Tao Te Ching
Antisthenes
445 – 365 BCE
Creator of a religious tradition without religion
Founder of the “Cynic” philosophy (named after the place he taught, Dogfish), student of Socrates and with him when he died, plagiarized by Plato, and teacher to Diogenes who made his teachings famous creating a “religious order without religion;” Antisthenes taught that the wise follow the sense and not the words, virtue instead of laws, insight instead of memes. Criticizing belief in universals, he questioned taking fame, fortune, pleasure and power as life priorities and modeled the value of a simple life in harmony with nature setting the stage for the early Christian ascetics. Dressing in the most common and worn clothes, he refused any pay for his teachings and preferred poor students.
Lineages
Apostles of Doubt Cynicism Greek
Eras
Western
Egyptian Civilization (3150 – 305 BCE)Greek Civilization (480 – 146 BCE)
The Axial Age, “The Great Leap of Being” (800 – 200 BCE)
Unlisted Sources
Quotes by Antisthenes (8 quotes)
“I do not possess in order not to be possessed.”
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“Not to unlearn what you have learned is the most necessary kind of learning.”
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“The most useful piece of learning for the uses of life is to unlearn what is untrue.”
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“It is better to fall in with crows than with flatterers; for in the one case you are devoured when dead, in the other case while alive.”
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“As iron is eaten away by rust, so the envious are consumed by their own passion.”
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“There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself - an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly.”
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“There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself - an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly.”
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“Pay attention to your enemies, for they are the first to discover your mistakes.”
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