Navia's 2005 book Diogenes the Cynic says that some have argued that Diogenes actually may not have arrived in Athens until after Plato passed away (Sinope being a Greek colony located on the modern Turkish coast, and the date of Diogenes' exile from Sinope being a source of conjecture). However, Plato doesn't mention him at all (despite, of course, being at the center of the anecdote here) and Aristotle seemingly mentions him once in an off-handed way. Of the philosophers alive during the same time as Diogenes whose voluminous writings survive, we might expect them to discuss Diogenes if he really was a consistent thorn in their side making them look pretentious. So we should be…cynical (in the modern sense) whether Diogenes said anything he was credited with, for exactly the same reasons we should be cynical about Pythagoras coming up with the framework of personality in Plato’s Republic (which Laertius credits Pythagoras with, somewhat comically). Just as the Pythagoreans claimed several philosophical ideas and mathematical findings to Pythagoras, it's likely that there were plenty of funny ripostes to pretentious philosophers that got put into the mouth of Diogenes, because he was seen as the paragon of the philosophy of Cynicism (a popular philosophical position in the Hellenistic era, which isn’t just about being ‘cynical’ in the modern sense). It is likely that he had access to more than one collection of Diogenes' sayings, but it's unlikely Laertius had access to anything actually written by Diogenes (though Laertius does directly quote some of what he claims to be Diogenes' poetry, which he's likely found quoted in other sources). As I say in the above answer, Laertius has a reputation for being a bit credulous, and not particularly philosophically switched on. For better or worse, while Laertius mentions some sources here and there for his anecdotes about Diogenes, this particular anecdote is unsourced (but may well be from a previous now-lost book by Diodes that some have argued provides the main framework for The Eminent Lives of the Philosophers). Laertius - writing several hundred years after Diogenes of Sinope lived - necessarily drew on what previous writers had said about Diogenes of Sinope. Diogenes plucked a fowl and brought it into the lecture-room with the words, "Here is Plato's man." In consequence of which there was added to the definition, "having broad nails." To one who asked what was the proper time for lunch, he said, "If a rich man, when you will if a poor man, when you can." Plato had defined Man as an animal, biped and featherless, and was applauded. This particular anecdote about Diogenes of Sinope does indeed come from Diogenes Laertius' writing about his namesake that I discuss in the comment kindly linked to by /u/Holy_Shit_HeckHounds. Previous AMAs | Previous Roundtables Featuresįeature posts are posted weekly. May 25th | Panel AMA with /r/AskBibleScholars Please Subscribe to our Google Calendar for Upcoming AMAs and Events To nominate someone else as a Quality Contributor, message the mods. Our flaired users have detailed knowledge of their historical specialty and a proven record of excellent contributions to /r/AskHistorians. Please Read and Understand the Rules Before Contributing. Report Comments That Break Reddiquette or the Subreddit Rules. Serious On-Topic Comments Only: No Jokes, Anecdotes, Clutter, or other Digressions. Provide Primary and Secondary Sources If Asked. Write Original, In-Depth and Comprehensive Answers, Using Good Historical Practices. Questions should be clear and specific in what they ask, and should be able to get detailed answers from historians whose expertise is likely to be in particular times and places. Nothing Less Than 20 Years Old, and Don't Soapbox. Be Nice: No Racism, Bigotry, or Offensive Behavior. Downvote and Report comments that are unhelpful or grossly off-topic.Upvote informative, well sourced answers.New to /r/AskHistorians? Please read our subreddit rules and FAQ before posting! Apply for Flair
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