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Hello, Eating Fresh Lupinsins, performing intimate acts in public places and shouting

at passers-by from inside a barrel his behavior, not normally associated with philosophy, but

the cynics were different. They were philosophers determined to expose

the meaningless of civilized life by action as well as by word. They slept rough, ignored

personal hygiene, ate simply, and gave their lectures in the marketplace.

Perhaps surprisingly, their ideas and attitudes were immensely popular in the ancient world.

But how coherent was cynicism as a philosophy?

What was its influence on literature and politics?

And is there any truth to the contention that Jesus Christ himself was influenced by the

cynics?

With me to discuss the philosophy of cynicism is Angie Hobbs, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Warwick,

John Moles, professor of Latin at the University of Newcastle, and Miriam Griffin fellow in ancient history at Somerville College, Oxford.

Angie Hobbs, cynicism in common with so much philosophy from the ancient world, has its roots in Socrates.

Can you explain how Socrates

the way into cynicism? Yes, well for Socrates the good life is a life of

self-sufficiency and this is possible because virtue is sufficient for happiness and so

happiness and virtue are within your power. So such things as your social status, your sex, whether you're free-born or slave, whether

your Greek or non-Greek are irrelevant.

External contingencies are by the by, your happiness is up to you and how did that keen and when did

key in are we talking about the early cynics being contemporaneous with

...