Lesche: Ancient Greece, New Ideas
In Greek antiquity a lesche (λέσχη) was a spot to hang out and chat. Here Brown University professor Johanna Hanink hosts conversations with fellow Hellenists about their latest work in the field.
Lesche: Ancient Greece, New Ideas
The Life (and Times) of Diogenes 'the Cynic'
Inger Kuin joins me in the Lesche to discuss her new book Diogenes: The Rebellious Life and Revolutionary Philosophy of the Original Cynic (Basic Books 2025).
Ancient sources
- Aristotle, Politics 1.3-7 (on 'natural' slavery)
- Diogenes Laertius, 2.6, Life of Diogenes
- Plutarch, Life of Alexander 14 (on the 'get out of my sun' episode)
- Xenophon, Anabasis 5-6 (on Sinope, Diogenes' birthplace)
- Other Diogenes testimonia from a variety of sources
For an accessible English-language collection of testimonia for Diogenes, see Robert Dobbin's The Cynic Philosophers, from Diogenes to Julian (Penguin Classics, 2012).
About our guest
Inger Kuin is a researcher, writer, and teacher focused on the intellectual history of ancient Greece and Rome. She is Associate Professor of Classics General Faculty at the University of Virginia. Originally from The Netherlands, she splits her time between Charlottesville (VA) and Rotterdam, and publishes both in English and in Dutch.
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Thanks for joining us in the Lesche!
Podcast art: Daniel Blanco
Theme music: "The Song of Seikilos," recomposed by Eftychia Christodoulou using Sibelius
This podcast is made possible with the generous support of Brown University’s Department of Classical Studies and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study.
Instagram: @leschepodcast
Email: leschepodcast@gmail.com
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