The Agon motif in Greek and hellenistic philosophy

Abstract

In tracing the evolution of what may be termed a philosophical concept of the Agon, a picture which reached the peak of its popularity and fullest form in the diatribe and the representatives of late Stoic moral philosophy, it is necessary to bear in mind the decay of the spirit of the games. It is the Cynics, followed by the Stoics, who first developed a complete and unified picture of the Agon of the sage. The methodical Cynic polemic against the folly of the games and of athletics is best seen in the reports of the sayings of Diogenes found in the writings of Dio Chrysostom and Diogenes Laertius. The picture of the Agon of virtue as found in the diatribe plays no great role in the literature to which we owe our knowledge of the Hellenistic mystery religions.Keywords: Agon motif; Hellenistic mystery religions; moral philosophy