# Diogenes the Cynic, Fount of Perfect Knowledge **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 20, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534 "2005-09-20T14:37:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534/281 "2005-09-23T01:53:55Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Heavy demands on my self-restraint. Is there a cookie? I don’t know, do you have them disabled? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534/282 "2005-09-23T16:14:14Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Oh fuck, I’m older than **Tamerlane**. > Move over. > > Regards, > Shodan I, um, realize I shouldn’t laugh at someone else’s pain. That doing so makes me a bad person. That said, Shodan, I’m sorry. I laughed. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534/283 "2005-09-23T16:21:56Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > So while the law doesn’t exactly demand a year in life sciences, I expect what has happened is given the wording above, some individual districts have mandated one year of biological sciences/biology as a local standard. That may have been the case at my school and may explain the difference between my experience ( if I’m remembering it correctly ) and **SisterCoyote** ’s. Yes, while I was trying to find that info originally, I looked at a few web sites from some school districts in the SF area and they did require one of the courses to be in the “life sciences”, which I assume would mean Biology. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534/284 "2005-09-23T16:59:27Z")
> [@SisterCoyote](#): > > I, um, realize I shouldn’t laugh at someone else’s pain. That doing so makes me a bad person. > > That said, Shodan, I’m sorry. > > I laughed. Oh yeah? Well, um - er - What were we talking about again? _Looks around_ - Hey! You kids get off my lawn! Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534/285 "2005-09-24T02:40:56Z")
I don’t think that I would call **DtC** self-righteous. He’s just insistent that he’s right. And we _all_ think we’re right. **DtC’s** forte is that he knows a hell of a lot of things. Very well educated. So he _is_ often factually right. But he sometimes misunderstands what that means. He doesn’t recognize his limits – or at least he doesn’t own up to them (which is much more likely the case). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534/286 "2005-09-24T03:55:34Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > I don’t think that I would call **DtC** self-righteous.\ > > But he sometimes misunderstands what that means. He doesn’t **recognize his limits** (bolding by JCoM) – or at least he doesn’t own up to them (which is much more likely the case). Clint Eastwood:“A man’s got to know his limitations”. My own corollary would be that a man must be capable of maintaining rational thought. **DtC** fails these tests more often than not. If anyone needs a cite, read his posts in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2005, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534/287 "2005-09-24T07:09:47Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > I don’t think that I would call **DtC** self-righteous. > > He’s just insistent that he’s right. > > And we _all_ think we’re right. > > **DtC’s** forte is that he knows a hell of a lot of things. Very well educated. So he _is_ often factually right. > > But he sometimes misunderstands what that means. He doesn’t recognize his limits – or at least he doesn’t own up to them (which is much more likely the case). I’m pretty sure his factual assertions aren’t most of the problem. Not that I’m an alert or cognizant enough person to speak regarding **DtC** ’s overall behaviors (I don’t actually stalk him. Should I?) but I think that the primarly problem is that **DtC** apparently on occasion declares that his _opinions_ are absolute truth or unassailably best. To me this sounds like he just gets overenthusiastic, but apparently there are those who dislike the implication that their (conflicting) opinions are being unfairly dismissed or rejected without trial, and apparently they find this effect to be irritating. This thread, seemingly, is the reaction. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diogenes-the-cynic-fount-of-perfect-knowledge/322534.md?page=14)