutes of youtube video, I could settle for just being respectful to your source material. Which this guy is.
@@snoookie456 Any material that offers educational insight, be it UA-cam or otherwise, should be a bit more thorough in what it presents. I have studied enough of the Hellenistic period to make comments that are substantive and worth probing, so I question and often challenge information pertaining to a thinker I respect and has been greatly misinterpreted by many people. If this posting is a resource, it only offers a general overview with some questionable and incomplete interpretations. My comments serve to steer those who care about the subject matter to the source material or discussions on the topic of cynical philosophy for the sake of an accurate understanding. Of course, each story or anecdote can be taken on its own, but since philosophers tend to be consistent in thought and personal objectives, it is not too difficult to connect Diogenes' perspectives with other things he does and says. In no way shape or form would I admit that I fully understand him or appreciate all that he has done, but studying philosophy consists in being open minded to what's presented. Some of his anecdotes are intentionally ambiguous, so it becomes an exercise in trying to get into his mindset. Even if Diogenes is a fictional character, there is still reason to examine and learn from what's been said. Consider Aesop's fables, Plato's allegories, and other philosophical tropes; there are lessons for continual rumination. If you care to read what I came across in 2012, it can be found in "Diogenes the Cynic: Sayings and Anecdotes with Other Popular Moralists" published by Oxford University Press. It is a combination of what is in Diogenes Laertius' Lives of eminent philosophers, but it is the odd passage from Stobaeus, Aelian, Gnomologium Vaticanum, and others that makes this collection most helpful for anyone conducting academic research at any level.
There was a woman in my home town when I was a kid who was very much like Diogenes...except she use to scream at traffic and as far as I remember she only shat in public once.
If there's one thing I have to respect about him, it was his wicked whit and his sheer absence of fear, even when dismissing Alexander the Great himself. Based on those quotes, it seems to me that he wasn't one to respect someone by their rank in society, but their merits as individuals. I'm probably completely off-base, but it seems to me that's what he was eluding to. :)
"if I was not Alexander, I would hope to be Diogenes." "if I was not Diogenes, I would hope to be Diogenes.' Also , could the mysterious word 'dog', that appears to spring from nowhere, come from Diogenes?
Diogenes specifically refers to two breeds of dogs, Molossia and Maltese. The former had a reputation as a hunting dog whereas the latter hunted as well but without being widely known. Diogenes describes himself as being like these dogs, which seem to have tough dispositions.
OMG!!! thanks !!!! i wanted to learn more about this guy for the longest time. but the best way i like to learn this type of stuff is passively while i do other things. or when im just sitting around wanting to watch a documentary. but there is none of this guy, they always focus on the other big players. but then again, i dont look that hard.
In my country, philosophy in highschool doesn't touch on diogenes (nor cinism or stoicism). I introduce my students everytime i began class, right after i finish with the greek trinity. And is always one of the better more enlightened classes, specially when it reaches the dialogues between him and Alexander.
i cant believe it.. a biography about my idol! for real. i am greek and grew up in athens. ancient philosophers were always my inspiration. living in thrash to become enlightened, lol
If I learned one thing in this video it's the fact that only a 100% self sufficent Philosopher can be a true Philosopher, that is not corruptet in any way.
Saw a vid on this by Sam O'nella already sadly, but your video still has merit considering it's his entire life as opposed to Sam's telling of humorous anecdotes.
Awesome! This is probably how all beliefs develop in a healthy way. The open debate of Stoicism strengthens critical thinking. Very important in the tidal wave of information. Sort it out and use the inspiration and learning. Thank you so much, Simon!
Love this philosophy videos. Can you please do unknown philosophers. Also, would you do some Catholic philosophers and theologians like Thomas Aquinas? Thanks for watching your stuff for years. I'm also subscribed every channel you got!
He is reported to have said after Alexander claimed he would want to be diogenes if he weren't Alexander that "If I were not Diogenes I would wish to be Diogenes". He was also reported to have walked around with a lantern. When asked what he was doing he proclaimed that he was searching for an honest man (hence the latern). Another story is that Alexander came upon him examining a pile of bones. When he asked what he was doing he said he was searching for Alexander's father's skeleton, but could not distinguish it from a Slave's. When asked how he should be buried he said to throw him to the wild animals, when questioned whether he minded this he said "not at all, as long as you give me a stick to defend myself!" When it was pointed out that he would lack awareness to do this he answered "if I lack awareness why should I care what happens to me?"
It’s a lot easier to be a carefree, possession free, wandering philosopher in balmy Greece that most other places. Not saying he wasn’t special, but if he was from anywhere north of Greece he’d have died in his first winter. I’m sure his argument would be “if you’re cold, walk south, what better do you have to do?” but to my knowledge he never acknowledged the intrinsic benefit that he gained above others purely from his location.
The version I know as a Greek person is that when Alexander asked Diogenes what he desires so that he could give it to him. Diogenes replied: "Don't take away from me that which you cannot give me!" Meaning the sun
@@andrewcanady6644 Alister Crowley, when you look at his work (especially the Liber Oz), it's clear that his philosophy centers around free will. Nietzsche on the other hand, had his history stand out to me more than his writing. That and the fact that he openly referred to Plato as a bore.
@ItIsItIsntIt , you're a moron. Stoicism and Cynicism are 2 completely different philosophical schools, ones which are largely at odds with each other . You're using the descriptive definition of a person who lived up to the stoic ideals as if that could make a cynic a stoic. By that logic, there were Sceptics, Platonists, Aristotelians, and Pythagoreans, who were Stoics - with a capital S - and there arecurrently Capitalists, Communists, Objectivists, Neo-Nazis, and Born Again Christians who are also Stoics with a capital S. 30 seconds on Google would be enough to tell you the first part. So you are not only stupid, you are also lazy. Start by studying basic grammar - i. e., a cat is a cat and not a tree, a Cynic is a Cynic and not a Stoic - and leave philosophy to people who are already capable of distinguishing between nouns and verbs.
@@anthonysilva5268 hiya Anthony. What do you call someone who doesn't know philosophy but tries and would like to know? What do you call someone who insults the mind of someone, who through lack of knowledge, mixes up Stoicism and Cynicism? Personally, I'd much rather be a moron, than an educated arsehole.
"That's me, mom! That's me!" However, no account of his searching about with the lantern (for an honest man) was given, wasn't it? Apart from living in a cask, that's what most people know about him, if ever.
Hey they Biographics! I love your channel, and the accuracy In which you deliver it. I understand with the vast amount of content you create, there are bound to be some inaccuracies. I wanted to point out that Diogenes was not a Stoic. He is accredited to founding the Cynics, though never officially. The Stoic Philosophy was founded by Zeno of Citium; Whom took to philosophy following the loss of his ship and fortune. He lived from ~334 BC-262 BC, and founded the stoic school in 300 BC. Diogenes lived from ~412 BC-323 BC. So not much of their lives overlapped, and Zeno was far from his philosophical life during such time. While Zeno borrowed heavily from Diogenes; There were some stark differences in their respective philosophies. While on the topic of Stoicism.... You should do a video on Marcus Aurelius!
I think I heard that after Alexander said that if he weren't Alexander he'd wish to be Diogenes, Diogenes responded that if he weren't Diogenes, he'd also wish to be Diogenes... There's also the one where Alexander supposedly sees him and asks what he is doing and Diogenes tells him that he is looking for the bones of Alexander's father, but can't tell them apart from the bones of any other men...
Thank you Brilliant for making this one possible! Get 20% off their annual subscription here: brilliant.org/Biographics/
Could you cover Otto Skorzney?
Do Johnny Cash next
Make biography videos on some of the early modern architects.
Karl Smallwood's UA-cam channel Fact Fiend
Noel Edmonds.
Greek here, one small detail, which I see most non-greek documentaries about Diogenes fail to mention:
Diogenes's exact answer to Alexander in Greek was: "Αποσκότησόν με", which literally means "un-darken me". However, that verb has both a literal and a metaphorical interpretation.
Alexander, as the great king that he portraited himself, promised to give Diogenes anything that he would wish for. Upon hearing that, Diogenes requested that he "be removed from the darkness" of ignorance, aka be enlightened. Alexander, realizing that even he couldn't possibly give Diogenes any knowledge that he didn't already possess, walked away mumbling.
I've heard this interpretation and find it worthy of Diogenes, it's brilliant.
thanks to plato lol
what did he mumble?
I wish this kind of double meaning was possible in English
thank you for having such a grasp of both languages to share this with us.
According to Greek sources, after Alexander said: "why, If I were not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes" Diogenes replied: "and if I were not Diogenes, I would wish to be Diogenes"
Savage
If I was you, I'd wanna be me too
That's really interesting that Alaxander with so much ambition and greed would want to be like diogenes. They lived nearly opposite lives. I could see diogenes never wanting to be anyone else tho
👑
@@graphospasm5394 the point was that Diogenes asked something so blatantly outside of the power of Alexander that it made all of his pomp and praise seem irrelevant, what Alexander meant was that Diogenes had discovered a power beyond what any man was capable of granting. So to ask it was to demonstrate the absurdity of mankind’s arrogance. Alexander understood this and that’s the meaning of his comment.
Simon,you missed out the story when he was roaming the streets during daylight with a lighted lamp. When asked what he was doing he replied 'looking for an honest man
You missed cut out the last part of that quote. "I'm looking for honest men, so I may poop upon their floors"
the actual quote is that he was looking for a human
Its also said he used to sit at the front of Platos lectures and eat loudly.
And defecate at moments of ridicule.
My favorite twist on that is eating loudly at a lecture of his on self-restraint and someone took his stick away from him and started hitting him for eating loudly.
Diogenes' reply to the frustrated man was something along the lines of "I'm giving you figs straight from the tree and you knock them off my hand, preferring to look at fake ones in a painting".
He always found the punchline. A lot of people considered his actions just random repulsive acts of pointless provocation or as if he was just trying to appear interesting.
But in every account there's an obvious lesson to be learned.
lmao
He's a the kid in class that chews food with his mouth open during a class presentation
Ancient Greek JSchlatt
00:12:38 You forgot the best part: Diogenes' response to Alexander's wish to be him. In response, Diogenes said "Yes, if I also was Alexander the Great *_I, too, would wish to be Diogenes."_*
SNAAAP!
_the absolute madman_
hahahaha what a rascal
lol He really was a brave man, considering Alexander was such a psycho he sometimes killed friends (while in a drunken rage).
I'm just recently discovering the lesser known stoics like Diogenes and Epictetus and Seneca (almost EVERYONE knows Socrates and Plato), and MORE people should hear this amazing stuff.
Thanks for the telling us 'the best part' lol
Pray excuse my nit-picking, but I heard the line (in response to Mr. the Great's, "if I were not Alexander, I would wish to be Diogenes") as, "... and if I were not Diogenes, then I would also wish to be Diogenes"
"in a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face" - based Diogenes
never said it, probably never thought it. Pseudo comments sound great until you realise some regular sweaty nerd came up with it in their basement bedroom.
"Never trust the legitimacy of random musings of men on the web" - Abraham Lincoln
@@iwanabana ahah tbf I wouldn't be too surprised if he actually did the guy was so ahead of his time
"Diogenes is the man" -Albert Einstein
@@iwanabana well played. I applaud you.
"you are too powerful to need me and I am too self sufficient to need you"
WTH This mad man, he speaks to Alexander as an equal.
Was Alexander more of a man just because he could kill more than Diogenes?
@@IPA300 I'd think most people would hold building an empire above spanking it in a barrel and begging.
@@disbeafakename167 some would and others would not
He is an equal by all rights
@@denniswachira4204 which rights?
I love this philosopher. He was the troll of the ancient world
OG troll.
Yea no responsibilities... weak man.
MalLa 225 oh poor diogenes.. such a weak, free and happy person.. it’s so much better to be responsable, sad and stupid..
Yeah, no. There was a counterpoint against social complacency, a purpose, in his actions. Trolls are just morons happy to inflict the wastage of their own time on other peoples'.
He would be disgusted or amused at your lack of understanding of the points he was making. He was holding a warped mirror to the world and its concerns that everyone accepted readily. These others here have called him weak. Yet I wonder if they could what they did, live as a homeless person in the ancient world, as a point of principle. The man was sharp enough to have lectured publicly. He could have made his way as a celebrated teacher if he had softened his stance just a little. But he didn't. He took his philosophical stance to the extreme because he truely didn't give a crap about the vanities and trifles that we, as those then, think essential. The reeking herd, the polluted flock. That's strength that these here cannot comprehend let alone copy. I certainly couldn't live like that. Homelessness is horrible enough in the modern world, back then it would have been hell.
Random guy: Please dont spit inside my mansion Diogenes
Diogenes : Peace was never an option
When confronted with jerking in public he responded “ If only it were so easy to soothe hunger by rubbing an empty belly” dude had bars
LOL
*runs in with a featherless chicken*
BEHOLD A MAN!!!
*Throws chicken on the ground and leaves*
Smell ya later, deliberator.
I came here for that comment
lmfao, hard not getting killed for things like that back in the day in this place i am
Conquer my feet. Snoot the foot.
Seems legit.
I respect anyone who spanks it in a barrel in the middle of town.
Gregory Bycraft You fool, why limit yourself to such animalistic solitude when apparently there’s hot single moms in your area?! More left for me, I guess
@@maxsteele3686 you sir are quite obviously the true philosopher of this video
Well I'm willing to bet you respect a lot more people then you may think.
Nah dude, he would even do it in the middle of the street if he had a sudden urge.
That’s what you say, until you see it irl.
Everyone a philosophical gangsta til the barrel appears in the town square...
I remember Diogenes once reprimanding a harlot’s son when the kid spat on him, the philosopher said ‘careful now you might spat on your father’
Gosh, how old are you?!
I remember that Diogenes went on to poop on that kids floor
@@Caelia7 Old enough
@@Caelia7 ?
@@forcedtohaveahandle ?
*Homelessness is like graduate school for philosophy* 🤔
Then where's my PhD??
Kenneth Martin You don’t need to be lugging around an awkward sized piece of paper. Cast away your greedy materialism & embrace the purity of holding nothing 🤔
Ken needs to find his "Happy Graduation!" wine jar
Just don´t become a drug addict since in that situation you will be wasting your precious time in looking for money for drugs instead of on working on your philosophy
@@EclecticoIconoclasta Clearly you missed the "dual degree" section of the department's graduate catalog
I'd like to correct one thing: Diogenes was NOT a stoic. He taught his philosophy,now called cynicism, to the teacher of stoicisms founder. There is a clear relation between stoicism and cynicism, but Diogenes was not an actual stoic.
Yes! Thank you for your comment! I was so confused because I clearly remember reading many times "Diogenes the cynic" in different books.
In fact cynicism means dogism in English if I translated literally in Hellenic. Cyon κύων is dog. Don't forget they called him Diogenes The Dog Διογένης ο κύων. It's a shame that Hellenic is 30% of all Indo-European languages and some others and still people don't know the importance and history of this language. They even call the country and inhabitants the wrong name.
Thanks for clarifying that. Watching the video I was a bit confused as to how he was stoic. From what I know of stoicism, he didn't seem to fit the bill.
@@faelreklaw8837 and Greeks probably also call all countries around the world the wrong name. It’s not unusual, and especially doesn’t merit having a chip on your shoulder about it.
Hmm yeah from what I heard of him he acted with incredible stoicism by not "freaking out" under stressful circumstances like most individuals would.
"He remained single by choice..."
I don't think this guy was exactly tripping over women, anyway.
“He remained single by lack of choice” would be an equally valid statement.
By choice? Doesn’t that make him gay?
@@flavio7180 he could have dated men you see.... gays have a choice of being single too...even if he was...
@@arpitthakur45 I’m only kidding. Check out “Hilarious Ugandan interview” and you’ll see where I took the joke.
He chose the life he lived, so who is to say that he wouldn't have been drowning in pussy if he had chose to live like everyone else. Technically still his choice to live that way.
Diogenes roasted Plato with that that chicken gag.
He also shat himself during lectures, so he could ruin them
@@gvaron2391 really?! What was the source for those events?
in which Plato probably roasted the chicken in revenge .....finger lickin good !.
does anyone wonder if he had schizophrenia and also ptsd after being in jail?
He would've been better off roasting the chicken.
Imagine if diogenes existed today. I'd give it a half hour before he got himself arrested
Tried for insanity too lol 😂
doesnt wear a mask then is executed
Frrr
He’d be one of the groomer lgbt teachers
👱🏻♂️I LIVE IN A CAN AND I LOVE ❤️ DOGS 🐕 2!
My favorite quote of his was said when we was rummaging through bones. Alexander asked him what he was doing and he replied: "I am searching for the bones of your father but cannot distinguish them from those of a slave."
Diogenes also found a woman bowing to a statue of a God to which he replied, "Are you not afraid good woman, with the gods being omnipresent, that by attempting to show your virtue, you are in fact showing your arse?"
He has also been quoted as saying "Blushing is the color of virtue."
(Probably said after the woman became embarrassed at what he had just pointed out.)
@@thelvadam5269 right...
Yes he said arse in an East London accent.
Is mooning perhaps in fact the right way round?
If I would make people it would be funny if they mooned me hahaha. I'd be prouder if anything.
🤣🤣🤣
I could only imagine Diogenes replying to Alexander:
"If I was you, I wanna be me too..."
He kinda did
diogenes sounds like a character will ferrell should be playing in his next movie.
in bill & ted 3
I actually imagine Danny McBride playing this role perfectly
Really good one.
Note also there's a story about Alexander (Iskander in the East) and how he decided not to go further into India. Besides his army ready to mutiny on him and all that.
He met a Brahman on asking for an area's leader to conquer/bribe/threaten him. Found a nearly naked old man with a bowl under a tree. Though more polite he reminded him much of Diogenes. Nothing he could offer or threaten him with so he left.
The man had said to Alexander, "Alexander, you are being a nuisance to yourself and everyone around you"
Ghandi's prototype
0:50 - Chapter 1 - Beginnings
2:15 - Chapter 2 - Exile
3:25 - Chapter 3 - Citizen of the world
7:10 - Chapter 4 - Writings
9:25 - Mid roll ads
10:40 - Chapter 5 - Taken captive
13:40 - Chapter 6 - Self mastery
14:35 - Chapter 7 - Diogenes vs plato
Thanks!
People like you are s gift to humanity.
The standard of a culture’s greatness is indicated by the degree to which it respects its bums...
so true
Diogenes the first Jedi master
“Why is the man, who calls me a dog, surprised when I piss on him?” - Diogenes of Sinope
I kind of want to see a sitcom with Alexander the Great and Diogenes
I'm picturing an ancient Kramer as Diogenes...
nah fam diogenes trolling plato all the time is way better material
And Plato. And a chicken.
Diogenes would poop on the floor of the set
I'm thinking Robert Downey Jr as Diogenes?
Diogenes the Unroastable
Diogenes would've been in heaven if 4chan existed in his time.
he would've considered even 4chan too conformist and too materialist in terms of social community
He’s definitely in heaven if heaven exists.
@@islandboy9381 And too full of self serving psychological complexes, self-validations, self-justification and irrational anger towards whatever fictional character they don't like at the moment.
Please, people on 4chan are degenerates, not dogs.
@@islandboy9381 he would’ve been a lolcow idk why people think he was so great troll when he was deadass serious about his insane beliefs
This dude would be called a bum nowadays.
Either that or more bonkers than a box of frogs. Not that the two are mutually exclusive.
Seems like he was called a bum back then as well. Just depends on how you interpret his philosophy.
Nah this dude would be way to funny. Someone would offer him a stage. He’d still be like hose actors that live in studios but have millions of dollars.
He was a bum two and a half thousand years ago too.
nowadays, I call him my hero
He's the dude of ancient greece.
@Andrew Brent most likely since drugs were legal before the catholic church came.
@@rednarok umm drugs were legal after the Catholic Church came too Cannabis wasn't made illegal in America until the 1930s ... There's many reports of Queen Victoria eating hash laced candies for her period cramps... And opium dens were on every street corner during the wild west days...
How stupid are you to think the Catholic Church is what outlawed drugs...
@Andrew Brent most likely no since Cannabis ... The Indian hemp plant wouldn't have made its way to Greece by that time
.. but then again maybe it did ... Any instances of Greek hemp cloth?
Also obligatory Mel Brooks reference ... "ROMAN RED!"
@@KenMabie so, in Rome, before the Christian religion took hold there used to be mass gatherings where intelligent people would use drugs with similar effects as LSD.
@@KenMabie as stupid as all the romans who outlawed drugs for the church.
Diogenes would have loved social media. It's taken his idea of "any act that you do in private, you should in public" to whole new exhibitionist levels.
He would never use internet
If Diogenes had a smartphone and internet; he would have made memes, the likes of which this world has never seen before!
More likely he'd find them frivolous and not buy them in the first place lol
He was reincarnated as Doug Stanhope and George Carlin
He would use his newly obtained smart phone to track you down and poop on your floor
@@fructosecornsyrup5759 👌
He would never use either smartphone or internet
Rarely I find proper content on my favorite philosopher. Thanks for doing your research and formulating this video in such a way, it's a breath of fresh air to see a serious take on the subjects I'm most interested in.
This synopsis only skims certain anecdotes and doesn't apply much thought to what his philosophy strived for. Quite a bit has been left out.
In 2012, I came across a very rare account on how disciplined he was when it came to his sexual appetites. Also there are two stories from Aesop, one that shows him displaying a favouritism in his treatment others. Upon first reading, it seems that he condescending for being ignored when he was about give thanks for help. Yet the moral is that supplying kindness to others should not be offered whimsically.
Personally, this last account can be seen as having influenced some Stoics' position on ethics.
@@nikolai9520 Well every account leaves out a lot of the info (at least a lot of the info I've managed to find on Diogenes), even though there isn't much info on him at all.
But this one at least deals with respect to its subject, anything else on youtube is just a travesty.
But, aside from the fact that I haven't read what you found out in 2012, what I really strive for is people understanding that when it comes to Diogenes, every story had its meaning. I've had too many people to talk to about this who think Diogenes was just seeking attention. Even if he was, which is not something you can ever prove anyway, every anecdote served a purpose, every provocation had a meaning to it. Sadly, most of it gets lost on translation and interpretation. It's hard to separate fact from fiction and there are a lot of treasures that are missed when it comes to Diogenes, specifically the ones you have to dig through etymology for to find real context. But given the fact that this can't be done in a 2 hour presentation (trust me, I've tried), let alone 10-20 minutes of youtube video, I could settle for just being respectful to your source material. Which this guy is.
@@snoookie456 Any material that offers educational insight, be it UA-cam or otherwise, should be a bit more thorough in what it presents. I have studied enough of the Hellenistic period to make comments that are substantive and worth probing, so I question and often challenge information pertaining to a thinker I respect and has been greatly misinterpreted by many people. If this posting is a resource, it only offers a general overview with some questionable and incomplete interpretations. My comments serve to steer those who care about the subject matter to the source material or discussions on the topic of cynical philosophy for the sake of an accurate understanding.
Of course, each story or anecdote can be taken on its own, but since philosophers tend to be consistent in thought and personal objectives, it is not too difficult to connect Diogenes' perspectives with other things he does and says. In no way shape or form would I admit that I fully understand him or appreciate all that he has done, but studying philosophy consists in being open minded to what's presented. Some of his anecdotes are intentionally ambiguous, so it becomes an exercise in trying to get into his mindset.
Even if Diogenes is a fictional character, there is still reason to examine and learn from what's been said. Consider Aesop's fables, Plato's allegories, and other philosophical tropes; there are lessons for continual rumination.
If you care to read what I came across in 2012, it can be found in "Diogenes the Cynic: Sayings and Anecdotes with Other Popular Moralists" published by Oxford University Press. It is a combination of what is in Diogenes Laertius' Lives of eminent philosophers, but it is the odd passage from Stobaeus, Aelian, Gnomologium Vaticanum, and others that makes this collection most helpful for anyone conducting academic research at any level.
You need to learn to search better
Funny how his ideas on living life is so relevant in these days
Spiritual ancestor of Andy Kaufman and every troll. Bravo to Diogenes and to the balls to do it without anonymity.
There was a woman in my home town when I was a kid who was very much like Diogenes...except she use to scream at traffic and as far as I remember she only shat in public once.
Every age has it's own Diogenes
PCP
I literally just heard about this man from a post on IG and lemme tell you...i can't hate the man
If there's one thing I have to respect about him, it was his wicked whit and his sheer absence of fear, even when dismissing Alexander the Great himself. Based on those quotes, it seems to me that he wasn't one to respect someone by their rank in society, but their merits as individuals. I'm probably completely off-base, but it seems to me that's what he was eluding to. :)
What post?
Thank you for covering Diogenes of Sinope. One of the best books I've read on him is "Diogenes the Cynic: War Against the World" by Luis E. Navia.
I prefer "That time when Diogenes wage war on the world by pooping all over floors"
The patron saint of “keeping it real”
Simón, I'm one of those silent listeners who truly enjoy your videos. Today I clicked the like button and subscribed. Best to you.
Who saw it on Sam O'Nella before coming here?
eodred di acquaneve hell ye
Heck yeah I did!
A man of culture, I see.
Probably alot of overlap, mostly smart people watch these :3
I was expecting this comment.
If I weren’t Diogenes, I would also want to be Diogenes.
"if I was not Alexander, I would hope to be Diogenes."
"if I was not Diogenes, I would hope to be Diogenes.'
Also , could the mysterious word 'dog', that appears to spring from nowhere, come from Diogenes?
Diogenes specifically refers to two breeds of dogs, Molossia and Maltese. The former had a reputation as a hunting dog whereas the latter hunted as well but without being widely known. Diogenes describes himself as being like these dogs, which seem to have tough dispositions.
Diogenes' ghost watching us on computers in heated homes
Could you cover Otto Skorzney? He was a fascinating character.
his answer to Alexander was..."get me out of darkness"...
OMG!!! thanks !!!! i wanted to learn more about this guy for the longest time. but the best way i like to learn this type of stuff is passively while i do other things. or when im just sitting around wanting to watch a documentary. but there is none of this guy, they always focus on the other big players. but then again, i dont look that hard.
"Ruling over men."
Not the answer they expected.
‘He held his breath til he expired’ what an inspiration lol, cheers!
In my country, philosophy in highschool doesn't touch on diogenes (nor cinism or stoicism).
I introduce my students everytime i began class, right after i finish with the greek trinity. And is always one of the better more enlightened classes, specially when it reaches the dialogues between him and Alexander.
What country has philosophy in high school?
Where do you get your sources?
I wonder why stoicism and cynicism would be left out of the modern curriculum!? 🤔
I'd never heard of this guy, but he's firmly embedded in my list of Historys Top Ballers
Diogenes is my favorite philosopher, quite literally the definition of LIVING LIFE
I have been waiting for this for such a long time.
You know fact boi, I enjoy the fact that I can look up a random person, event or similar and find a video where you explain it. Keep up the good work.
Love how Diogenes constantly insulted and trolled Alexander the Great
It should be titled "..the king of vagrancy"
Vagrantenes......philosopher of the public parks and busy streets.
i cant believe it.. a biography about my idol! for real. i am greek and grew up in athens. ancient philosophers were always my inspiration. living in thrash to become enlightened, lol
Watch sam o nells video
I thoroughly enjoy the interaction between Diogenes and Alexander.
If I learned one thing in this video it's the fact that only a 100% self sufficent Philosopher can be a true Philosopher, that is not corruptet in any way.
You messed up the quote, only a 100% self sufficing philosophers can poop on public floors
Diogenes, the original "I'm a simple man"
The first hippy
Dude was so close to figuring out Buddhism. 🧘♂️
J. C. Seems like he did
Stoicism and Buddhism are pretty similar in a lot of ways
@Andrew Brent I very much agree.
I saw a lot of Eastern ascetic paths in his stuff, too.
Probably close to Zhuangzi.
Apparently I had an ancient hero, and never knew it. Even having similar views. I'm going to love doing a deep dive on him. ❤️
I feel like diogenes everytime i have to go get a job.
The absolute madlad!
Saw a vid on this by Sam O'nella already sadly, but your video still has merit considering it's his entire life as opposed to Sam's telling of humorous anecdotes.
Sam O'nella's Animation though. 😂
Awesome! This is probably how all beliefs develop in a healthy way. The open debate of Stoicism strengthens critical thinking. Very important in the tidal wave of information. Sort it out and use the inspiration and learning. Thank you so much, Simon!
Love this philosophy videos.
Can you please do unknown philosophers.
Also, would you do some Catholic philosophers and theologians like Thomas Aquinas?
Thanks for watching your stuff for years. I'm also subscribed every channel you got!
Great idea one on the angelic doctor.
From Ignition [FR] n2
10 months ago (edited)
0:50 - Chapter 1 - Beginnings
2:15 - Chapter 2 - Exile
3:25 - Chapter 3 - Citizen of the world
7:10 - Chapter 4 - Writings
9:25 - Mid roll ads
10:40 - Chapter 5 - Taken captive
13:40 - Chapter 6 - Self mastery
14:35 - Chapter 7 - Diogenes vs plato
My favorite badass philosopher. ...if there's a modern version (that's weird) to his philosophy it would be minimalism(?) i guess,
The term you are looking for is classical cynisism. enjoy the reading.
Anprim innit
Russell Brand
What do you think of essentialism.
He is reported to have said after Alexander claimed he would want to be diogenes if he weren't Alexander that "If I were not Diogenes I would wish to be Diogenes".
He was also reported to have walked around with a lantern. When asked what he was doing he proclaimed that he was searching for an honest man (hence the latern). Another story is that Alexander came upon him examining a pile of bones. When he asked what he was doing he said he was searching for Alexander's father's skeleton, but could not distinguish it from a Slave's.
When asked how he should be buried he said to throw him to the wild animals, when questioned whether he minded this he said "not at all, as long as you give me a stick to defend myself!" When it was pointed out that he would lack awareness to do this he answered "if I lack awareness why should I care what happens to me?"
Not including Nick Cage, this is honestly my favourite person from history
They should do a movie about his life and put Nick Cage as Diogenes
Bill Murray would make a good Diogenes
Who is Nick Cage?
BEHOLD A MAN
Perhaps the most Eccentric, and my fav of the ancient philosophers
It’s a lot easier to be a carefree, possession free, wandering philosopher in balmy Greece that most other places.
Not saying he wasn’t special, but if he was from anywhere north of Greece he’d have died in his first winter. I’m sure his argument would be “if you’re cold, walk south, what better do you have to do?” but to my knowledge he never acknowledged the intrinsic benefit that he gained above others purely from his location.
Winter Is Coming
I see Diogenes, I click.
**People cramming about the upcoming war**
Diogenes: **Rolling in his wine barrel**
I was allways thinking what happened to Greece.. Now I know.. thank you.. I did learn of him before, never knew he had so a place in culture..
The version I know as a Greek person is that when Alexander asked Diogenes what he desires so that he could give it to him. Diogenes replied: "Don't take away from me that which you cannot give me!" Meaning the sun
He is my favorite of the ancient philosophers. For more modern ones, it's a tie between Crowley and Nietzsche.
Crowley who?
@@richardj.magoma7804 maybe Aleistar Crowley?
To you, what makes the modern ones you’ve named stand out?
@@andrewcanady6644 Alister Crowley, when you look at his work (especially the Liber Oz), it's clear that his philosophy centers around free will.
Nietzsche on the other hand, had his history stand out to me more than his writing. That and the fact that he openly referred to Plato as a bore.
@@lordnul1708 Copy that. Interesting thanks for taking a moment for me today. 🤙🏽
My man knew the value in not being tied down material things.
Diogenes was a Cynic, not a Stoic. Cynic means dog-like in English.
@ItIsItIsntIt , you're a moron. Stoicism and Cynicism are 2 completely different philosophical schools, ones which are largely at odds with each other . You're using the descriptive definition of a person who lived up to the stoic ideals as if that could make a cynic a stoic. By that logic, there were Sceptics, Platonists, Aristotelians, and Pythagoreans, who were Stoics - with a capital S - and there arecurrently Capitalists, Communists, Objectivists, Neo-Nazis, and Born Again Christians who are also Stoics with a capital S. 30 seconds on Google would be enough to tell you the first part. So you are not only stupid, you are also lazy. Start by studying basic grammar - i. e., a cat is a cat and not a tree, a Cynic is a Cynic and not a Stoic - and leave philosophy to people who are already capable of distinguishing between nouns and verbs.
@@anthonysilva5268 hiya Anthony. What do you call someone who doesn't know philosophy but tries and would like to know? What do you call someone who insults the mind of someone, who through lack of knowledge, mixes up Stoicism and Cynicism? Personally, I'd much rather be a moron, than an educated arsehole.
@@seancassidy4812 @Anthony Silva And Diogenes would just tell you both to go poop in the public square, as it's more important than this argument. 💩😁
You are one of the best content creator on UA-cam. Thank you.
Diógenes is probably my favorite greek philosofer.
Don't you mean filosofer?
Finally, my favorite video! You are awesome!
"That's me, mom! That's me!"
However, no account of his searching about with the lantern (for an honest man) was given, wasn't it? Apart from living in a cask, that's what most people know about him, if ever.
Hey they Biographics! I love your channel, and the accuracy In which you deliver it. I understand with the vast amount of content you create, there are bound to be some inaccuracies. I wanted to point out that Diogenes was not a Stoic. He is accredited to founding the Cynics, though never officially. The Stoic Philosophy was founded by Zeno of Citium; Whom took to philosophy following the loss of his ship and fortune. He lived from ~334 BC-262 BC, and founded the stoic school in 300 BC. Diogenes lived from ~412 BC-323 BC. So not much of their lives overlapped, and Zeno was far from his philosophical life during such time. While Zeno borrowed heavily from Diogenes; There were some stark differences in their respective philosophies.
While on the topic of Stoicism.... You should do a video on Marcus Aurelius!
When he said deface the currency, i thought it would be like de-face-ation
Imagine having the balls to behave so casually around Alexander not only once but several times
This guy was so punk rock.
"Let's talk about that time when Diogenes had a run-in with some pirates..."
Me: "I feel sorry for the pirates."
Favourite one so far. Didn’t know who he was however it was very interesting
Once diogenes was begging from a statue a person asked why are you begging from a statue he simply replied so i can get used to rejection 😂
and, they open my fridge and eat $40 in groceries while I was watch this excellent video.
I think I heard that after Alexander said that if he weren't Alexander he'd wish to be Diogenes, Diogenes responded that if he weren't Diogenes, he'd also wish to be Diogenes...
There's also the one where Alexander supposedly sees him and asks what he is doing and Diogenes tells him that he is looking for the bones of Alexander's father, but can't tell them apart from the bones of any other men...
I read that when he was exiled he replied, "yes, you've kicked me out, but you have to remain here"
My all time favorite philosopher, he was the first badass punk. I've always found Plato and Aristotle too pompous...
Most ppl agree the first punk was jesus.
@@chicago_rocker23 when did you conduct that survey? 😆