Diogenes of Sinope

In his youth, Diogenes was exiled from Sinope with his father. The reason for this was his father's conviction of treason. They then found a new home in Athens, where Díogenés joined the audience of the philosopher Antisthenes. He took everything he learned very radically and applied it to his own life. Antisthenes at first beat him off with a stick, but Diogenes set his head and said: "You won't find enough hard wood to drive me away with it." He then became Antisthenes' friend.

After Antisthenes' death, Diogenes became the main spokesman for his philosophy. The source of this was that he despised possessions and owned only a bowl made of hollowed-out pumpkin, but even this he threw away in shame when he saw that the dog could drink without it. And like the dog, he lived in a doghouse, or barrel, in Metró (the temple of the goddess Cybele).

In his works, Diogenes deals with criticism of society and ethics. He tried to refute all philosophical systems and ridicule their creators. Against all philosophies he advocated practical life. What is important is only what we see, hear, feel and can use in our lives. He was also a great critic of Plato. He denounced argumentation as a sophistic fraud.

He only left Athens when he was captured by sea robbers and taken to Crete. There he was bought by the Corinthian merchant Xeniades. His family then helped raise his children for the rest of his life.