Diogenes is totally awesome. If you are unfamiliar with the man, you should get acquainted…like right now.

This comic is not really under the general theme of monsters and mythology but Diogenes has become an almost legendary character of the ancient world. There are so many quotes and anecdotes about him, each more ridiculous than the last. The man lived in a tub in Athens, harassed young fops, and ridiculed Plato and other thinkers as often as he could. Part comedian, part philosopher, Diogenes  clearly shook up the thoughts and minds of his contemporaries; something we could really use more of today. He was a think-outside-the-box sort of guy, always ready with a quick and often sarcastic retort. His rivalry with Plato was the stuff of legend. For example: when asked to define a human being, Plato replied “A featherless biped.” Diogenes went out and grabbed a fowl of some sort, plucked it, walked back into the forum, held it up for all to see, and declared, “Behold! A human being!”

There are other instances of this sort of thing. Diogenes was, essentially, a philosophical stuntman, the intellectual Evil-Kenevil of his day, and as such, he is easily my favourite historical figure.