Cynicism

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This article is mainly about the current understanding of the word cynicism. For information about the ancient Greek school of philosophy, see Cynic. For information about the band, see Cynic (band).

Cynicism (Greek κυνισμός) was originally the philosophy of a group of ancient Greeks called the Cynics, founded by Antisthenes.

Presently the word generally describes the opinions of individuals who maintain that self-interest is the primary motive of human behavior, and who are disinclined to rely on sincerity, human virtue, or altruism.

1 History of Cynicism
2 Modern Cynicism
3 Popularity of Cynicism in the Modern Era
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History of Cynicism

Cynicism was an ancient Greek philosophy, primarily concerned with virtue, whose followers were known as "The Dog Philosophers." They believed that virtue was the only necessity for happiness and that it was wholly sufficient for attaining happiness. They followed this philosophy to the extent of neglecting everything that did not further their perfection of virtue and their attainment of happiness. Thus the title cynics, from the Greek word for dog, kuon , was assigned to them because they lived like dogs; neglecting society, hygiene, family, money, etc. in order to lead wholly virtuous and happy lives ^[1]. This previous version of the history of cynicism is the prevailing one amongst neophytes and most traditional encyclopedias. But it is worth considering a different version carried along by non-traditional "mystery schools," which started with the school founded by Antisthenes ^{[citation needed]}. Antisthenes, the founder of the "Cynic school", understood by following the teachings of his master Socrates that the naked truth is unattainable. In other words, there is neither absolute truth nor intrinsic goodness in the universe. Therefore, the only thing we know is that we know nothing. Virtue or Goodness must be "achieved" because it "is Not granted".

This realization is painful and Antisthenes took it very seriously. He adhered to the ascetic dogma described above very strictly in order to achieve virtue. Because of their exceedingly strict lifestyle, Antisthenes and his followers were rejected and ridiculed by the majority of Greek society. They did not even escape ridicule by Socrates.

It was Diogenes, a disciple of Antisthenes, who later on came to the same realization. However, he reacted to his realization with humor and compassion instead. Upon seeing how ridiculous the "human situation" actually is said it was "like that one of a dog trying to catch his own tail"; Diogenes considered himself "enlightened".

After his enlightenment, Diogenes traveled around Greece almost naked and carrying nothing, just enjoying the warm weather, the sun and the beaches and gathering around him thousands of pilgrims who listened to his hilarious talks pregnant with sarcastic remarks about society and a sharp sense of humor. Even Alexander the Great on his way to his Asian campaigns came to him once. Diogenes offered him the advice of renouncing conquest. However, Alexander declined with a sense of "resignation", believing his destiny to be already written. Alexander died in 323 BC, in Babylon. When Diogenes died a "dog" (symbol of cynicism) was carved on his tombstone. The dog symbol has the "positive" hilarious connotation of the koan of "the dog trying to catch his own tail" (also symbolic of Diogenes "enlightenment") ; and not the "negative" or "pessimistic" one of "the angry dirty barking dogs" that most neophytes adjudicate to the cynics because of Antisthenes' attitude towards life.

[edit] Modern Cynicism

A modern cynic typically has a highly skeptical attitude towards social norms, especially those which serve more of a ritualistic purpose than a practical one, and will tend to question the validity a substantial proportion of popular beliefs, morality and wisdom. Many cynics tend to frown upon the typical thought patterns of society and desire a change, though they deem it unlikely. They prefer awareness of social and world issues to an easygoing or carefree attitude. Cynics often center around the ideals of what they consider "human nature", inevitable behavioural and thought patterns including but not limited to placing oneself first, stereotypes, and intolerance.

Despite the negative portrayal of cynics, some would argue that such people simply “refuse to look through rose-colored glasses” and do not fear to openly criticize typical societal behaviour. Cynics themselves tend to take this view, regarding themselves as enlightened, and their critics as unwilling to accept the harsh reality who “bury their heads in the sand". Extreme cynicism in an individual can lead cynics to see themselves as depersonalized and self-serving inhabitants of a meaningless, facetious, and shallow world.

In modern Greek slang, the term that describes a cynical attitude towards life and relation to state and society, is Starhidismos.

[edit] Popularity of Cynicism in the Modern Era

The present era is sometimes described as an Age of Cynicism^[2]. Generally, subscribers to this view believe that cynicism is understandable and say that as the Information age continues, the repeated exposés of malfeasance by politicians, corporations and organized religions validates growing cynicism (and the related philosophy of skepticism). Journalistic articles frequently employ a cynical viewpoint, and few mass-market newspaper or magazine advocates an alternative viewpoint such as Stoicism or hedonism.

Some opponents of the cynical viewpoint say that cynicism leads one to focus so strongly on the negative aspect of situations that they become depressives. Opponents say that it will always be possible to find wrong-doing and that the media's focus on wrong-doing gives the impression that mankind as a whole is morally corrupt, but that this is more of an effect of aggregating reports of wrong-doing rather than a true reflection of reality. However, as cynicism is closely related to pessimism, cynics commonly assert that society has a strong apathy towards social ills, and that awareness of current world and societal issues must be spread before a proper solution can be formulated. Some also argue that while they agree that there will always be wrongdoing, this acknowledgement does not justify an apathy towards malfeasance and human nature's effect on the world, and that we must focus on the problem to obtain the best solution.