[5] He used his simple lifestyle and behavior to criticize the social values and institutions of what he saw as a corrupt, confused society.

He criticized Plato, disputed his interpretation of Socrates, and sabotaged his lectures, sometimes distracting listeners by bringing food and eating during the discussions.

[citation needed] Diogenes was also noted for having mocked Alexander the Great, both in public and to his face when he visited Corinth in 336 BC.

[11][12] This aspect of the story seems to be corroborated by archaeology: large numbers of defaced coins (smashed with a large chisel stamp) have been discovered at Sinope dating from the middle of the 4th century BC, and other coins of the time bear the name of Hicesias as the official who minted them.

[11] Sinope was being disputed between pro-Persian and pro-Greek factions in the 4th century, and there may have been political rather than financial motives behind the act.

Following the debacle in Sinope, Diogenes decided that the oracle meant that he should deface the political currency rather than actual coins.

He argued that instead of being troubled about the true nature of evil, people merely rely on customary interpretations.

This attitude was grounded in a disdain for what he regarded as the folly, pretence, vanity, self-deception, and artificiality of human conduct.

[32] Diogenes viewed Antisthenes as the true heir to Socrates, and shared his love of virtue and indifference to wealth,[33] together with a disdain for general opinion.

[34] Diogenes shared Socrates's belief that he could function as doctor to men's souls and improve them morally, while at the same time holding contempt for their obtuseness.

[37] According to a story which seems to have originated with Menippus of Gadara,[38] Diogenes was captured by pirates while on voyage to Aegina and sold as a slave in Crete to a Corinthian named Xeniades.

As tutor to Xeniades's two sons,[39] it is said that he lived in Corinth for the rest of his life, which he devoted to preaching the doctrines of virtuous self-control.

"[7][8] In another account of the conversation, Alexander found the philosopher looking attentively at a pile of human bones.

His contemporaries alleged that he held his breath until he died, although other accounts of his death say he became ill from eating raw octopus[44] or from an infected dog bite.

"[46] To the end, Diogenes made fun of people's excessive concern with the "proper" treatment of the dead.

When asked why he was called a dog he replied, "I fawn on those who give me anything, I yelp at those who refuse, and I set my teeth in rascals.

"[19] One explanation offered in ancient times for why the Cynics were called dogs was that Antisthenes taught in the Cynosarges gymnasium at Athens.

So do they recognize as friends those who are suited to philosophy, and receive them kindly, while those unfitted they drive away, like dogs, by barking at them.

Besides performing natural body functions in public with ease, a dog will eat anything and makes no fuss about where to sleep.

"[52] Diogenes maintained that all the artificial growths of society were incompatible with happiness and that morality implies a return to the simplicity of nature.

"[53] Although Socrates had previously identified himself as belonging to the world, rather than a city,[54] Diogenes is credited with the first known use of the word "cosmopolitan".

The interview between Diogenes and Alexander is represented in an ancient marble bas-relief found in the Villa Albani.

In Raphael's fresco The School of Athens, a lone reclining figure in the foreground represents Diogenes.

[60] 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.