From Cynicism As A Critical Posture, To Cynicism As An Unbearable Attitude
Diogenes of Sinope was the father of cynicism. He lived in Ancient Greece during the 4th century BC. The ancient proponents of this doctrine were very different from the cynics of today; they did not agree with many of the hypocrisies of society and wanted to live in a much more authentic way.
The word “cynical” comes from the Greek root “kinus” which means “dog”. Cynicism, therefore, was a doctrine associated with the “canine”. Diogenes lived in the greatest poverty, like a dog. In turn, he launched philosophical indentations which made him one of the most acerbic thinkers of the time. Hence the fact that they are associated with each other.
These days, on the other hand, cynicism takes on a very different meaning. Cynical people in the modern world are those who don’t believe in any value and brag about it. They do not criticize the company to propose a new way of looking at it, but simply to denounce it. Ultimately, they do nothing in this direction. Also, it is said that people are cynical who openly take advantage of others, or even brag about them.
Wonderful episodes, filled with ethical grandeur, are attributed to Diogenes. He didn’t even have a home and lived in a barrel. He was taken for a beggar, for he was dressed in rags. Even under such conditions, he was one of the most lucid men of his time. Plato said of him that he was “a delusional Socrates”.
It is said that Alejandro Magno wanted to meet this philosopher. He came up to him and said: “I am Alejandro, the big one (“ magno ”means“ big ”, in Spanish). And the cynic replied “And I am Diogenes, the dog”. After a short conversation, Alejandro said “Ask me what you want”, to which Diogenes replied: “Shift yourself, you are hiding the sun from me”.
According to another anecdote, one day Diogenes was at the market, eating vegetables that others had thrown in the trash. Another philosopher walked past him and said: “If you work for nobles like me, you won’t have to eat vegetables”. Diogenes then replied: “If you eat vegetables like me, you won’t have to work for the nobles”. These episodes give us a measure of who this thinker was.
Power and money have always been the source of corruption, in all times and in all places. However, with the appearance of capitalism and, more particularly, with the fall of the great utopias, they acquired their maximum power. Money and power have motivated the most heinous behaviors of human beings.
We could say that the father of modern cynicism is Machiavelli, the great philosopher of power. He is credited with the famous phrase “The end justifies the means”. With this thinker began a series of facts of philosophers who exalt the maximum of individualism. According to them, the characteristic of human beings is excessive selfishness. Each act that brings individual benefits can be valid.
Often times, men with great political or economic power have acted with great cynicism, in the modern sense, throughout history. By being figures who guide or direct societies, they have become models for many. A lot of people saw their behavior as effective. Much more after the fall of great ideologies and other utopias. The power of money has conquered, and that is why the end that justifies the means has become a valid maxim.
From the upper echelons of power, cynicism has spread and infiltrated everyday relationships. We see with particular clarity in these links where there is also a certain chance of power. From employers to employees, for example. Or from men to women, too. Or even adults towards children.
As a strong current that goes against all of this progresses, cynicism continues to occupy an important place in today’s world. And it is sometimes expressed in a subtle way. When the employer, or the man, or the adult impose an arbitrary criterion or standard. And if the employee, or the wife, or the child resists it, then they say “if you don’t like it, you can go.”
Cynical behavior is perverse. Introducing them into human relationships leads them to become unhealthy. In the short, medium or long term, this also has negative consequences for those who fall into this type of behavior. They falsify affections, promote buried transgressions, stimulate hypocrisy. Even if they bring immediate selfish satisfaction, what one loses is far more important.
Images of Kylli Sparre
