Comments on: Skeptical Optimist or Hopeful Cynic? A Science Mindset https://blog.learnlets.com/2018/02/optimistic-skeptic-hopeful-cynic/ Clark Quinn's learnings about learning Tue, 06 Feb 2018 21:41:10 +0000 hourly 1 By: Clark https://blog.learnlets.com/2018/02/optimistic-skeptic-hopeful-cynic/#comment-913796 Tue, 06 Feb 2018 21:39:54 +0000 https://blog.learnlets.com/?p=6164#comment-913796 Rob, you’re right. I probably should be “Skeptical Optimist or Hopeful Cynic”. I tried to make clear in the post that there’s a base stance of optimism or pessimism, and then the counter. And the order might not be right. Ok, so it’s now changed ;).

]]> By: Rob Moser https://blog.learnlets.com/2018/02/optimistic-skeptic-hopeful-cynic/#comment-913785 Tue, 06 Feb 2018 17:48:50 +0000 https://blog.learnlets.com/?p=6164#comment-913785 This… is probably entirely beside your actual point, but…

I think the question is better phrased “Optimistic Skeptic or Skeptical Optimist?” The implication – at least to me – being that the one is at core a Skeptic, who is also currently being optimistic, while the other is at core an Optimist, currently being skeptical. And in the meantime “Cynic” to me has much more negative connotations than the essentially positive “Skeptic”, which biases the choice.

Unless that actually _was_ your point – that the difference between skepticism and cynicism is critical, and you want to be one without being the other. That wasn’t what I took away from the discussion that followed though.

Arguing fiddly semantics in any case, but it did seem to be a very semantic question.

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