Mysteries of the Mind | Episode #30 | “The Psychology and Politics of Cynicism”

Cynicism is a plague in our society.  There is a personal psychological dimension of it and a social or political version.  On a personal level, cynicism is the belief that the way things are is the way they’re supposed to be.  People complain about their lives but, at the same time, believe that they have no freedom to change any of it.  That’s cynicism. On a social and political level, the belief that the world is somehow hardwired to favor the rich and screw everyone else, while partially true, is cynical because it ignores a long history of successful movements for social change.  Progressives – who should, by all accounts know better—are highly susceptible to various forms of cynicism.