The Dangers of Cynicism: Taking a Stand for the Value of Human Life

Are You Seeking Comfort or Ignoring Injustice?

Below, I talk about the dangers of cynicism and the need to address the underlying root cause of disengagement. I propose an alternative value system and encourage you to take a stand for the value of human life.

The educated and affluent mainstream often mistake (or pretend to misunderstand) cynicism for sophistication. As a result, even though they're smart, they avoid conversations about trying to fix what's wrong, thinking it's naive and sentimental or simply futile, and it sometimes is. But this is a dangerous default attitude. The possibilities change daily, so any cynicism lasting longer than a day is irrational.

The Underlying Ideology of Disengagement

Too often, intelligent people are stuck in cynicism because absolutism about "history repeating" and that there's "nothing new under the sun" can be comforting. By never discussing so-called futile topics, you get to close the book and focus on yourself; it lets you off the hook. If seeking comfort were the only culprit, that's manageable because we can overturn that impulse.

But the real culprit in many cases is an underlying ideology that's hard to discuss, namely, that it's not that we can't solve a problem but that we don't want to. If that's the case, we must ignore the red herring of comfort-seeking cynicism and address the root cause of disengagement: the belief that each human life is only worth the value it creates in an open market.

A Science of Morality

Whether cynical disengagement and believing there's no intrinsic value to human life share a comorbidity is a topic worth researching. Nevertheless, from a scientific view, it's tricky to argue that fundamental values concerning the sacredness of every human life can be right or wrong. While it's possible to create a science of morality, we're a long way off from doing that compellingly. So, absent a religious viewpoint, the best we can do for now is pick a side based on our thoughts and feelings.

For my part, nobody is safe in a world that doesn't value human life as an end-in-itself. So we must diagnose and eradicate the opposing ideology hiding in the cynical underbelly of disengagement. Again, the opposing ideology, held by utilitarians and libertarian strains, is that the value of a human life is determined by the individual's actions, rather than by the inherent value of their life itself.

For example, Murray Rothbard, Ayn Rand, and other prominent libertarian thinkers prioritize an individual's actions, contributions, and impact on others when assessing the value of an individual's life.

Whether you feel these views are cold and calculating, and leave out factors such as compassion or empathy, or whether you sympathize with these extreme libertarian, is ultimately a matter of taste. There exists no deductive calculus to determine who is right, so it’s up to each of us to determine what resonates for ourselves.

For my part, wherever people choose to believe human life is an end-in-itself, I stand with them, and fight with them. I don't mean this to be grandiose; I have no illusions about how big a difference you or I can add to the equation. But, we can use our skills and resources – as humble and limited as they are – to help those who believe in the intrinsic value of human life; we can support their causes and advocate for the rights of all people. We can listen to their stories and lend a hand wherever possible. We can use our voices to speak out against injustice and oppression and be friends with those who need it. We can donate to organizations working to make the world a better place.

Be A Force for Improved Well-Being

We can always seek to be a force for improved well-being for current and future humans and our mysterious planet, alone, a "pale blue dot" with its verdant land and lush oceans. In the blackness of space, we can determine what our existence means to us. The alternative is to leave that job to cynical natures and those who don't value human life. Pick a side and do what you can. Each of our contributions can be small, and that's okay because it adds up.