F. Nietzsche, CREPUSCULO DE LOS IDOLOS, Cómo el ´mundo verdadero´ acabó convirtiéndose en una fábula

Historia de un error

1. El mundo verdadero, asequible al sabio, al piadoso, al virtuoso, -él vive en ese mundo, es ese mundo.

(La forma más antigua de la Idea, relativamente inteligente, simple, convincente. Transcripción de la tesis «yo, Platón, soy la verdad»).

2. El mundo verdadero, inasequible por ahora, pero prometido al sabio, al piadoso, al virtuoso («al pecador que hace penitencia»).

(Progreso de la Idea: ésta se vuelve más sutil, más capciosa, más inaprensible, -se convierte en una mujer, se hace cristiana...).

3. El mundo verdadero, inasequible, indemostrable, imprometible, pero ya en cuanto pensado, un consuelo, una obligación, un imperativo.

(En el fondo, el viejo sol, pero visto a través de la niebla y el escepticismo; la Idea, sublimizada, pálida, nórdica, königsburguense).

4. El mundo verdadero -¿inasequible? En todo caso, inalcanzado. Y en cuanto inalcanzado, también desconocido. Por consiguiente, tampoco consolador, redentor, obligante: ¿a qué podría obligarnos algo desconocido? ...

(Mañana gris.Primer bostezo de la razón. Canto del gallo del positivismo).

5. El «mundo verdadero» -una Idea que ya no sirve para nada, que ya ni siquiera obliga, -una Idea que se ha vuelto inútil, superflua, por consiguiente una Idea refutada: ¡eliminémosla!

(Día claro; desayuno; retorno del bon sens y de la jovialidad; rubor avergonzado de Platón; ruido endiablado de todos los espíritus libres)

6. Hemos eliminado el mundo verdadero: ¿qué mundo ha quedado?, ¿Acaso el aparente?... ¡No!, ¡al eliminar el mundo verdadero hemos eliminado también el aparente!

(Mediodía; instante de la sombra más corta; final del error más largo; punto culminante de la humanidad; INCIPIT ZARATHUSTRA).



Trad. Sánchez Pascual.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols (1888) - ´How the "True World" Finally Became a Fable´

History of an Error

1. The true world—attainable for the sage, the pious, the virtuous man; he lives in it, he is it.

(The oldest form of the idea, relatively intelligent, simple, and persuasive. A transcription for the sentence, "I, Plato, am the truth.")

2. The true world—unattainable for now, but promised for the sage, the pious, the virtuous man ("for the sinner who repents").

(Progress of the idea: it becomes more subtle, insidious, incomprehensible—it becomes female, it becomes Christian ...)

3. The true world—unattainable, indemonstrable, unpromisable; but the very thought of it—a consolation, an obligation, an imperative.

(At bottom, the old sun, but seen through mist and skepticism. The idea has become elusive, pale, Nordic, Königsbergian.)

4. The true world—unattainable? At any rate, unattained. And being unattained, also unknown. Consequently, not consoling, redeeming, or obligating: how could something unknown obligate us? ...

(Gray morning. The first yawn of reason. The cockcrow of positivism.)

5. The "true" world—an idea which is no longer good for anything, not even obligating—an idea which has become useless and superfluous—consequently, a refuted idea: let us abolish it!

(Bright day; breakfast; return of bon sens and cheerfulness; Plato's embarrassed blush; pandemonium of all free spirits.)

6. We have abolished the true world: what world has remained? the apparent one perhaps? ... But no! With the true world we have also abolished the apparent one!

(Noon; moment of the briefest shadow; end of the longest error; high point of humanity; INCIPIT ZARATHUSTRA.)

Published 1889
Translation: W. Kaufmann

Beggar who bites the hand that feeds him, or The Beggar as institutional critic.

No better example for this that Diogenes, the Greek cynic, and the school of cynicism as a whole. Although cynics are no beggars (on one occasion, Diogenes was asked why people give money to cripples and beggars, but not to philosophers. And he answered: “Well, people fear they may one day become beggars or cripples, but they certainly see no danger that they’ll one day become philosophers”), they do resort to beggary out of necessity.
Diogenes, a celibate and a beggar who made his home in the streets of Athens, made a virtue of extreme poverty. He taught contempt for human achievements and a return to animalism (he barked at those he disliked). Diogenes used his body to upend the conventional association of decorum with the good. He broke etiquette by publicly carrying out activities an Athenian would typically perform in private. For example, he ate, drank, and masturbated in the marketplace. His was a relentless campaign to "debunk" social values and institutions— the Greek word for dog-like is “cynic”.
The relation between beggar, cynic, and dog, is by no means a casual one.

Source: The Beggar´s Opera.

Sileno

Una vieja leyenda cuenta que durante mucho tiempo el rey Midas había intentado cazar en el bosque al sabio Sileno, acompañante de Dioniso, sin poder atraparlo. Cuando por fin cayó en sus manos, el rey pregunta qué es lo mejor y más preferible para el hombre. Rígido e inmóvil calla el demón; hasta que forzado por el rey, acaba prorrumpiendo en estas palabras, en medio de una risa estridente: Estirpe miserable de un día, hijos del azar y de la fatiga, ¡por qué me fuerzas a decirte lo que para ti sería muy ventajoso no oír? Lo mejor de todo es totalmente inalcanzable para ti: no haber nacido, no ser, ser nada. Y lo mejor en segundo lugar es para ti -morir pronto.

F. Nietzsche, El nacimiento de la tragedia, 3

Diogenes the Cynic by Diogenes Laërtius

Once Alexander the Great came and stood by him, and said, "I am Alexander, the great king." "And I," said he, "am Diogenes the dog [cuôn , Cynic]." And when he was asked to what actions of his it was owing that he was called a dog, he said, "Because I fawn upon those who give me anything, and bark at those who give me nothing, and bite the rogues."

Once, while he was sitting in the sun in the Craneum, Alexander was standing by, and said to him, "Ask any favour you choose of me." And he replied, " Cease to shade me from the sun."

References:

Diogenes Laertius: Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (1925) translated by R. D. Hicks (Loeb Classical Library); Juvenal and Persius (1940) translated by G. G. Ramsay (Loeb Classical Library); J. W. Waterhouse (2002) by Peter Trippi. [Best source in Internet: Perseus]

Diogenes Laërtius, The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, trans. C.D. Yonge (London: George Bell & Sons, 1895) [Public Domain]. Scanned by: John Coker, University of Southern Alabama , jcoker at usouthal dot edu

Diógenes de Sinope

La figura de Diógenes enseguida pasó a ser una leyenda de provocación y la imagen del sabio cínico por excelencia, de aspecto descuidado, burlón y sarcástico.

Desde sus comienzos en Atenas mostró un carácter apasionado, llegando Platón a decir de él, que era un Sócrates que había enloquecido. Pone en práctica de una manera radical las teorías de su maestro Antístenes. Lleva al extremo la libertad de palabra, su dedicación es criticar y denunciar todo aquello que limita al hombre, en particular las instituciones. Propone una nueva valoración frente a la valoración tradicional y se enfrenta constantemente a las normas sociales. Se considera cosmopolita, es decir, ciudadano del mundo, en cualquier parte se encuentra el cínico como en su casa y reconoce esto mismo en los demás, por tanto en mundo es de todos.

La leyenda cuenta que se deshizo de todo lo que no era indispensable, incluso abandonó su escudilla cuando vio que un muchacho bebía agua en el hueco de las manos.

Su muerte, como no podía ser de otra manera, también es motivo de anécdotas. Según algunos murió por su propia voluntad, suicidándose mediante la "contención del aliento", dueño de su destino y del momento de su muerte. Según otros murió de las mordeduras de un perro, esta vez de los de cuatro patas o de una indigestión por comer pulpo crudo.

Fuente: Cínicos. En las fronteras de la filosofía.

A Socrates Gone Mad - Diogenes, the dog.

The people of ancient Greece knew the philosopher Diogenes by many nick names. Plato called Diogenes "a Socrates gone mad". Most often the Greeks called Diogenes "the dog". The Greek word for dog was "cynic". In fact, Diogenes teacher Antisthenes - pupil of Socrates - founded the Greek school of cynicism, and Diogenes was and is the most notorious cynic.

Diogenes became the pupil of Antisthenes and rapidly surpassed his master both in reputation and in the austerity of his life. Unlike the other citizens of Athens, Diogenes avoided earthly pleasures. His attitude was grounded in his great disdain for what he perceived as the folly, vanity, pretence, self-deception, social climbing, and artificiality of much human conduct.

Diogenes said:

"I am Diogenes the Dog. I nuzzle the kind, bark at the greedy and bite scoundrels."

Source: Scott Hughes, Poverty & Hunger Blog.

Hipparchia (fl. 300 BCE)

Hipparchia is notable for being one of the few women philosophers of Ancient Greece. Drawn to the doctrines and the self-imposed hardships of the Cynic lifestyle, Hipparchia lived in poverty with her husband, Crates the Cynic. While no existing writings are directly attributed to Hipparchia, recorded anecdotal accounts emphasize both her direct, Cynic rhetoric and her nonconformity to traditional gendered roles. Entering into marriage is a traditional social role that Cynics would normally reject; yet with her marriage to Crates, Hipparchia raised Greek cultural expectations regarding the role of women in marriage, as well as the Cynic doctrine itself. With her husband, Hipparchia publicly embodied fundamental Cynic principles, specifically that the path toward virtue was the result of rational actors living in accordance with a natural law that eschewed conventional materialism and embraced both self-sufficiency and mental asperity. Written accounts of Hipparchia's life reference in particular both her belief in human shamelessness or anaideia, and her rhetorical acuity at Greek symposiums traditionally attended only by men. Along with Crates, Hipparchia is considered a direct influence on the later school of Stoicism. Source: [Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]

Diogenes, the dog

Diogenes, in Η Φιλοσοφική Σχολή της Αθήνας του Ραφαήλ Σάντσιο ( 5.77 m * 8.14 m ), painted by the 27 year old Raffaelo Sanzio , 1508 - 1511


And I," said he, "am Diogenes the dog." And when he was asked to what actions of his it was owing that he was called a dog, he said, "Because I fawn upon those who give me anything, and bark at those who give me nothing, and bite the rogues." Diogenes Laertios, Life of Diogenes

Diogenes of Sinope (412-323 BC), a cynic philosopher, a student of Antisthenes, who lived in Corinth. His father Icesias was a banker. With his “beggar” cup, lying deep in thought on the steps; this is a finely conceived figure which deserves high praise for its beauty and the appropriate negligence of its clothing. Diogenes is seen alone, set apart: [...] a cynic in his expression, in his bearing, in his attitude. What is he reading? Diogenes, a philosopher, lived in a big barrel, instead of the traditional house. He spent his nights wandering from house to house with a lantern, knocking on peoples' doors to find out if there was "an honest human inside." With his audacious intrusion in peoples' private affairs, he meant to show them that no honest person could be found anywhere in his city. When Alexander the Great went to meet him, he found him sitting in front of his barrel, facing the sun. As a great admirer of Diogenes, Alexander then asked him if there is anything he could give him, which today might be equivalent to being asked whether you would like to win the lottery. Diogenes thought for a while, and then asked politely if the Great King could simply... step aside, because by standing over him with his horse, he was hiding the sun from his face. This answer so impressed Alexander, that he exclaimed that if he were not Alexander, he would have liked to be Diogenes.

Source: Michael Lahanas, The School of Athens.

Cynic Philosophers - Διογένης ὁ Σινωπεύς (Diogenes of Sinope)

Diogenes sculpture, H: 54.6 cm., Roman copy of a Hellenistic original. Villa Albani, Rome.



Diogenes the Cynic, Greek philosopher, was born in Sinope (modern day Sinop, Turkey) about 412 BC (according to other sources 404 BC), and died in 323 BC, at Corinth. Details of his life come in the form of anecdotes (chreia), especially from Diogenes Laërtius, in his book Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers.

Diogenes of Sinope was exiled from his native city and moved to Athens, where he is said to have become a disciple of Antisthenes, the former pupil of Socrates. Diogenes, a beggar who made his home in the streets of Athens, made a virtue of extreme poverty. He is said to have lived in a large tub, rather than a house, and to have walked through the streets carrying a lantern in the daytime, claiming to be looking for an honest man, but unable to find one. He eventually settled in Corinth where he continued to pursue the Cynic ideal of self-sufficiency: a life which was natural and not dependent upon the luxuries of civilization. Believing that virtue was better revealed in action and not theory, his life was a relentless campaign to debunk the social values and institutions of what he saw as a corrupt society.

Source: Wikipedia - Category: Cynic Philosophers