Diogenes the Cynic...an encyclopaediac work, a perceptive examination of philosophy. We should emulate the cynic, his lifestyle and shock the world by living "in accordance with his principles." On education..."the ultimate goal in the training of the youth is to prepare them to function as slaves in the work force; smoke in the world of ideas, where philosophers and ideologues mask their own deceptions in webs of complex concatenations of words and phrases that are unrelated to the real world; smoke,..." Written by L.E. Navia, Professor of philosophy and chair of the Social Sciences Department at the NY Institute of Technology, Humanity Books, 2005.

No other writer I know of combines the philosopher's clarity of vision with a novelist's grace and eloquence. In Diogenes the Cynic, Professor Navia rescues from undeserved obscurity one of the most eccentric yet influential thinkers in history. The book reads like a mystery, as Navia teases out the few known facts about Diogenes' life, and then reconstructs his abrasive yet utterly humane character, one worthy of emulation today, for this ancient philosopher, who lived in a tub, called himself a "dog" (the actual meaning of "cynic") and offended almost everyone, created the concept of Natural Law. This evolved (through the later influence of the Stoics) into our principles of human rights and civil liberties. Without Diogenes, modern Western society would be unrecognizable.
Navia demonstrates how Diogenes fearlessly opposed every injustice and corruption of his time, surviving to create many cornerstones of modern thought. Stripped of its modern connotation (as it should be) "cynicism" is revealed as one of the most progressive and enlightened philosophical movements in history. He should be living at this hour.
How, unlike Socrates, Diogenes escaped execution is one of the most fascinating subjects in this book. It is recommended for anyone seeking sane remedies for the ills of our severely troubled planet.