A Modern Cynic’s Parrhêsia and Enlightened False Consciousness in Diderot’s Philosophical Dialogue Rameau’s Nephew

In his final lectures, Michel Foucault highlighted Diderot’s Rameau’s Nephew as pivotal in the history of thetransmission and metamorphosis of Cynicism (Foucault 2012, 191). This article investigates and repudiates Foucault’s conception of the evolution of ancient Cynicism in Diderot’s Rameau’s Nephew during the Enlightenment, focusing on parrhêsia, free speech, or outspokenness. It examines how Diogenes of Sinope’s ethos of truth-telling deviates from its original sense and degenerates into mockery among the Enlightenment cynics in the shift of discourse from the agora to the public spheres like the Café de Régence. Rameau’s nephew epitomizes modern cynicism, embodying various facets such as satire, misanthropy, and a disdain for societal norms. He challenges sacred values such as truth and truthfulness with sarcasm or indifference in the public sphere of the Enlightenment. Though aspiring to practice parrhêsia, the nephew’s speech deconstructs morality, while his actions seem puppet-like. He oscillates between animality and a “second nature” shaped by rationality. Modern cynics, such as the nephew, contend that all public opinions that dictates decisions are often driven by self-interest. They lack autonomy, resorting to farce or sarcasm when thwarted. In essence, the modern cynicism in the Enlightenment shows great discrepancies from the parrhêsiastic classical Cynicism and leads to a complex interplay of freedom of speech, societal critique, and individualism. Modern cynicism, born from the Enlightenment’s failures, embodies an “enlightened false consciousness.” It culminates in a modern cynical worldview shaped by societal disillusionment and the failure of the Enlightenment ideals.