of Plato), were an intentionally odd lot. They sought freedom both from convention and compulsion. They often deliberately violated the norms of decent people, showing by their lives that the codes and norms that regulated every action and pursuit of the majority of people were not absolutes; they were not even necessary and were the equivalent of slavery. Cynics were known for complete openness of speech, even an obnoxious style of reviling people for their dependence on reputation, property or