Diogenes of Sinope

Abstract

Although some of the ancient sources are uncertain about the exact year of his birth, we can establish with certainty that Diogenes was born in Sinope, a Milesian colony on the southern coast of the Black Sea (modern Sinop, Turkey). Around 370 BC he left Sinope, allegedly because either he or his father (a banker) was accused of having defaced the Sinopean coinage. One of the most helpful sources of information about his life and his ideas is his biography written by Diogenes Laertius, a Greek writer from the 3rd century AD. The mouse running around aimlessly, unconcerned about comfort and devoid of fear proved to be an important guide for Diogenes. Diogenes took it upon himself to expose the true origins of human behavior through his shameless public actions. Ultimately, the image often remaining of Diogenes is of someone whose uncompromising way of life set him at odds with philosophers and non-philosophers alike.