Diogenes of Sinope was a cynic, the first of that line of philosophy, advocating for rejecting materialism, vanity, and conformity. While the meaning of the label cynic has changed over the centuries, the core ideas of rejecting custom and living closely with nature, questioning the status quo, and thinking deeply about what really matters remain the same. Learn more about Diogenes and Cynicism with a short video.

Concepts

philosophers, jacques rousseau, alexander the great, friedrich nietzsche

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Assign groups one of the readings linked in the "Dig Deeper" section and have them report their findings to the class

Classroom Considerations

• Caution: preview the entire video to determine if appropriate for your classroom
• Best suited for philosophy classes

Pros

• Offers a comprehension check
• Provides links to related materials and a discussion board

Cons

• None