Julian says, addressing a Cynic; "Do you really think it so great an achievement to carry a staff and let your hair grow, and haunt cities and camps uttering calumnies against the noblest men and flattering the vilest? . . . You criticize everybody, though you yourself do nothing to deserve praise" (7, 223-236). The following, of the 1st century A.D., is a description of a beggar rather than of a teacher; "He whom you often see, Cosmus, within the sanctuary of our patroness Pallas and on the threshold of the new temple, this old man with a staff and a wallet, his white hair stiff with filth, and whose foul beard falls upon his breast, who covers himself on his wretched bed with a wax colored cloak—his only wife, and to whom the passers by give the food he barks for; you, deceived by false appearances, think him a Cynic: he is not a Cynic, Cosmus. What is he then? A dog" (M. Valerius Martialis, Epigrams 4, 53).
Among the causes of the Cynic's aversion to labor were, no doubt, indolence and a desire to avoid restraints. By indolence, also, he could display his apathy and indifference. Another reason was the desire to preserve his social status. If he engaged in trade or took up any form of manual labor he would lose caste. Epictetus says; "Is it not fitting that the Cynic should without any distraction be employed only on the ministration of God, able to go about among men, not tied down by the common duties of mankind, nor entangled in the ordinary relations of life? . . . How can he have time for this (teaching) who is tied to the duties of common life? . . . Consider what we are bringing the Cynic down to, how we are taking his royalty from him" (Arrian 3, 22, 69-76). The Cynic was fond of comparing himself with kings and emperors but never compared himself with shoe-makers, hucksters or barbers; he was not democratic but claimed to belong to the highest social class.
Image: Imaginary portrait of Epictetus. Engraved frontispiece of Edward Ivie’s Latin translation of Epictetus’ Enchiridon, printed in Oxford in 1751.
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Blogging Diogenes of Sinope by Farrand Sayre
The Cynics Referred to the Habits of Animals
Slump towards Animalism
Attitude of the Cynics Towards Pleasure
Happiness Did Not Exclude Pleasure
Diogenes as Hedonist
Short Road to Happiness or Short Cut to Virtue?
Despising Pleasure is Pleasurable
What is Virtue for a Cynic: Cats for Thievery
What is Virtue for a Cynic: Promiscuous Sexual Intercourse
The Cynic Sought Freedom
Labor Did Not Enter into the Cynic Scheme of Life
The Easy Life of the Cynic
The Object of the Cynic was Happiness
I Am a Citizen of the World
Freedom of Speech is the Most Beautiful Thing in the World
cynicism is a form of escape from reality, its an excuse to hide behind
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Sayre is critical of the Cynics in this book. Sayre himself was anything but a Cynic, being a graduate of West Point and a respected cavalry officer.
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More importantly, the Cynic school was extremely influential for hundreds of years, and influenced Christianity. What makes this book so interesting is the number of classic authors that are quoted. It is a window into ancient philosophy and early Christianity.
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Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
https://www.scribd.com/document/122947725/Farrand-Sayre-The-Greek-Cynics-pdf
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That is Sayre's second book. Sayre re-used parts of his first book "Diogenes of Sinope" in his second book, "The Greek Cynics". They are both in the Public Domain. I am blogging the first book. I wonder why the second book is up at Scribd but this one isn't.
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This post recieved an upvote from minnowpond. If you would like to recieve upvotes from minnowponds team on all your posts, simply FOLLOW @minnowpond.
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Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by roomerkind from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews/crimsonclad, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows and creating a social network. Please find us in the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
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This post has received a 1.56 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @banjo.
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