Is Ecology Absurd? Diogenes and the End of Civilization

Abstract

This chapter proposes to unravel the many ecological underpinnings of Diogenes of Sinope’s Cynicism. Perhaps thinking cynically about climate change requires going back to Ancient Cynicism in general, and Diogenes of Sinope in particular; within the argument of this volume, this chapter explores the resurgence of Diogenes and the particular tone of the works of François Rabelais and Michel Montaigne. It makes a convincing case for reading both of these authors less as polar opposites and more as thinkers of the ecological shift in early modern France.