Dry Reference

Cynicism defined itself — or rather, was defined — as ‘a shortcut to virtue’ as opposed to the long road, which passed through laborious textual study and the acquisition of theoretical knowledge. But this ‘shortcut’ was arduous and difficult, for it required the application of a demanding method: askésis (‘exercise,’ ‘practice,’ ‘training,’ ‘discipline’).

Understood in the Cynic sense of the term, askésis was intended as a preventive method. Every day, the Cynic trains the self physically in the arts of endurance; the daily exercise of the will causes fear to dissipate, since the practicing Cynic is constantly fortifying the self against unforeseen misfortunes.

The concept of ‘discipline’ (askésis), borrowed from the vocabulary of athletics, was not used by the Cynics only in a metaphorical sense. Like the athlete’s, the philosopher’s ‘discipline’ (askésis) was wholly concrete. The only difference resided in the telos of his training: while the athlete trained his body with a view to victory in the stadium, the Cynic trained it in order to strengthen his will and to ensure his capacity for endurance…

Diogenes trained himself to fight against such existential adversaries as exile, poverty, hunger, and death. For him, this was the only battle worth winning. Whereas civilized existence represents these trials (ponoi) as evils, the Cynic sought to endure them precisely by refusing to consider them evil. In order to acquire this state of mind, the Cynics exhorted themselves and others to practice a life in accordance with nature (kata phusin). Someone ‘trained’ to drink water, sleep on the ground, eat and dress simply, and put up with the heat or cold of the seasons will know how to respond with serenity when Fortune attacks. The law of Cynic askésis was simple: it consisted of living in poverty and satisfying only one’s natural needs — ‘the tuition-free way to learn philosophy.’ In this way, the Cynic sought freedom from emotional turmoil (apatheia) and independence from the outside world.