Diogenes, The G.G. Allin of Ancient Greek Philosophers
My favorite philosopher is a man who lived in a barrel, shat openly, and who, on the advice of an oracle, decided that his quest in life was to deface the political establishment of contemporary Greek society. Though I don’t agree with all of his ideas, this checks out.
Diogenes was an ancient Greek philosopher who espoused the Cynic way of life. He used his life to criticize and debase the society he lived in, and he elected to live his point, as opposed to just making it. Some of the off-the-goop ways he did this included living in a jar in the middle of the Athenian marketplace, urinating on people who insulted him, masturbating in public, and committing other commonly outrageous acts. These were not without purpose, however. Diogenes advocated a form of ascetism that, at its core, shunned human constructs of propriety. He believed in the idea that we were acting contrary to nature in our evolution, and that happiness was reserved for those who eschewed society in favor of a higher order. Let’s break down some of the stories of a man who was too punk rock for Ancient Greece.
Punking all of Greece
