Diogenes of ancient Greece was a famous, intelligent, and controversial Greek philosopher who spent much of his life in Athens attempting to prove that beauty is rational and that the most beautiful things in the world are produced by the hands of human hands. Many of his essays, dialogues, and other writings are written on his philosophy of practical reason; that is, the ability to properly apply basic axioms, theories, and truths based upon adequate evidence in order to reach an unbiased conclusion about any given issue. In light of his work in this area, it seems that Diogenes of old was searching for an honest man to light the way for humanity through his penetrating intellect.
In his play, Theban, one of the tragedies of Plato’s time, Diogenes states, “This city of yours, I say, is afflicted with a curse that has driven a man to death and to die a thousand deaths; for the citizens have stoned a man to death because of something that he did not do when he was alive.” Plutarch relates that, when theban Paris was being escorted by Socrates and his disciples through the city, the citizens would ambush them and kill them. Theban Paris fled to Lacedaemon, where his murder remains one of the most notorious cases of philosophical murder ever committed in the history of the Mediterranean world. Diogenes undoubtedly understood the nature and reasoning of this crime and its impact on the human species; he was certainly aware of the fact that his city was suffering beneath the yoke of servitude to the Persian Empire.
Theban Aristotle gives deep significance to Diogenes’ search for the “honest man.” In his dialogue, Terence, Socrates’ most renowned student, paraphrases the famous line by Aristophanes: “To seek out the true is the wisest of all actions.” In light of the many ways in which philosophy has been corrupted in the wake of the Enlightened age, perhaps the wisest thing a person could do today is to search out the truth in a personal way. The path to happiness is far removed from the path of righteousness, virtue, goodness, justice, virtue, and virtue. In a world where virtue are things of the past, it may be worth looking for the good in an honest man.