alt Hacker NewsI believe the terminology is off. The author seems to confuse cynicism with realism.
Cynicism is specific trait and has only negative connotations. It cannot be “good” for a social structure by definition.
Realism is neutral. But we often assume that realism implies cynicism which is not true.
Parrhesia (tact) is the only worthwhile, long term goal in terms of attitude. And that doesn’t include cynicism. It’s about being honest without feeling like betraying yourself.
“Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." - (supposedly) Isaac Newton
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I don't really agree. The dictionary definition of cynical is "believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others".
That's certainly very extreme, but a tempered, measured belief in the negative aspects of human nature is necessary, I think.
You might say, "that's just realism", but I think they are just separate axes: some amount of cynicism (and idealism) is necessary in order to be realistic. Possibly different amounts in different contexts, depending on the other people involved.
> It cannot be “good” for a social structure by definition.
Is 'good for the social structure' the metric to use for defining good? Should we be serving the social structure to be 'good'?
cynicism can also be a label applied by those with toxic positivity to anything that is actually realism
> “Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy." - (supposedly) Isaac Newton
Never heard of this quote, but I could certainly use a large dose of tact as defined above! The quote seems to be due to an advertising executive though, Howard W. Newton, not Isaac Newton [1].
[1] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/07/18/tact/