Diogenes The Cynic: The War Against The World

by Luis E. Navia

For over eight hundred years, philosophers―men and women―who called themselves Cynics, literally "dogs" in their language, roamed the streets and byways of the Hellenistic world, teaching strange ideas and practicing a bizarre way of life. Among them, the most important and distinctive was Diogenes of Sinope, who became the archetype of Classical Cynicism. In this comprehensive, thoroughly researched, and engaging book, philosopher Luis E. Navia undertakes the task of reconstructing Diogenes' life and extracting from him lessons that are valuable in our time.The book is divided into five chapters. Chapter 1 provides a biographical sketch of Diogenes constructed on the basis of ancient testimonies. In Chapter 2, the practice of Cynicism, as exemplified by Diogenes, is elucidated. This "war against the world," as Navia describes it, especially the rhetoric of Cynicism, was the primary medium used by the Cynics to convey their message. Chapter 3 clarifies the roots and basis of the Cynic metamorphosis, that is, the process by which Diogenes transformed himself into a dog. This process involves complex psychological, sociological, and philosophical factors, chief among which was Socrates' influence on Diogenes through the agency of Antisthenes. Chapter 4 reconstructs the philosophy of Diogenes by identifying twelve principles of his thought. In Chapter 5, the influence of Diogenes is discussed. Navia emphasizes the vast difference between Diogenes' ideas and style of life on the one hand and, on the other, what is nowadays called cynicism.The book provides abundant references to ancient testimonies and modern scholarship. It includes an extensively annotated translation of Diogenes Laertius's biography of Diogenes and a comprehensive bibliography.

Genres: Philosophy, Biography, Nonfiction, History

260 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2005

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repetitive and with an air of a grumpy old man who wanders off in into rants about 'kids these days'. You could probably read the wiki article about Diogenes and get 99% of the info there and skip out a lot of the chaff.

[Gokul Nath]

Good

[Victor Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

mudou minha vida

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

The life and the legacy are both wrapped in mystery and controversy. Nothing of Diogenes' philosophical works has survived through to modern day from his life in the fifth century BCE. Yet, other Greek figures and philosophers are filled with stories and fables about the man who called himself a dog. Unfortunately, these accounts tend to vary substantially on the events of Diogenes' life as well as their opinion on whether Diogenes was a great philosopher or whether he was just completely insane.

Diogenes the Cynic explores all the material and theories about Diogenes. This book looks at what we can truly ascertain about the man's life, examines Diogenes metamorphism into a dog, and details the foundations and philosophy of Cynicism in an attempt to understand both who Diogenes was, what he stood for, and what contributions, if any, the man had on future philosophers.

Diogenes the Cynic is complete enough to be used as a text about Diogenes and Cynicism. The book even includes copies of many of the accounts about this man in the appendix and detailed bibliographies for those wanting to delve deeper into the subject. At the same time though, that this book is so complete, that the reader need not have prior knowledge of the subject matter.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy the excessive interpretation put on top of Diogenes. The uncertainty is unavoidable given how little we know, but I would have preferred a greater focus on the actions and sayings of Diogenes even if it had been a shorter book.

[monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in Portuguese(br) translation by Editora Odisseus.

It's a very academic book i.e. things are explained in great detail and not much certainty is given about anything. I enjoyed how thorough was the book and the fact that its appendix includes Diogenes Laertius take on Diogenes of Sinope.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

ILL from the library

from the computer:
TOC
A biographical portrait -- The rhetoric of cynicism -- Diogenes's metamorphosis -- The philosophy of cynicism -- The presence of Diogenes -- Diogenes Laertius : the life of Diogenes of Sinope

[Craig Bolton]

Diogenes The Cynic: The War Against The World by Luis E. Navia (2005)

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A MUST if you are interested on cynicism.

[Artur · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this to write an essay but i ended up finishing it hehe