Nihilism vs Cynical - What's the difference?
nihilism | cynical |
(philosophy) A philosophical doctrine grounded on the negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life.
(ethics) The rejection of inherent or objective moral principles.
(politics) The rejection of non-rationalized or non-proven assertions in the social and political spheres of society.
(politics, historical) A Russian movement of the 1860s that rejected all authority and promoted the use of violence for political change.
The belief that all endeavors are ultimately futile and devoid of meaning.
Contradiction (not always deliberate) between behavior and espoused principle, to such a degree that all possible espoused principle is voided.
The deliberate refusal of belief, to the point that belief itself is rejected as untenable.
Of or relating to the belief that human actions are motivated only or primarily by base desires or selfishness.
*(Samuel Johnson) (1709-1784)
*:I hope it is no very cynical asperity not to confess obligations where no benefit has been received.
Skeptical of the integrity, sincerity, or motives of others.
Bitterly or jadedly distrustful or contemptuous; mocking.
*
*:He seldom talked, and when he did, it was usually to make some cynical remark-for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would sooner have had no tail and no flies.
Showing contempt for accepted moral standards by one's actions.
*
*:When he, at Neergard's cynical suggestion, had consented to exploit his own cluband had consented to resign from it to do so, he had every reason to believe that Neergard meant to either mulct them heavily or buy them out. In either case, having been useful to Neergard, his profits from the transaction would have been considerable.
Like the actions of a snarling dog.
:
As a noun nihilism
is (philosophy) a philosophical doctrine grounded on the negation of one or more meaningful aspects of life.As an adjective cynical is
of or relating to the cynics, a sect of ancient greek philosophers who believed virtue to be the only good and self-control to be the only means of achieving virtue.nihilism
English
Noun
- "...the band members sweat hard enough to earn their pretensions, and maybe even their nihilism " (rock critic Dave Marsh, reviewing the band XTC's album Go )