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I (self-servingly) don't think that cynicism is bad, nor that it would be a good idea to pathologize what is simply a healthy defense to a hostile reality. It
by hypfer 1mo ago
I (self-servingly) don't think that cynicism is bad, nor that it would be a good idea to pathologize what is simply a healthy defense to a hostile reality.
It depends on how you wield it.
Cynicism shouldn't cloud your judgement. That's the actually correct point you wanted to make, I think.
- s1artibartfast 1mo agoCynicism is a negatively biased view of the world. People should strive for accuracy. Sometimes accurate is also harsh, but that is different. Maybe this is the same thing you intended by saying it shouldn't Cloud your judgment.
- hypfer 1mo agoYeah, probably. It doesn't help that the clinical meaning and the colloquial meaning of the word are different, with the latter being used by people to hit you over the head with, pretending that it would be the former.
- s1artibartfast 1mo agoWhat are the two?
- hypfer 1mo ago> Cynicism is a negatively biased view of the world Is what you said. The clinical thing. > You're just being cynical Is cognitive dissonance forcing its way out of the mouths of people to shoot the messenger.
- s1artibartfast 1mo agoMaybe I'm being slow, but I still dont get the difference. Isn't the 2nd the same as the first? Isn't the first a product of generator of cognative dissonance? Doubling down on beliefs that pay rent, even when it doesn't fit?
- hypfer 1mo agoYeah tbh my sea lion warning light turned on on the first reply. Right now it is flashing, so I will pull over and call AAA
- s1artibartfast 1mo agoToo bad, I was genuinely curious about how you viewed cynicism, and thought I was being clear and polite in my questions. Self-deprecating even. I think your reaction is rather ironic given the context. An example of how people can't even talk to each other anymore.
- hypfer 1mo agoYes, yes. Truly a shame. Any other interesting thoughts worth sharing from your side?
- card_zero 1mo agoThere's Diogenes, the original cynic with a dog's lifestyle, and there's the Diogenes Club in Sherlock Holmes. In this classical context it's about being unconventional and challenging (challengingly silent, even). You can say "that's just skepticism" but it comes with a certain sulky refusenik flavor, and yet it's defensible as a form of individualism, and presumably positive, at least because it's one form of diversity and critical thought.
- s1artibartfast 1mo agoThat is really interesting! I will have to look it up and read more.
- deleted 1mo ago[deleted]
- AlexB138 1mo agoI tend to agree. The quote "It is no measure of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society" embodies it well. I don't think cynicism is the correct approach though. It's possible to accept that circumstances are unhealthy without internalizing general negativity. It's just hard. I suspect you and I, and OP, are all agreeing with each other on this point.
- stillpointlab 1mo agoI try not to think in black/white, good/evil kinds of terms. I think of forces and dynamic systems. There appears to be some force that promotes one particular way of thinking, perhaps the inevitable consequence of accumulated experiences. In the case of cynicism, the balance tends to shift towards one side of a scale over time. Without a countervailing force on the other side it can tip a normally balanced system out of stable equilibrium. My point is explicitly: the world provides the force in one direction, and the individual must provide the force in the other.
- airstrike 1mo agoI think we shouldn't be quick to label criticism of such current systems as cynicism