Abstract
Probably the most colorful of the Cynic philosophers was Diogenes of Sinope. This imaginative, charismatic figure of the 4th century B.C. did much to promote the Cynic philosophy of virtue as the only good. This belief was often accompanied by extreme asceticism as appears to be exemplified in the life of Diogenes. Many stories are told about him. Some of them are no doubt apocryphal; nevertheless they serve to illustrate the enormity of the gap that sometimes exists between conventionality and ideals. Diogenes is reported to have discarded his last possession his bowl after watching a boy drink from his hands. He lived in a borrowed wooden tub, getting the idea from a snail living in its shell. His often-biting sarcasm came forth when Alexander the Great offered him anything he wanted (an offer that had less risk with Diogenes than with most!). His only request was that Alexander the Great move so that he would not block the sunshine. One of the most famous of Diogenes' activities was his trek through Athens, carrying a lighted lantern in broad daylight in a futile search for an honest man.