

He is loyal to those who are good to him he bites those who ill-treat him or his friends, and he's not embarrassed to do what he does to live. 404-323 BCE) was a Greek Cynic philosopher best known for holding a lantern (or candle) to the faces of the citizens of Athens claiming he was searching for an honest man. The dog is honest he is not impressed by grand words, fancy clothes, or titles. On the other hand the philosophers in the Academy keep their. When invited to the house of Plato, he trampled upon his carpet, saying that he thereby trampled on the vanity of Plato, to which Plato retorted "How much pride you expose to view, Diogenes, by seeming not to be proud."ĭiogenes claimed to have gotten his morality from a dog, and would supposedly really bite at people's ankles. After all Diogenes is right that a plucked chicken is a biped and has no feathers and so disproves the Academy’s definition.
#Diogenes featherless biped how to#
Coming up to him, Plato said, "My good Diogenes, if you knew how to pay court to Dionysius, you wouldn't have to wash vegetables." "And," replied Diogenes, "If you knew how to wash vegetables, you wouldn't have to pay court to Dionysius." When Plato gave Socrates's definition of man as "featherless bipeds" and was much praised for the definition, Diogenes plucked a chicken and brought it into Plato's Academy, saying, "Behold! I've brought you a man." After this incident, "with broad flat nails" was added to Plato's definition.ĭiogenes was knee deep in a stream washing vegetables. Plato allowed himself a few moments to collect his thoughts, but Diogenes reached over and, tapping Plato's head with his finger, said "I think you will find here is the 'emptiness'". "Where is the 'emptiness' which precedes this empty cup?" asked Diogenes. "That's because you have the eyes to see the cup," said Plato, "but", tapping his head with his forefinger, "you don't have the intellect with which to comprehend 'cupness'."ĭiogenes walked up to the table, examined a cup and, looking inside, asked, "Is it empty?" Plato nodded.

"I can see the cups on the table," said Diogenes, "but I can't see the 'cupness'". Plato was discoursing on his theory of ideas and, pointing to the cups on the table before him, said while there are many cups in the world, there is only one 'idea' of a cup, and this cupness precedes the existence of all particular cups. One example of Diogenes being the father of trolling came after Plato had been applauded for his definition of man as a featherless biped. "Here is your Man", said Diogenes.Diogenes and Plato had several run-ins, which have sort of been passed down through the ages (so who knows how much of it is real). Unfortunately, Diogenes left behind no first-hand accounts of his own life, so many of his trolling stories are probably myths and tales. "What's the occasion? ", asked Plato with a surprised look. The next day Diogenes walked into class holding in his hand a featherless rooster and presented Plato with the plucked chicken.

When Plato gave him Socrates definition of man as featherless biped. "Well", said the great philosopher after a pause, "Man is a featherless biped." Diogenes grinned: "Really? " But Plato did not answer. Diogenes of Sinope also called Diogenes the Cynic, was a Greek philosopher. But he, like most other featherless bipeds, was quick to place his own safety and comfort. Diogenes attended the talk and at some point he interrupted Plato: "But how do you define Man? " Since the cynic was also well known as a prankster, Plato gave him a pensive look. A humorous and somewhat belittling alternative term for a human being. Diogenes, focusing on reason and nature, thought this was over-simplifying humanity and was contrary to. One early afternoon Plato delivered a lecture about the qualities of man at the famous Academy in Athens, the first university in the Western world, which the eminent philosopher founded himself. Plato explained that humans are essentially animals who are biped and featherless. Plato recognized the genius of his colleague but regarded him as a " Socrates gone mad".
#Diogenes featherless biped free#
One of the founders of the ancient Greek Philosophical School of Cynicism, Diogenes Saw free speech as the supreme human virtue. Sleeping in a barrel and living like a dog, Diogenes was born twenty five centuries ago in Sinope, a city on the Black Sea coast.
