Cynic << SIHN ihk >> philosophy was established in the 300’s B.C. by Antisthenes, a disciple of the Greek philosopher Socrates. Antisthenes took as his starting point the doctrine that virtue rather than pleasure is the chief end of life and constitutes true happiness. He argued that the wise person is the one who looks with contempt on all the ordinary pleasures of life and lives without regard for riches or honors. Continued happiness, he declared, is not possible if a person has wants and desires which may not be satisfied. A person is bound by no obligations to society, state, or family, because these things give rise to desires that may not be satisfied.
Among the enthusiastic followers of Antisthenes was Diogenes, who carried the principles of the Cynics to an extreme. It is said that he lived on the coarsest bread and slept at night in a tub. Zeno of Citium, a Cynic of the late 300’s and early 200’s B.C., founded Stoic philosophy.
Some authorities say that the name Cynic refers to Cynosarges, the name of the building in Athens where the Cynics first met. Others say that the name comes from the Greek word meaning dog and refers to the rude manners of the Cynics. In ordinary speech, a person who sneers at the idea that goodness exists in human nature is often called a cynic.
See also Diogenes; Stoic philosophy; Zeno of Citium.
