Overcoming Cynicism,: William James and the Metaphysics of Engagement

Combating the notion of a ‘healthy cynicism, Overcoming Cynicism demonstrates that the cynic engages not in genuine critique, but rather in a denial of the possibility of fruitful change. Mustain first uses two historical versions of cynicism—ancient Greek and Victorian—to describe competing currents within the cynical attitude. Shebrings this historical discussion to bear upon two contemporary sources of cynicism, Christian fundamentalism and scientism, and offers an alternative path which seeks to confront the real problems we encounter in our experiences of relations relations without either explaining those problems away or making them fundamental.

Scholars, public figures, and prominent theologians alike clamor to diagnose our age as cynical. Combating the notion of a "healthy" cynicism, A Crisis of Relations demonstrates that the cynic engages not in genuine critique, but rather in a denial of the possibility of fruitful change. Mustain first uses two historical versions of cynicism - ancient Greek and Victorian - to describe competing currents within the cynical attitude. She brings this historical discussion to bear upon two contemporary sources of cynicism: Christian fundamentalism and scientism. Christian fundamentalism, with its location of possibilities in an otherworldly realm, pronounces worldly amelioration impossible, and scientism's reduction of all phenomena to their most basic material components renders worldly change at once inevitable and meaningless. Mustain offers an alternative path which seeks to confront the real problems we encounter in our experiences of relations without either explaining those problems away or making them fundamental. In so doing, she suggests ways of possible amelioration whereby we might unseat the cynicism that dominates our age, supplanting it instead with genuine relational engagement.

<br /> >

<br /> >

Examines the metaphysical underpinnings of cynical philosophies both past and present in an attempt to diagnose and ameliorate contemporary forms of cynicism.

Megan R. Mustain is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Historical Cynicism: Diogenes and the Victorians

Chapter 2 - Contemporary Sources of Cynicism: Fundamentalism and Scientism

Chapter 3 - A Diagnosis of Disconnection at the Heart of Cynicism

Chapter 4 -  In Search of Alternatives: Coping with Relatedness

Chapter 5 - Engaging and Reconstructing Relations: Concluding Remarks and a Path Forward

Bibliography

Index