• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• no.123
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• pp.61-89
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• 2018

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the reception of Cynicism by Julian, the emperor and Neoplatonist of the late Roman Empire. Julian attempts to restore true Cynicism, while chiding decadent contemporary Cynics. To this end, he idealizes Diogenes as an example of the true Cynic. The main attention is paid to the way in which Julian idealizes Diogenes. First, we introduce the basic features of Cynicism with a focus on the figure of Diogenes. Although Diogenes inherited the ethics of happiness from Socrates and presented the Cynic practices encapsulating - freedom from social customs, self-sufficiency as opposed to vanity and greed, and asceticism - as a shortcut to happiness, he was called a 'Socrates gone mad', owing to his unconventional and shameless words and deeds. Compared to this Diogenes, we try to discern the characteristics of the true Cynic described by Julian. The true Cynic for Julian is a rigorous ascetic like Diogenes, but a Diogenes knowing shame (aidos). He is an intelligent examiner of the opinion of the people like Socrates. However, he is a free man not enslaved to a particular state, but a pious philosopher who defends the divine moral law of the cosmopolis. In the end, it is shown that Julian embraces Cynicism in so far as it can be integrated into Socrates' rationalist moral tradition. We conclude with a brief reflection on the significance of Julian's reception of Cynicism from the perspective of his attempt to unify ancient philosophical traditions in order to protect Hellenism against Christianity.