Diogenes For His Actions example essay topic

Thoreau and Diogenes may seem to be similar, but they are actually quite different. Both philosophers believe that for a person to be truly happy we must reject society's vision of happiness, meaning materialistic possessions and status. Where the two differ is in their actions taken to reject society. Thoreau left society and wrote his thoughts in a book for all to read, learn, and follow. Diogenes, on the other hand, stayed in town and disrupted society by barking and yelling at people as they walked by attempting to get his point across.

I will argue that Diogenes' method of revolting against society is an ineffective way of spreading his ideas. Furthermore, to prove this argument I will show how many of his actions were disregarded, many actions angered the citizens, and those actions that received praise brought about no real changes. Diogenes would go around town yelling and insulting people to spread his views. His seemed to be either shot down or ignored. There were several instances where Plato refuted Diogenes actions. An example is when Diogenes attempted to degrade the idea of pride by trampling on Plato's carpet and saying", 'I trample on the pride of Plato,' who retorted, 'Yes, Diogenes, with the pride of another' " (Diogenes 29).

Here Plato ends up making Diogenes look like a hypocrite and therefore untrustworthy. Many people in any society would ignore his tirades in the streets, thinking he was a lunatic searching for attention. People don't like being insulted, so most won't stop or even consider listening to some street bum tell them how to live, act, or be happy. Although some people choose to ignore Diogenes, others are just angered by his actions. One of Diogenes beliefs is to live naturally and shamelessly, which turn angering those around him. In many occasions Diogenes is labeled as a dog and he even calls himself a dog.

"At a feast certain people kept throwing all the bones to him as they would have done to a dog. Thereupon he played a dog's trick and drenched them" (Diogenes 49). The book mentions another instance where Diogenes spits in a man's face because he could find a better place (Diogenes 33). By pissing or spitting on someone he is definitely going to anger them, causing them to not like Diogenes or anything he stands for and, therefore, not get his ideas expressed to others. Another time Diogenes "shouted out for men, and when people collected, hit out at them with his stick saying, 'It was men a called for, not scoundrels' " (Diogenes 35). Being called a scoundrel and hit with a stick would not make someone listen to what Diogenes has to say or believes.

And because of his vulgar actions Diogenes was attacked and beat up time and time again (Diogenes 35). However there are exceptions that praised Diogenes for his actions but majority refused to follow his lifestyle. During his time Diogenes had people that believed his views and lifestyle were correct but didn't appear to feel strong enough to live by them. Diogenes himself, "describes himself as a hound of the sort which all men praise, but no one, he added, of his admirers dared go out hunting along with him" (Diogenes 35). People were contented with the societal values, constraints, and tradition of their current lives instead of following their beliefs in Diogenes' "good life": i.e. one of independence and simplicity. Alexander the Great said, "Had I not been Alexander, I should have liked to be Diogenes" (Diogenes 35).

This seems to be the view of those who agree with Diogenes' ideas. They feel if I had not lived the way I live now, falling into societies materialistic world, I would like to be like Diogenes. In other words, they are not willing to give up all that they have achieved and live in simplicity and independently. So it seems that even the people that praise Diogenes, although they claim that they like his ideas, don't truly believe in Diogenes view of the good life. In this paper I have shown that Diogenes methods of spreading his views on the good life by rejecting and revolting were shot down and ignored, or angered the citizens, or those who claim his views and actions moved them truly do not feel strong enough in the ideas to change.

Diogenes expressed his ideas through his actions by revolting against society. So it appears that this may not be the correct method in getting his views across to society. The saying that actions speak louder than words doesn't seem to be the case here.