Source: Brownstone Institute
by Bert Olivier
“Historically, a ‘cynic’ was a member of an ancient Greek group of philosophers who showed ‘contempt for ease and pleasure,’ lived ‘in accord with nature,’ and scorned conventions. And what do ‘conventions’ suggest here, apart from its link with the emergence of (radical, passive, and active) nihilism, as explained in my previous post? That the ancient cynics already looked with suspicion at agreements among people, especially powerful lawmakers, in whose interest such conventions were established. It appears, then, that the term, cynicism, could more appropriately be used to characterise a justifiable attitude, not generally towards all people, but particularly towards those in public office who have consistently deceived the rest of us with ulterior motives since at least 2020.” (06/25/24)
https://brownstone.org/articles/elite-envy-as-a-civilizational-toxin/