Greek philosophical sect that flourished from the 4th century BC to the 6th century AD.
Antisthenes (с 445–365 BC), a disciple of Socrates , is considered the founder of the movement, but Diogenes of Sinope was its paradigm. Named principally for their meeting place, the Cynosarges, the Cynics considered virtue
including a life of poverty and self-sufficiency and the suppression of desires
to be the sole good, but they were distinguished more for their unconventional manners and way of life than for any system of thought. The Cynics influenced the development of Stoicism .