Like most people who bother thinking you’ve probably been wondering when it is appropriate for a famous philosopher to urinate on a dinner guest. The answer is, of course, it depends, at least as demonstrated by the Athenian philosopher Diogenes (c. 412-c. 323 BC)
Diogenes was once invited to dinner by a wealthy man. During the evening, one of the guests became so outraged by Diogenes’ general behaviour that he began to throw bones at him, calling him a “dog.” Whereupon Diogenes got up, went to the guest, cocked up his leg and urinated on him.
But what we still long to know is, when is this an appropriate response to a politician at the dinner table?
