Asking Why: The Lessons of Diogenes of Sinope

Diogenes of Sinope was one of the founders of the ancient Greek school of philosophy known as Cynicism. Cynicism called for the abandonment of material goods and to live a life in congruence with nature. Cynics thought if reason and logic were followed then a virtuous and free life would be attained without the need for wealth. Diogenes of Sinope's societal ideas in the polis, and their laws and rules, filled world of ancient Greece often came into conflict.

Diogenes thought that if an action was okay in private, then that action should be fine anywhere. Diogenes ate food in the middle of Athenian markets, a disrespectful choice in the eyes of the Athenians around him. Diogenes reasoned that if he ate privately, no one would mind, so there was no basis for anyone to have a problem with him eating in the middle of the market. The reason the Athenians were bothered by Diogenes' eating was that society told them it was wrong. Diogenes further questioned the cultural rules in place by looking at social actions such as putting up a middle finger, and questioning how the middle finger raised was an insult but the pinky put up meant no harm. To this day in many societies, the middle finger is an insult, yet all other fingers raised mean nothing. No finger causes harm, but the culture a person is raised in tells them the middle finger is an affront to them.

Diogenes was extreme, taking his belief in free actions everywhere to the point where if he was in the United States today, he would be arrested for civil crimes. Diogenes is quoted as having "wished it were as easy to relieve hunger [as] by rubbing an empty stomach"(1) Diogenes performed lewd sexual actions in public, with no shame, because sex was natural, logical, and accepted by Greeks as long as the performers were in private. Diogenes spouted strong words, but he backed his beliefs up with logical arguments, and through his own life followed his beliefs.

Diogenes thought humans lived on a leash: society. When Diogenes was called a Kuon, dog, he took the insult as a compliment, because a dog lived more freely and naturally than a human. Diogenes' disdain for cultural pressures made him see himself not as a member of a particular polis, but as a citizen of the world. Diogenes was the first person recorded to use the word cosmopolitan, a citizen of the world, going against contemporary philosophers like Plato and Aristotle who felt a part of their respective states(2).

Diogenes calls for a world where freedom has no restrictions. Social norms dictate a large part of modern and past humans lives. In the past, culture told the peasant to listen to their lord, while now it tells the adult to wait until everyone is seated at the table before eating. While society restricts, it also benefits the whole. By having social laws, people come together to form groups with have common beliefs. These groups allow for greater advancement as people work together towards common goals, instead of being isolated from one another.

Diogenes always questioned why. He examined the reasons people followed rules and then questioned if those rules should be followed. This idea of constant examination is the essential part of Diogenes' brilliance. While a world with no organization would be catastrophic sending humanity back past the Stone Age, there has always been problems within cultures. A mere hundred years ago the vast majority of women had no voting rights in the so-called democracies of the world. The woman's suffrage movement in the United States was created by women who questioned the societal rules which told women they should have no voice or say in their country. These women questioned the culture which silenced them and came out of their fight with the ability to vote and influence their government. Similarly, from the abolitionists to the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s, change stemmed from brave individuals questioning the rules that their society told them to follow. Diogenes is an extremist, but his method, asking why, has been and is an incredibly valuable tool for making the world better. A tool that should not be forgotten.

(1)https://www.iep.utm.edu/diogsino/

(2) https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmopolitanism/