![]() ![]() Alexander was so struck at this answer, and surprised at the greatness of the man, who had taken so little notice of him, that as he went away he told his followers, who were laughing at the moroseness of the philosopher, that if he were not Alexander, he would choose to be Diogenes. When he saw so much company near him, he raised himself a little, and vouchsafed to look upon Alexander and when he kindly asked him whether he wanted anything, "Yes," said he, "I would have you stand from between me and the sun." note While he stayed here, many public ministers and philosophers came from all parts to visit him and congratulated him on his election, but contrary to his expectation, Diogenes of Sinope, who then was living at Corinth, thought so little of him, that instead of coming to compliment him, he never so much as stirred out of the suburb called the Cranium, where Alexander found him lying along in the sun. Soon after, the Greeks, being assembled at the Isthmus, declared their resolution of joining with Alexander in the war against the Persians, and proclaimed him their general. In section 14 of his Life of Alexander, the Greek author Plutarch of Chaeronea has added the following story, which served to show that Alexander has some philosophical inclinations. In stating that Alexander would ‘create a supranational empire’ implies that the author sees him as someone destined for greatness.There were many stories invented about Alexander's behavior on certain occasions these anecdotes were all intended to show the greatness of the man. He praises Alexander not just as a military leader but also as a thinker, influenced by Aristotle and his teachings. The author then turns to Alexander stating he was ‘wiser than his years’. Furthermore, he refutes the claims of the society which labeled him as a lunatic in stating that he was a missionary, who wanted not only his society but the whole humankind to come close to nature and free their minds from acquiring ‘perishable goods’. In this, the author sees Diogenes’ greatness as a philosopher. Moreover, where most people are forced to live this life, Diogenes deliberately chose to live free from the life he saw as a threat to his independence. For example, he compares Diogenes to Plato and Aristotle, who were different from Diogenes in the fact that Diogenes was more public than the other philosophers. The author mainly gives a descriptive account and his tone implies admiration for both Diogenes and Alexander which is also supported in the passage. But, Alexander only walked away leaving the crowds stand in awe because he thought highly of Diogenes which and even took one of his students to India as a philosophical interpreter. When they meet, instead of greeting him, Diogenes publicly mocked Alexander. As the article unfolds, Alexander was sent to Corinth as Commander-in-chief and was congratulated by everyone including the poets and philosophers of the city except Diogenes so Alexander decided to pay him a visit. The article describes Alexander as a great commander and a thinker which was mainly due to the influence of Aristotle’s teachings. The article then focuses on Alexander, the Macedonian King, a student of Aristotle, another great Greek philosopher. His ideology was targeted for people from all walks of life and not a chosen few. He tried to give this message to the people by setting an example when he chose to live a life out on the streets with no possessions except a cask to sleep in and a piece of cloth to cover him. He wrote essays, poems and plays to edify his philosophy that the goods bought from wealth are not going to last forever and they only threaten a man’s independence from worry and anxiety of losing them. He believed humankind’s greed for an extravagant lifestyle is going to bring them no good except make them go astray from nature. The article describes Diogenes as a man indifferent to the worldly pleasures like wealth that most humans lust for.
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