Cynicism was a school of philosophy in ancient Greece that emerged in the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, associated with Antisthenes, a follower of Socrates, and above all with Diogenes of Sinope. The name is probably derived from the Greek word for dog, either because of the gymnasium where Antisthenes taught or because of the cynics' shameless way of life. Cynics held that virtue is the only good and that happiness comes from living in accordance with nature, so they rejected wealth, power, fame and social convention. Diogenes was said to live in a large jar in Athens and to mock the powerful, even Alexander the Great. Their ideas influenced the Stoics, through Crates of Thebes and Zeno of Citium.
Before and after
- 406 BCEDeath of Sophocles
- from 5th century BCE to 10th centuryKingdom of Aksum
- 5th century BCEOrigins of Temple of Zeus in Olympia
- 5th century BCEFounding of Aetolian League
- 5th century BCERise of Cynicism
- 15 February 399 BCEDeath of Socrates
- from 398 BCE to 378 BCETwenty-ninth Dynasty of Egypt
- from 395 BCE to 387 BCECorinthian War
- c. 391 BCEThe Gauls sack Rome
More in Society, economy & sport
- 7th century BCERise of Nyaya
- from 478 BCE to 403 BCEFounding of Delian League
- 335 BCERise of peripatetic school
- 211 BCEIntroduction of sestertius
- 167 BCERise of Maccabees
- 2nd centuryRise of Montanism
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires.