Abstract
AbstractWe use the term “cynic” today to describe a person who manifests a jaded pessimism toward life and a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others, but the “Cynics” as historical figures bear little resemblance to this description. The original Cynics were a loosely affiliated group of Greeks of the fourth and third centuriesbcewho pursued a radical version of the philosophical life. They rejected intellectual culture in favor of itinerant poverty, emphasized rigorous self‐training over principled beliefs, and cultivated often shocking forms of exhibitionism designed to call attention to the folly of human institutions.