Nathaniel [Nash] intuitively understood that there was a difference between skepticism and cynicism. ... Skepticism is about asking questions, being dubious, being wary, not being gullible. Cynicism is about already having the answers--or thinking you do--about a person or an event. The skeptic says: "I don't think that's true; I'm going to check it out." The cynic says: "I know that's not true, it couldn't be. I'm going to slam him."