What is the difference between skepticism and cynicism

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Ask Question. Asked 10 years, 9 months ago. Active 4 years, 7 months ago. Viewed k times. Improve this question. See dictionary. Tristan This is weird. I'm in India, where we use British English, but I have actually never seen 'sceptic' written anywhere; only 'skeptic'. If you are seeing it used in India, that suggests that use of American English is increasing, there. Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Improve this answer.

F'x F'x That answer makes my doubt clear beyond any conflicts. A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. You could replace skeptical with cynical in your motorway example, but the meaning of the sentence would change. I think you could also make the change in the last example too.

John has a skeptical attitude means John doesn't take everything at face value — he investigates the truth. However, I believe your point was that you could not make the change without altering the meaning. It is good to be a little bit skeptical. It is not good to be cynical. Skeptical people want to have evidence of something before they will believe it is true. Cynical people do not trust any information that they do not personally agree with. Difference Between Cynicism and Skepticism.

Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. MLA 8 Ewan, Dart. I would venture to say that cynicism is a more severe form of scepticism. It is not easy to clearly demarcate one from the other; the two lie on a spectrum in which credulity is on one end, and complete unwillingness to believe is on the other.

This is because truth is volatile and unsettling. Indeed, dangerous. Anything more coarse or weighty may be too truthful for our infantile public to swallow. First, I find it implausible that Obama was ever iffy on the issue of gay rights.

Second, the election is coming up and he must rally the base. Everything must be doubted. But is this skepticism warranted, or are we taking on true cynicism? To doubt is not yet to suspect; to call into question is not yet to bring under suspicion — but how do you know which is appropriate all the time? Still, is his insincerity noble or unctuous?

Either we are skeptical merely of his words or of his motives. Views expressed on the Opinion page do not necessarily reflect those of the Daily Nexus. First of all, can you be both? This can also be defined as being open minded about something. This is also a key requirement in scientific thinking. Although many people associate skepticism with cynicism, cynicism is more negative than skepticism. Merriam-Webster dictionary too defines cynicism as having beliefs that people are generally selfish and dishonest.

Thus, a cynic is a person looks at things scornfully and sees the negative side of everything. Unlike skeptics, they cannot be convinced by facts and evidence because they have already made up their mind.