Please share your understanding of these two sentences in paragraph 17and try to analyze their correlation: (1) “If I were not Alexander, I should be Diogenes.” (2) “...of all men then alive in the world only Alexander the conqueror and Diogenes the beggar were free."
As a monarch, Alexander's duty was to defend his country, govern his people, and consolidate his rule. His mission is to "guide." He pushed for a change in social climate. As a great philosopher, Diogenes satirizes the bad atmosphere in society with his striking words and deeds, in order to achieve a similar purpose as Alexander. His mission is to "push." Both of them are deeply aware of their own tasks and goals, and are not swayed by any external factors, so they are the only free people in the world.
(1) Because Alexander and Diogenes were both philosophers and they were both cynics, it is precisely because of the similarity that they say so.
(2) The conqueror, such as Alexander, has supreme power, for whom there is no limit in the world. The figure of a beggar like Diogenes has nothing, nothing to take care of, so for such people, there is nothing to limit them. So they are free.
(1)They have the similar goal is to change human values, although they were totally two different people. If Alexander were not the king of Macedon, the conqueror of Greece. He would rather choose to live naturally, simply and without social conventions.
(2)Alexander was free from material. Though he was a king owned everything, he did not lost the true value. Diogenes was free from spirit, he didn't have the power, money and so on, but he possess the nature lifestyle.
1.They represent two different kinds of people.As a king, Alexander had power, wealth, wisdom and many other things, which were achieved by his hard work. I think Alexander represents the person who constantly worked and finally succeeded; Diogenes was a philosopher. He is very free. He doesn't want any power and wealth, but wants a simple life. He represents people who don't pursue fame and wealth, but yearn for freedom.
2.Alexander had a lot of power and wealth, and as a king, he could do whatever he wanted; Diogenes was a beggar, he had nothing, lived an non-material life, and had nothing to care about.
As the conqueror of Greece, the Macedonian king, Alexander had the supreme power, so he was free. For Diogenes, he was a beggar, a missionary, a philosopher, he knew the real life is simple and free, he did not need external things, so he was also free.
Diogenes taught his students in a particular way to show people what real life was, so his life's aim was clear. Alexander knew the shapes and uses of political power, he knew his duty was to rule the country and and serve the citizen, he also had his goal. When Alexander said that word, he apperciate Diogenes for his independent mind and both of them thought they were 'citizen of the world'.
(1)Alexander says that if I were not Alexander I would be Diogenes, which means that Alexander thinks that the spirit of the two people is the same but he is the emperor, and Diogenes is more liberal.
(2)Alexander is the emperor and he has almost everything and Diogenes has none of that only his doctrine
1.First of all, this sentence shows Alexander's praise for Diogenes's life. Alexander and Diogenes were philosophers, they both had their own thoughts. Secondly, Alexander and Diogenes both hoped to change people through their own practices. Alexander was a king, he wanted to use his power to rule a country and changed people's lives. While Diogenes had nothing, he wanted to spread his ideas to change people's minds.
2.Alexander was a king, he had absolute rights. So he was free. Diogenes has nothing, he is not troubled by material possessions. So he is also free. At the same time, they were free in spirit , and they all shared the same goal of changing people's minds.
1.Alexander, with all his power, believed that what he could do must be what Diogenes desired, because power, in his view, was omnipotent. Diogenes, on the other hand, wanted nothing, all he needed was sunshine.
2.First of all, the freedom of Alexander and Diogenes is mainly due to the differences in their environment and background. Alexander was the resourceful king of ancient Macedon, who in just 13 years as king of Macedon built up a vast empire with Babylon as its capital. Diogenes, on the other hand, was an ancient Greek philosopher who advocated a simple lifestyle and rejected the material comforts of civilized society. Secondly, their freedom is expressed in the pursuit of life style. Alexander sought to build his empire on a vast territory and realize his ambitions; Diogenis, on the other hand, pursued a way of life beyond the secular and back to nature. He refused to accept the material enjoyment of civilized society, chose the philosophical thought of cynicism school, and lived a poor and simple life. This statement may be an expression of a philosophical idea or concept of life, that only Alexander and Diogenes are free in this world.
1.Alexander was not only a monarch, but also a great thinker. His duty or mission was not limited to the conquest of land, but to the reconstruction of the new environment in his own way. Diogenes was not representative of the people. His ministry is simple and strives to apply his teachings or power to those who are willing to change.
2.It seems to me that both Alexander and Diogenes yearn for freedom. People who really live in this world must have their independence, which is called spiritual freedom. They have absolute power in different directions. From Alexander's point of view, he had unprecedented power to know what was wrong and what was right, and so did Diogenes.
1. Alexander agrees with Diogenes. Both Alexander and Diogenes aim to change people's minds. Alexander used his power and status, and Diogenes used his words and deeds to spread cynicism and change people's minds. The essence of the two minds is the same.
2.Alexander has absolute power and wealth, Diogenes is indifferent to material conditions and the opinions of others.Their minds are also free. Both men see themselves as citizens of the world, independent of their own minds, and both want to change people's lives and minds.
(1)Because Alexander and Diogenes have different positions, they both have similar character traits, they know their goals and pursuits, and they are working towards their goals.
(2)Alexander had power, Diogenes had the courage to pursue the truth he wanted, they were both free.
1. The first sentence said that Alexander and Diogenes are very different people, but they are both cynics. Diogenes is free, so Alexander would choose to pursue an independent and free life like Diogenes.
2.The second sentence said that they are in different positions.Alexander have money,power but look forward to live in Diogene's life which is free.
1. They both are good people.They had strong power to help the human beings not only to achieve their own goals.Different people have different positions, which make them view things from different perspectives, but they are all citizens of the world and have their own pursuits.
2.Alexander was the conquerorof Greece, the Macedonian king,he has infinite power and leads a prosperous life. But Diogenes was free because he just a begger, he had no power , so they are difficult.
1.There are some similarities between Alexander and Diogenes.Firstly, they are great thinkers. Secondly,they both have life aims.Thirdly, they are both"citizens of the world",admiring the heroic figure of Hercules,who labored for mankind.
2.Alexander and Diogenes were both free under different practical circumstances. As king Alexander, he had unlimited wealth and power. So he's free. Diogenes is free because he is not bound by the world.
They are the same in some ways. Not everyone can be Alexander, but everyone can be Diogenes.
(1) The statement seems paradoxical because of the disparity in status between Alexander and Diogenes. However, Alexander was self-disciplined, knightly and resourceful. He could make all things he possessed under control, rather than things possess him, which is the same as Diogenes. Diogenes lived a natural life which was away from social conventions and brought him freedom.
(2) Diogenes was free from social conventions, unnecessary possessions, power etc., so he was free. On the contrary, Alexander felt free to use his power even did anything he wanted to do as he was the monarch of the realm, so Alexander was free too.
(1)They are all cynics. It's just that their paths are different. They are both rulers and philosophers, and they have different ways of influencing their people or those around them. They have clear goals to change people and make them better.
(2)They all consider the future of human society, but others only consider whether their own lives are happy or not, rather than long-term plans. They are immersed in a material society and may not pursue spiritual advancement.
1.If he can't be the emperor who conquers the world, he can be a free philosopher who lives in the sun.
2.At that time, people's thoughts were confined, and only Alexander, as a ruler, was in a leading position and was free; Diogenes, as the founder of cynicism, was close to nature, thought freely, and was not influenced by the outside world, so he was also free.
In Greece at that time, if you wanted to be a free man, not bound by the outside world, you couldn't be Alexander, you had to be Diogenes.
I think when Alexander says that if he were not Alexander, he would be Diogenes, the reason is that both Alexander and Diogenes spread their ideas, and there is a certain similarity in their aims, but people say that Alexander is not free, because as a king, he needs to consolidate his rule for the sake of his people, He has many things to worry about, but Diogenes is different, he is not bound by status, he can act as he wants, so people will say that Diogenes is free.
Although Diogenes and Alexander, one a lowly beggar, the other a noble conqueror, both wanted to achieve the same ultimate goal, Alexander could understand Diogenes' cynicism, he said, "If I were not Alexander, I should be Diogenes." It is to bring himself into Diogenes' perspective, to express his recognition and respect for Diogenes. These two men have their own lofty and lofty goals, and the other people at the time have a fundamental difference, only they are two people for their own yearning for the future struggle.
Diogenes is the most famous exponent of cynicism. He refused to accept all social conventions. He despised all those who spent their time in the pursuit of fame and power. Diogenes believed that man should return to nature, follow nature, suppress all man-made desires, and temper himself with a simple life. Only in this way can man have personal freedom of mind. Alexander was a king and a philosopher. Inspired by the teachings of his teacher Aristotle, he has his own thinking about philosophy, is tolerant of new things, and can control his desires well. He stood at the top of the world at that time, and everything was under his control. He is not bothered by ordinary things, he can think freely.
1.Alexander is a conqueror, Lord of the world, and therefore free. It expresses Alexander's yearning for the simple and free life style of Diogenes, his reflection on material and power, and his pursuit of spiritual freedom and inner satisfaction.
2. Alexander's freedom lay in the fact that he was a great conqueror. He built an empire and united the Greek cities with great success. He possessed supreme position and unrivalled power and wealth, and was therefore free. The freedom of Diogenes is due to the abandonment of material desire and the pursuit of inner freedom, and the realization of a kind of spiritual liberation and satisfaction.
1.Both Alexander and Diogenes had similar goals. As King of Macedon, Alexander's goal was to lead his people to become stronger, to live a better life, to lead people in a better direction. Diogenes also hopes to change people's thinking through his own ideas, so that people can live a simple, free and beautiful life. Both men had high ideals, and both were very responsible, which is why they said, "If I were not Alexander, I should be Diogenes."
2.Diogenes' cynicism advocated a free and simple life, and Diogenes used his own actions to promote his doctrine. And he has clear goals, not for unnecessary money, possessions, etc. Alexander, as king of Macedon, possessed countless possessions, enjoyed the support of the people, did not need to be controlled by meaningless things, and he had a clear purpose in life. So only Alexander and Diogenes are free.
1. In my opinion, Alexander was the king of Macedonia, and he needed to protect his people with military conquest and expansion, while Diogenes was a beggar who changed people's wrong values and spread the true values.
2. Freedom is not only freedom from bondage, but also inner freedom. Alexander gained freedom by conquering the world, while Diogenes pursued inner freedom by giving up material life.
1.Alexander says that if I were not Alexander I would be Diogenes.Alexander was the monarch of the Greek city-state, with power, wealth, wisdom and much more. Although Diogenes looks like a beggar, they all want to change people's values.
2.Alexander believed that only he and Diogenes had spiritual freedom.
The first sentence shows Alexander's high sympathy for Diogenes' adherence to cynicism, but he carried with him the responsibility and ambition of a king, so that when he was not Alexander, he was Diogenes.
The second sentence: Alexander had supreme power as king, he had the freedom to do whatever he wanted, to decide whatever he wanted. Diogenes advocated returning to nature, being free from worldly constraints and having freedom. So Alexander and Diogenes was free.
1.Diogenes had a leisurely life, which in itself was meaningful, and because his cynicism freed him from all the constraints of the outside world. And Alexander, because of his status, has a special social responsibility, he can't be like Diogenes to abandon everything outside of his body and live as he wants.
2.Diogenes had detached himself from the material society, completely disregarding society's norms of man, and lived according to his own creed without being constrained. Alexander had supreme power to reshape the rules of society, equally untethered.
(1).As a Macedonian king, Alexander had mighty power and high social status, meanwhile he learnt philosophy from his teacher Aristotle. Alexander could understand Cynicism and called himself as a citizen of the world. Alexander and Diogenes both admired Hercules and advocated labor which meant that they had the same opinions to some degree.
(2).Alexander had absolute power which meant that he had freedom to do anything. Alexander got the material freedom.
But Diogenes had no need for power which meant that he got the spiritual freedom.
First sentence:Alexander was a monarch,a man of the hour,who had powerful strength to change the world.If he were a normal beggar like Diogenes who couldn’t have enough strength to change the world,he would not do anything but rebuild people’s minds.
Second sentence:Diogenes had a clear life aim which was natural and easy.He was free and had enough time to consider how to rebuild people’s minds and realized he was also a citizen of the world’s society.He wanted to do something to help human beings like the heroic figure of Hercules.However, Alexander was a magnificent commander also great monarch.He had his own armies and could easily rebuild or ruin a country.That powerful strength gave him many chances to made people free,and he also had a clear life aim.He also admired Hercules and realized he was a citizen of the world.They both were great thinkers.
(1)Alexander was the king of Macedon and the conqueror of Greece. He was the greatest man at that time and he also possessed the supreme power. So, I think Alexander can change people's material lives. However, Diogenes was a philosopher. He didn't possess the power, so he can change human's spiritual world. If Alexander were not Alexander, he should be Diogenes to change human's inner world.
(2)Alexander, the conqueror of Greece, has the mighty power, so he was free. Diogenes, a begger, didn't care about the power, so he was free too.