Books about Cynicism from Amazon.com

We live in a cynical age. Cynicism is in the air we breathe; it is a cultural norm; it is the default setting and lens through which many of us view the world. Why is cynicism so pervasive? What does it promise? How does it work? And what does it deliver? In this thorough, interdisciplinary exploration of cynicism, Dick Keyes probes the intellectual and cultural underpinnings of cynicism in its modern and postmodern manifestations. In analyzing our cynicism toward individuals, institutions and God, he gives cynicism the scrutiny it deserves, arguing for its merits as a tool for discernment while pointing out its limitations. Keyes subjects cynicism to its own critique and ultimately looks beyond cynicism to alternatives that wrestle honestly with suspicion, trust and hope.Wide-ranging and vast in scope, Seeing Through Cynicism offers meaty, substantive perspectives for faithful living in a cynical world..
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With a New Preface by the Author

Sweeping in scope, penetrating in analysis, and generously illustrated with examples from the history of science, this new and original approach to familiar questions about scientific evidence and method tackles vital questions about science and its place in society. Avoiding the twin pitfalls of scientism and cynicism, noted philosopher Susan Haack argues that, fallible and flawed as they are, the natural sciences have been among the most successful of human enterprises—valuable not only for the vast, interlocking body of knowledge they have discovered, and not only for the technological advances that have improved our lives, but as a manifestation of the human talent for inquiry at its imperfect but sometimes remarkable best.

This wide-ranging, trenchant, and illuminating book explores the complexities of scientific evidence, and the multifarious ways in which the sciences have refined and amplified the methods of everyday empirical inquiry; articulates the ways in which the social sciences are like the natural sciences, and the ways in which they are different; disentangles the confusions of radical rhetoricians and cynical sociologists of science; exposes the evasions of apologists for religious resistance to scientific advances; weighs the benefits and the dangers of technology; tracks the efforts of the legal system to make the best use of scientific testimony; and tackles predictions of the eventual culmination, or annihilation, of the scientific enterprise.

Writing with verve and wry humor, in a witty, direct, and accessible style, Haack takes readers beyond the "Science Wars" to a balanced understanding of the value, and the limitations, of the scientific enterprise..
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Michael Lerner, former radical and crusading editor of the magazine of Jewish thought,Tikkun, has never lost his idealism Until now Lerner has been promoting his ideas, dubbed "the politics of meaning," through his magazine and in lectures and workshops around the country. He won praise from Hillary Clinton, although that soured under media spotlight. This book lays out his analysis of America's spiritual emptiness, encouraging direct political action to enlarge the sense of community. He rejects both the right's profit-oriented bottom line and the left's splintering of society into minority rights ghettoes. Though his ideas are rooted in Judaism, his concept of God is broadly inclusive, and his critique is relevant to all Americans..
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A HISTORY OF CYNICISM From Diogenes to the 6 th Century A. D. by DONALD R. DUDLEY. PREFACE THE research of which this book is the outcome was mainly carried out at St. Johns College, Cambridge, Yale University, and Edinburgh University. In the help so generously given to my work I have been no less fortunate than in the scenes in which it was pursued. I am much indebted for criticism and advice to Professor M. Rostovtseff and Professor E. R. Goodonough of Yale, to Professor A. E. Taylor of Edinburgh, to Professor F. M. Cornford of Cambridge, to Professor J. L. Stocks of Liverpool, and to Dr. W. H. Semple of Reading. I should also like to thank the electors of the Henry Fund for enabling me to visit the United States, and the College Council of St. Johns for electing me to a Research Fellowship. Finally, to the unfailing interest, advice and encouragement of Mr. M. P. Charlesworth of St. Johns I owe an especial debt which I can hardly hope to repay. These acknowledgements do not exhaust the list of my obligations but I hope that other kindnesses have been acknowledged either in the text or privately. D. R. D. CAMBRIDGE March, CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE INTRODUCTION ix I ANTISTHENES. NO DIRECT CONNEXION WITH CYNICS. HIS ETHICS I II DIOGENES AND HIS ASSOCIATES 17 a DIOGENES IN LITERARY TRADITIONLIFE THOUGHT b ONESICRATUS 39 c MONIMUS 40 d CRATES LIFE WRITINGS CRATES AND HIPPARCHIA 42 III 9 CYNICISM IN THE THIRD CENTURY B. C. 59 a BION 62 b MENIPPUS 69 c CERCIDAS 74 d TELES 84 e CYNIC EDUCATIONAL THEORY, ETC. 87 IV CYNICISM AND THE PHILOSOPHICAL SCHOOLS IN THE THIRD CENTURY 95 a THE MEGARIANS 95 b ZENO 96 c ARISTON IOO d HEDONISTS IO3 e EPICUREANS I O6 TIMON 107 V CYNIC INFLUENCE ON HELLENISTIC LITERATURE IIO VI CYNICISM IN THE SECOND AND FIRST CENTURIES B. C. 117 VII DEMETRIUS. THE PHILOSOPHIC OPPOSITION IN THE FIRST CENTURY A. D. 125 vii viii A HISTORY OF CYNICISM CHAP. PAGf VIII CYNICISM IN THE SECOND CENTURY A. D. 143 a GENERAL CHARACTER 143 b DIG CHRYSOSTOM 148 c DEMONAX 158 d OENOMAUS l62 e PEREGRINUS 170 MINOR FIGURES 1 82 IX CYNICISM AND THE PHILOSOPHIC SCHOOLS IN THE FIRST AND SECOND CENTURIES A. D. 1 86 a PHILO b CYNICS AND STOICS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE c FAVORINUS d MAXIMUS X CYNICISM FROM THE THIRD TO THE SIXTH CENTURIES A. D. 2, Q2 a JULIAN AND THE CYNICS b MAXIMUS c ASTERIUS d SALLUSTIUS EPILOGUE 209 APPENDICES 215 INDEX 223 INTRODUCTION THE Emperor Julian, speaking of the Cynic philosophy, says that it has been practised in all ages ... it does not need any special study, one need only hearken to the god of Delphi when he enjoins the precepts know thyself and alter the currency . In claiming the Delphic god as the founder of Cynicism Julian is guilty of an obvious anachronism for Cynicism cannot be shown to antedate Diogenes of Sinope. But from the fourth century B. C. Cynicism endured to the last days of the ancient world Cynics were common in the days of Augustine they may have been known in the Empire of Byzantium. Long life is not of itself a criterion of worth and it cannot be denied that Cynicism survived when much of immeasurably greater intellectual value perished. To the student of ancient philosophy there is in Cynicism scarcely more than a rudimentary and debased version of the ethics of Socrates, which exaggerates his austerity to a fanatic asceticism, hardens his irony to sardonic laughter at the follies of man kind, and affords no parallel to his genuine love of knowledge. Well might Plato have said of the first and greatest Cynic, That man is Socrates gone mad. But to the student of social history, and of ancient thought as distinct from philosophy, there is much of interest in Cynicism....
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Today we face America’s most terrifying enemy ever: an indigenous insurgent army made up of millions of our own citizens We snipe at each other from behind impregnable barricades of cynicism, mocking efforts to move ahead and scoffing at once-cherished national ideals. Diverse and resourceful warriors, we wield our cynicism as both sword and shield. “We have met the enemy, and they are us.”

Still, what does cynicism really mean? The term is tossed about so carelessly these days that it may soon cease to have meaning at all. Cynicism and the Evolution of the American Dream defines the unique nature of American cynicism and traces its historical roots. It looks into its present causes and the many ways cynicism manifests itself, shaping all aspects of modern American life. Wilber W. Caldwell asserts that the disturbing growth of cynicism in America today results from a recent shift in the American Dream, the structure that holds the country together. Like all national dreams, the American Dream has mirrored our national experience and our collective character, as well as reflected our national mood, which has run a parallel course all the way from idealism through realism and skepticism to cynicism. Drawing on the disciplines of history, sociology, and philosophy, Cynicism and the Evolution of the American Dream will appeal to a broad audience of educated readers and offer hope for those who would eradicate such an insidious cancer..
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To the student of ancient philosophy Cynicism may seem little more than a debased version of the ethics of Socrates, which exaggerates his austerity to a fanatic asceticism, hardens his irony to sardonic laughter at the follies of mankind, and affords no parallel to his love of knowledge. Diogenes was 'Socrates gone mad'. On the other hand, for the student of ancient social history and thought from the 4thcentury BC to the close of antiquity, and even beyond, the mind-set of cynicism is still a constant or ever-recurring theme..
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According to Joseph Capella and Kathleen Jamieson, the political climate in the United States has come to resemble a traveling circus, full of glitter and hype, yet dreadfully short on content or real-life relevance. This perception has led to an unprecedented level of cynicism by the populace and a general mistrust of politicians and their motives. In Spiral of Cynicism: The Press and the Public Good, the authors hold the media accountable for much of the public's apathy because of the manner in which it perpetuates the style over substance approach, emphasizing sound-bites and flash rather than an objective study of the issues. Relying heavily on copious statistics gleaned from three in-depth experiments, the authors use complex charts and graphs to trace the origin and rise of voter cynicism. By comparing citizens' reaction to strategy talk versus balanced coverage of pertinent issues and facts, the authors conclude that the media should look closely at its methods of coverage and take responsibility for contributing to this pervasive negativity. .
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In 1987, Professor Richard Stivers was the recipient of an Earhart Foundation research fellowship to undertake a study of American morality. The Culture of Cynicism is the result. It is not only the most wide-ranging book yet written on the subject, tracing the intellectual history of American morality from its European origins in the Middle Ages to the 1990s, but alos by far the most thought-provoking..
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