Cynics

Cynics, a school of Greek philosophers founded at Athens by Antisthenes in 444 B.C. Antisthenes was a follower of Socrates, and endeavoured to follow out his principles. Among his tenets were the principles that virtue should be the chief end of man, and that man should be independent of outward circumstances. Some of the sect carried this latter idea so far as to despise all opinions of others, and disregard all conventionalities and even decencies of life. It is doubtful whether their name was derived from their dog-like disregard of conventionality, or from the original place of their meetings. Diogenes of Sinope, the Cynic, and his tub are well-known to all.