←Created page with '==Scope== Better come up with a scope for this project.--~~~~'
Line 1:
==Scope==
'''Cynicism''' was originally the philosophy of a group of ancient Greeks called the [[Cynic|Cynics]], led by [[Antisthenes]].
Better come up with a scope for this project.--[[User:Sefringle|Sefringle]] 23:56, 4 June 2007 (UTC)
Nowadays the word is generally used, somewhat pejoratively, to refer to somebody who is inclined to disbelieve in human sincerity or [[virtue]]: an individual who maintains that human behaviour is motivated entirely by self-interest. A modern cynic is typically highly contemptuous of social [[norm]]s, especially those which serve more of a [[ritual|ritualistic]] purpose than a practical one, and will tend to dismiss a substantial proportion of [[popular]] beliefs and accepted [[wisdom]] as "[[bullshit]]".
Despite the negative portrayal of cynics, there are some who would argue that such people are simply those who "refuse to look through rosy-tinted spectacles" and are not afraid to demolish popular [[misconception]]s no matter how [[sacred]] they are considered by [[society]]. Cynics themselves tend to take this view, regarding themselves as enlightened free thinkers, and their [[critic]]s as deluded social pretenders who "bury their heads in the sand." However, an excess of cynicism in an individual can cause difficulties when they see themselves as depersonalised and self-serving inhabitants of a world which is meaningless, fictitious and [[shallow]].
