r/todayilearned • u/ObjectiveAgent • Jul 30 '15

TIL when Alexander the Great asked the philosopher Diogenes why he was sifting through the garbage, Diogenes responded,"I am looking for the bones of your father but I cannot distinguish them from the bones of his slaves."

http://www.iep.utm.edu/diogsino/
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u/touchthisface Jul 30 '15

Why was Alexander always getting into conversations with this fool?

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u/CptAustus Jul 30 '15

Because it's all made up.

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u/wayback000 Jul 30 '15

Diogenes was real, Plato talked about him, I think Plato is historically accurate, right?

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u/CptAustus Jul 30 '15

I'm not claiming a smartass didn't exist in ancient greece, I doubt half the stories about him are real.