Renowned for his ascetic lifestyle, biting wit, and radical critiques of social conventions, he became a legendary figure whose life and teachings have been recounted, often through anecdote, in both antiquity and later cultural traditions.

Born in a prosperous family in Sinope, his life took a dramatic turn following a scandal involving the defacement of coinage, an event that led to his exile and ultimately his radical rejection of conventional values.

Embracing a life of poverty and self-sufficiency, he became famous for his unconventional behaviours that openly challenged societal norms, such as living in a jar or wandering public spaces with a lit lantern in daylight.

His memorable encounters, including a legendary exchange with Alexander the Great, along with various accounts of his death, have made him a lasting symbol of philosophical defiance to established authorities and artificial values.

[8][6] Some scholars believe that this incident might have been a fictional creation inspired by Diogenes' own writings, with his famous goal to "revalue the currency" (paracharattein to nomisma) symbolising his challenge to conventional values.

[5][11] In another account, the oracular pronouncement occurs after his departure from Sinope, thus explicitly linking the command to its symbolic meaning, that is to wage a relentless war on the cultural and political "currency" of his contemporaries.

According to R. Bracht Branham, the idea that Diogenes consulted an oracle to determine his philosophical mission contradicts his own views on traditional religion.

366 BC) introduced him to Socratic thought, some modern scholars have questioned the timeline, arguing that Diogenes may have learned about Antisthenes' philosophy only from his writings.

[18][19] This attitude reflects the Cynic belief that true freedom comes from detaching oneself from possessions and desires, so even owning a slave could be seen as a form of self-enslavement.

Diogenes spent his mild winters in Athens, taking shelter in a jar (pithos), and his summers outdoors in Corinth, cooled by breezes from the Isthmus.

He compared his lifestyle to that of the Great King of Persia, who endured winter in the scorching cities of Babylon and Susa and enjoyed summer in the milder climate of Ecbatana.

He openly engaged in behaviours, such as masturbating, spitting, or even urinating on people, that defied social norms, and he supported himself by begging, which he saw as fair compensation for his role in challenging society's values.

His visits to various cities in Asia Minor, especially Miletus, known for its rich intellectual history, suggest he may have journeyed for philosophical reasons, though the exact details are lost to us.

After his master freed him, it is reported that he stayed in Corinth, living alone near a gymnasium called 'the Craneum' on the outskirts of the city, nestled in a cypress grove overlooking the harbour.

When asked if he had come to watch the competitions, Diogenes replied that he was there to take part in them, to combat human ills: anger, mistrust, sadness, desire, and fear.

[12][29] As Plutarch recounts, when Alexander arrived, Diogenes refused to join the formal greeting and instead stayed in his usual spot in a cypress grove outside Corinth.

[33][31]Diogenes showed little concern for his burial, instructing that his body be discarded, either left unburied outside the city wall for wild animals, thrown into a ditch and covered with dust, or even dumped into the river Ilisos.

Diogenes' followers ended up in a violent dispute over how and who should manage his burial, an anecdote that seems to convey they had not fully embraced his lesson of indifference to human customs.

In this text, he presented controversial views on family, sexuality, and social and political practices that were considered so scandalous that some contemporary Stoics dismissed the work as inauthentic.

[38] Diogenes' tragedies explored major mythological narratives, featuring characters such as Helen, Thyestes (which allowed him to address the subject of anthropophagy), Heracles (the quintessential cynical hero celebrated for his endurance in adversity), Achilles, Medea (whose magical feats were interpreted allegorically), Chrysippus (the son of Pelops), and Oedipus (whose acts of parricide and incest did not shock him).

[40] Emulating Socrates, Diogenes publicly questioned those who claimed to possess wisdom, and preferred engaging people in their everyday lives rather than teaching in formal educational settings like other philosophers.

[42][43] These include emphasising virtue over societal laws and customs, prioritising deeds over abstract ideas, and believing in the fundamental equality of men and women.

[45][44] Lucian quotes him as saying: Let the whole world be bed large enough for me, let me call the universe my home.His philosophical outlook was likely shaped by his early years in Sinope and his subsequent exile.

Favorinus argued that cosmopolitanism served as both a response to and a consolation for the loss of one's homeland, and Diogenes' experience as a foreigner may have challenged the notion that political power naturally belongs to those born by accident in a particular city.

In another story, he compares good civic administration to well-managed household affairs, arguing that both require thoughtful, intelligent oversight rather than mere show, reflecting his broader ideas on redefining wealth and the value of intellectual management over manual labor.

It remains unclear whether Diogenes became a beggar before embracing philosophy or if he deliberately rejected working as a philosophical choice, though some credit Antisthenes with this influence.

This school embraced Diogenes' (and indirectly Socrates') belief in living according to nature and reason, with virtue as the sole basis for happiness and external factors like one's origin and social status regarded as irrelevant.

The other stream, beginning with Crates of Thebes (c. 365 – c. 285 BC) and ending with Sallustius of Emesa (5th century AD), consisted of a succession of Cynics who preserved many of Diogenes' original principles and practices.

A damaged marble bas relief from the 1st century AD depicting Diogenes in a jar with a dog was discovered in 1726 during excavations at Monte Testaccio, near Rome.

[57][54] The eponym is generally considered a misnomer as Diogenes deliberately rejected common standards of material comfort, actively sought human company by venturing daily to Agora, and was a minimalist.