Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
How to Say No: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Cynicism

How to Say No: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Cynicism

Diogenes
Usher, M. D.
Usher, M. D.

Hardcover

Series: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers

PhilosophySelf-Help

Publisher Price: $18.95

ISBN10: 0691229856
ISBN13: 9780691229850
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: Oct 18 2022
Pages: 248
Weight: 0.66
Height: 1.10 Width: 4.50 Depth: 6.80
Language: English

An entertaining and enlightening collection of ancient writings about the philosophers who advocated simple living and rejected unthinking conformity

The Cynics were ancient Greek philosophers who stood athwart the flood of society's material excess, unexamined conventions, and even norms of politeness and thundered No! Diogenes, the most famous Cynic, wasn't shy about literally extending his middle finger to the world, expressing mock surprise that most people go crazy over a finger. When asked why he was called Diogenes the Dog, he replied because I fawn on those who give, I bark at those who don't, and I bite scoundrels. How to Say No is a delightful collection of brief ancient writings about Cynicism that captures all the outrageousness, wit, and wisdom of its remarkable cast of characters--from Diogenes in the fourth century BCE to the column-stander Symeon Stylites in late antiquity.

With their less is more approach to life, the Cynics speak urgently to our world of climate change, economic uncertainty, and psychic malaise. Although the Cynics weren't writers, their memorable utterances and behavior were recorded by their admirers and detractors, and M. D. Usher offers fresh new translations of appealing selections from this body of writing--ranging from street sermons and repartee to biography and snapshots of Cynics in action.

Complete with introductions to the volume and each selection as well as the original Greek and Latin on facing pages, this lively book demonstrates why the Cynics still retain their power to surprise us and make us laugh--and to make us think and question how we live.

2 different editions

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