Looking for Wisdom Living the Life of a Dog with Diogenes the Cynic Image: Diogenes by Jean-Léon Gérôme. Public Domain. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. Diogenes was the original drop-out philosopher. A fierce critic of the hypocrisy of society, he chose instead to live in accord with nature. Life Diogenes — also known as the Dog — was a native of the state of Sinope on the Black Sea coast. He was..