NoBull.ws - Many people confuse skepticism with cynicism

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Skeptic or Cynic?

"NOTHING IS AS SIMPLE AS IT SEEMS, AND everything takes longer than it should; and, if anything can go wrong, it will." Murphy (or whoever really originated these "laws") was a cynic, not a skeptic. A skeptic would doubt these statements, just as he doubts anything else that doesn't make sense. (He or she might, nevertheless, quote them in jest, as many people do.)

Many people confuse skepticism with cynicism; and indeed the distinction isn't always that clear. But there is a difference, and usually it's pretty obvious.

Maybe cynicism could be described as a subset of skepticism. A cynic tends to be skeptical of good things; while a full-fledged skeptic tends to be skeptical -- to one degree or another -- of everything.

I recently heard about a guy who hated his job. He complained about his boss, his work schedule, his low pay, his working conditions, and anything else he could think of. When a listener asked why he didn't get another job, he said he figured it'd be just as bad. At least, he said he knew what to expect where he was, so he would rather stay there than take a chance on something that might be even worse. This guy was obviously cynical.

Maybe we could describe cynicism as skepticism with an unhealthy attitude.

There's nothing inherently bad about skepticism. In fact, it is frequently referred to as "healthy skepticism." A cynic, though, is a pessimist.

Any skeptic will probably be considered pessimistic about some things, but may be optimistic about others. If I am skeptical that I'll ever have as much money as I would like to have, that might qualify as pessimism. On the other hand, if I am skeptical that atomic war is going to wipe out civilization, I would say that's optimism.

Neither optimism nor pessimism is necessarily good or bad in all cases, though optimism may be more fun. As someone once said, "The pessimist may ultimately be proven correct, but the optimist is likely to have more fun." Fun is important, but it has nothing to do with what's true and correct and real.

I suppose one could say that I'm pessimistic about heaven, but optimistic about hell; since I doubt the existence of either. Some people would say I'm pessimistic about God, while others would consider me optimistic, since I doubt his existence, too.

Be reasonably skeptical of everything; but don't let your skepticism turn into cynicism.

This page was last updated 08/21/09 06:14 PM.

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