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December 7, 2023 12:47 AM

The ancient Cynic outlook was negative, but the Cynic did not become trapped by their negativity, or use a negative outlook on life as an excuse for doing nothing, for giving up on life, or for giving in. Cynic negativity was not associated with the idea that if everything is bad, nothing can be done, so let’s do nothing. Rather, Cynic negativity spurred the Cynic into action. Negativity was employed in a quest to become free of unnatural restraint, and to conjure a less servile state of mind. Negativity released the Cynic from social obligations, and social ties, and allowed the Cynic to think differently about the world around them. from How to live like a Cynic
posted by chavenet (21 comments total)

Great post! Or if you're not Cynical, you can always try Epicureanism with its Tetrapharmakos:

Don't fear god,
Don't worry about death;
What is good is easy to get,
What is terrible is easy to endure

The original party school?
posted by TheophileEscargot at 3:41 AM on December 7, 2023 [8 favorites]

They left out the key rule of the later Cynics “Irritate the Stoics Whenever You Can.”
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:44 AM on December 7, 2023 [19 favorites]

i'll just stick with being a mean little bee
posted by MonsieurPEB at 6:46 AM on December 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

From the article:
If you search for images of Diogenes online, you are likely to find quite a few that show him living in a large storage jar, or a barrel, in the middle of ancient Athens. Much has been made of this image as if it shows us something essential about what it means to be a Cynic: the Cynic does not require a proper home, hardly needs any possessions, and makes do with the absolute minimum.

It delights me to discover through a few minutes of searching that I am not alone in imagining Diogenes as the Athenian Oscar the Grouch.
posted by Strange Interlude at 6:47 AM on December 7, 2023 [19 favorites]

"In a rich man's house there is no place to spit but his face."

Wise words then, wise words today.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 7:17 AM on December 7, 2023 [16 favorites]

Diogenes would have shit talk the police.

I mean he shit talked a genocidal maniac so igual igual.
posted by MonsieurPEB at 7:48 AM on December 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

“All Macedonian Generals Are Bastards.”
posted by GenjiandProust at 7:51 AM on December 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

So when I piss, shit and jack off in the mall they call it "public indecency" and "you should be on a watch list" and throw me in jail. But when Diogenes does it it's a philosophical statement about social mores. Ok! go off king
posted by dis_integration at 8:00 AM on December 7, 2023 [10 favorites]

thatwhichfalls -

There is an old Zen story… A student walks into the temple. They find the zen master spitting on a statue of the Buddha.

Master, why are you spitting on the Buddha?

Isn’t the Buddha Nature everywhere?

Yes…

Then why does it matter where I spit?

And thus the student was enlightened.
posted by njohnson23 at 8:01 AM on December 7, 2023 [4 favorites]

This all seems a little too easy to me.
posted by srboisvert at 8:40 AM on December 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

They left out the key rule of the later Cynics

also the Pessimists. "A grim view of things is no excuse to be miserable."
posted by philip-random at 8:46 AM on December 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

So when I piss, shit and jack off in the mall.


aka performance art -- at least as old as civilization.
posted by philip-random at 9:09 AM on December 7, 2023 [4 favorites]

Are there any tales of how the Cynics behaved towards less powerful people? At the moment I do not think of casting off shame as a likely path to virtue.
posted by clew at 9:34 AM on December 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

fun fact: some scholars claim that the historical Jesus was a hellenized lay preacher from Nazareth influenced by cynic teachings
posted by Morpeth at 9:37 AM on December 7, 2023 [3 favorites]

these ancient Cynics were reluctant to teach others, or offer principles to live by, or any ‘life hacks’ or self-help tips

Can we turn social media on to Cynicism? I want to watch the matter/anti-matter collision.
posted by EvaDestruction at 10:34 AM on December 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

They left out the key rule of the later Cynics “Irritate the Stoics Whenever You Can.”

Inside of you are two ancient Greek philosophers....
posted by DeepSeaHaggis at 11:33 AM on December 7, 2023 [4 favorites]

This post led me to find Diogenes Laertes' description of the life of Diogenes. What a troll! This account is full of zingers (and by modern standards a lot of duds, but humour doesn't age well and maybe you had to be there). Bonus dunking on Plato included.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 11:42 AM on December 7, 2023 [4 favorites]

The article's description of the Cynics makes me think of them as the ancient Greek equivalent of the sovereign citizens; you know, people who benefit from living in a society but consider it to be "servility" if you accept the idea that receiving those benefits comes with some obligations to others.
posted by demonic winged headgear at 5:14 PM on December 7, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've always been curious about Diogenes, perhaps not enough to emulate his lifestyle.

Note that his family minted coins in Sinope, and that his father and himself were accused in a debased coinage scandal. From this conflict I sense the concept that Diogenes became skeptical of materialism, and eventually even the very concept of money itself.

Yea, he was a performance artist and an influence on historical Jesus, who also wielded a quick wit.
posted by ovvl at 5:18 PM on December 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

Yeah, everyone should act like Cynics, that's going to turn out great
posted by whir at 10:53 PM on December 7, 2023 [2 favorites]

I am irresistibly reminded of the lyric "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose."
posted by Vigilant at 6:36 PM on December 8, 2023 [1 favorite]