If You Love South Park, Learn About the Originals–The Ancient Cynics

What kinds of philosophers choose the name for their school of philosophy from the word for dogs? The cynics, who were basically social-convention flouting performance artists and proto-south park scatalogical/philosophical satirists of their time. Learn plenty about them in a very accessible 22 minutes, filled with charming anecdotes. An ancient philosophy specialist and friend of mine recommended to me the book The Cynics: The Cynic Movement in Antiquity and Its Legacy for more on the Cynics.

One special thing I learned from the podcast, Diogenes once carried a lantern into the marketplace during broad daylight saying he was looking for a human being and insisting he could find none. I infer this must have been the inspiration for Nietzsche’s madman carrying a lantern in the broad daylight seeking God and then claiming God is dead in The Gay Science section 125.

Via Andrew Taggart

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