The Cynics

They were called Cynics, not because of their “cynical” attitude toward human motives, but because cynos is the Greek word for dog, and they were thought to be doglike in their indifference to the niceties of life. 

Since poverty, pain, suffering, and death obviously can and do come to good men, the Cynics reasoned that none of these is really bad. The truly virtuous man will be indifferent to everything that really happens to him.

They were extreme and held that manners, customs, all the small decencies and proprieties of social intercourse, as well as larger matters of political relationship, are without value and should be ignored.

Antisthenes – the founder of the Cynic school

He held classes in a gymnasim outside Athens and catered to the poor, the illegitimate, and the foreign born. He taught without fees, lived simply, and dressed shabbily.

Diogenes – His most famous pupil who tried banking in Asia Minor and failed, and came to Athens.

He was forced to beg, and Antisthenes helped him rationalize his condition into a philosophy.

He gather the accouterments of a beggar—old clothes, a bowl, and a staff—and lived in a large tub in the courtyard of an Athenian temple. His only companions were dogs.

 

The Stoics

The school took it’s name from the place where Zeno taught – a porch ( in Greek, stoa, hence the name Stoic), or open colonnade, famous among the Athenians for its frescoes. Zeno at first came under the influence of the Cynics, but their anarchistic position did not agree with Zeno.

Zeno (336-246) (went to Athens about 320-315)

Cicero (106-43)

Epictetus (50-130 ce)

As a child he was sold into slavery by his parents, and he became part of the household of a profligate Roman soldier.

He was allowed to attend lectures of a stoic, since he showed intellectual ability. When his master died, he gained his freedom.

Marcus Aurelius (121-180 ce)

He was a member of a distinguished family. Aurelius succeeded Antoninus Pius to the throne in 161, and though he was a peace loving man, he had to spend much of his time either at the frontier driving back invading barbarians or in distant parts of the Empire quelling revolts. Instead of deciding that we should withdraw from affairs, he thought that we should remember that “all that is rational is akin and that it is man’s nature to call all men..”

From the basic obligation to “treat all men as fellow creatures,” he derived a whole list of social and political duties.