Thank you so much to NetGalley and Basic Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was admittedly more interested reading about Diogenes' philosophy and thoughts rather than the historical details (though I acknowledge how it is very much linked) so it was a bit slow for me at the beginning but this was an undeniably well researched book that was enjoyable to read.

This book is a very accessible introduction to Diogenes (for someone like me that is dabbling in philosophy but not well-versed). His critique of power and freedom is fascinating, validating and inspiring — and absolutely still relevant today, if not more than ever.

Seriously a Great Resource for the Daily Living!

Very well researched, lightly writed, clarifying and connectig dots between several history-philosophical figures

I am sure that the same Diógenes would read it and have it besides "his bed" to read it again and again

If you want to know the essence of the one person that told Marco Aurelio "step away that you are covering the sun to me"...

That the laughed from money, relationships, and power, not in the bad sense, but because the real meaning of all of that, read this now!

Say Diogenes again...

The book is a thoughtful and accessible introduction to one of antiquity’s most provocative figures. Best known for living in a pot, mocking power, and rejecting materialism, Diogenes comes across here not as a cartoonish eccentric but as a critic of social norms and a thinker whose ideas still provoke.

Kuin does a commendable job of capturing the spirit of Diogenes’ rebellion. Drawing from scattered ancient sources, she reconstructs his life and philosophy in a way that’s clear, engaging, and digestible, especially for readers without a background in ancient philosophy. This is a more “popular history” approach less focused on beating you over the head with scholarly debate and more on making the material approachable, which suits the subject well.

That said, the book isn’t without its stylistic quirks. Most noticeably, Kuin uses the name “Diogenes”...frequently. While it doesn’t ruin the book, the repetition is, at times, distracting and breaks the flow.

That said, for those curious about Cynicism or interested in an unconventional figure who lived his philosophy to the extreme, this book offers a solid entry point.

Good, informative, nice length. Not a lot new though, but in fairness how much new should we even expect in antiquities. Anyway, nice way to learn or to revisit one of the slightly less known philosophers.

Living almost two and a half thousand years ago, Diogenes the Cynic is one of those extraordinary figures who forces himself into the consciousness of succeeding ages. His pithy sayings and thought provoking actions have challenged every generation to think about the difference between ethical norms and social conventions.

His approach to philosophy was very much a ‘common sense’ one. When a philosopher produced a syllogism to prove that humans have horns, he rubbed a hand across his head to refute it, refusing to engage with a logic that was so obviously contrary to everyone’s experiences.

Whereas his philosophic contemporaries gave lectures and produced learned books, Diogenes refused to do so. He wasn’t a teacher of mere words, he was a performer of live, living his philosophy in and through his daily life. To some extent he is the originator of the idea of ‘lived experience’ as having a philosophical significance.

One of the priorities of his thinking was ‘freedom.’ When people told him about ‘rightness’ and ‘proper behaviour’ he wasn’t impressed by the imposition upon him of other’s standards. On the contrary, he would wander around town urinating and defecating in public, demonstrating his contempt for the very idea that he should feel a ‘shame’ based on conforming to social or political conventions.

His contemporaries recruited disciples, but Diogenes went out of his way to discourage would-be followers. Although when they pressed him, he would begrudgingly accept them. Among those followers was Hipparchia, giving us one of our view glimpses of female philosophers of the era.

One of the interesting facets of Diogenes’ character was his dry wit. When asked what the best wine is, he immediately said it is the one that someone else is paying for. When someone pointed to a luxury honey cake and said, look what you could eat if you worked for the king. He pointed to his own cheap olives and figs and said, you wouldn’t have to work for the king if you ate this.

Throughout the book the author skillfully weaves a wide variety of anecdotes and incidents from Diogenes’ life, so that readers get a lively impression of a fascinating individual.

One of the particularly welcome aspects of the book is that it explores how Diogenes was received in later generations from the Romans to Christianity, to twentieth century philosophers. What emerges is the voice of counter culturalism, which lurks as a warning in the background of every age, asking people to reflect on why they hold their most cherished assumptions.

Overall this is a knowledgeable and well-written account of one of history’s truly fascinating individuals. It is written in an engaging way which means that it should be accessible to readers from any background. It is particularly relevant to those interested in politics and ethics, and to anyone who wants to explore what open mindedness means in one of its most radical manifestations.

(These comments are based on a free pre-publication ARC version of the text).

Enjoyable, fun and informative. This book is a great primer into the life and philosophy of Diogenes, and how he’s influenced other philosophers and artists up to the modern age.

This was a fascinating and enjoyable read. I learned so much about the life and philosophy of Diogenes. The writing was brilliant and I found the book informative and entertaining at the same time. From the famous story of Diogenes' meeting with Alexander the Great to the effect his ideas continue to have today, this is a thorough exploration of the compelling philosopher's life and ideas which I would recommend to those interested in Cynic philosophy and Stoicism.

Splendid book. I really enj9yed this piece about a philosopher who is too often overlooked in this field. He had a lot of interesting and useful things to say. This book gave him the platform to help all of us.