Sharon Stanley

Retreat from Politics: The Cynic in Modern Times

This essay examines contemporary diagnoses of cynicism, issuing from scholars such as Peter Sloterdijk, Frederic Jameson, and Slavoj Z̆iz̆ek, to distill a clear concept of cynicism and its social and political consequences. In particular, it seeks to call into question accounts in which cynicism suddenly bursts onto the scene as a response to recent, post-1960s political disappointments and the corrosive philosophy of postmodernism. Instead, by turning to Denis Diderots perplexing dialog Rameaus Nephew, I demonstrate that the impulse toward cynicism may lie buried much deeper in modernity, in the thought of enlightenment itself. This longer perspective helps us to understand the conditions for the emergence of cynicism today, while problematizing hard and fast distinctions between enlightenment and postmodernism. I conclude by warning against excessively moralistic denunciations of cynicism, demonstrating that such denunciations harbor the very same anti-political tendencies which they locate in cynicism. Instead, I argue we must find a form of politics appropriate to an increasingly cynical age.

Unraveling Natural Utopia: Diderot’s Supplement to the Voyage of Bougainville

Diderots Supplement to the Voyage of Bougainville has often been read as a Rousseauian condemnation of modern civilization judged against the standard of pure Nature. A cursory reading of the Supplement does appear to present Tahiti as a natural utopia and Europe as a civilized prison. This essay rejects such a reading by demonstrating that the Supplement actually undermines any clear opposition between virtuous nature, represented by Tahiti, and corrupt civilization, represented by Europe. Although Diderot truly does offer a stinging critique of modern Europe, he refuses to offer “nature” as a redemptive alternative. Instead, the Supplement offers an implicit critique of the politics of moralism.

Unraveling Natural Utopia

Diderots Supplement to the Voyage of Bougainville has often been read as a Rousseauian condemnation of modern civilization judged against the standard of pure Nature. A cursory reading of the Supplement does appear to present Tahiti as a natural utopia and Europe as a civilized prison. This essay rejects such a reading by demonstrating that the Supplement actually undermines any clear opposition between virtuous nature, represented by Tahiti, and corrupt civilization, represented by Europe. Although Diderot truly does offer a stinging critique of modern Europe, he refuses to offer “nature” as a redemptive alternative. Instead, the Supplement offers an implicit critique of the politics of moralism.

Disenchanted Democracy and the Ineradicability of Cynicism

Contemporary commentary on democracy, both inside and outside the academy, frequently warns against the corrosive impact of cynicism. Cynicism is depicted as a growing plague, threatening the health and proper functioning of democratic institutions and civic relations. Contrary to such alarmist rhetoric, this paper suggests that cynicism is likely a constitutive and ineradicable element of democracy. Through an examination of eighteenth-century theories of sociability, often construed as proto-democratic theories, I demonstrate that hypocrisy, deceit, and manipulation are built into the very structure of human social relations, thus providing a foundation for inevitable cynicism. Rather than attempt to eradicate cynicism from contemporary democracies, then, a more effective engagement with cynicism will require citizens to manage it and mobilize it in democratically hospitable ways.