(freshidea / Adobe Stock ) But Why was Diogenes Considered Mad?ĭiogenes didn’t have a house, instead, he lived in a huge wine cask lying on its side. Even so, Antisthenes must have been shocked at just how far Diogenes took things to live a life in accordance with these beliefs.ĭiogenes was considered to be mad or crazy because he took the beliefs of the cynics to incredible extremes. At first, Antisthenes refused, but eventually, he was worn down by Diogenes’ persistence.īoth Diogenes and Antisthenes shared many common beliefs but mainly a belief in self-control and the pursuit of excellence in one’s own behavior, which included the rejection of all unnecessary things such as personal possessions and social status. Upon meeting Antisthenes, Diogenes asked to be enrolled in his school and become his student.

He was exiled from his hometown following a scandal that involved currency debasement, causing him to lose his citizenship and his move to Athens. He was likely a student of the philosopher Antisthenes, who he met following his arrival in Athens. Ancient Greek Science and Technology – From Antikythera to Pharosĭiogenes of Sinope, however, took these beliefs to an extreme.Learning Ancient Greek Helps Dyslexia, Research Suggests.Such conventions were often ridiculed by the cynics, who believed that only when one has freed oneself from social conventions, such as the desire to chase fame and fortune, can one truly be free. Social conventions, therefore, are a hindrance to a good life because adhering to society’s rules limits one’s freedom. And that people should strive for reason, self-sufficiency, and freedom. They believed that nature offers the best indication of how to live a good life. The cynics were a group of ancient Greek philosophers who were a separate branch of Socratic philosophy. And there are more than a few reasons for Plato thinking he was “A Socrates gone mad.” Diogenes: A Cynic Connected with the Philosophy of Socrates And boy oh boy did Diogenes practice what he preached. Instead, he encouraged people to live a life of intentional hardship and not be bound by social conventions. One of the founders of the cynic philosophy, Diogenes believed that people should live simple lives that reject all natural desires for wealth, power, or fame. Diogenes (412 BC- 323 BC) was a Greek philosopher like no other.

Diogenes of sinope.