My favorite talk show host is John Batchelor, whose often expressed, playful worry is that he isn't being cynical enough. The wisest (or is it the most cynical?) among us recognize that a degree of caution is always advisable when dealing with fellow human beings, and that the world has never lacked for frauds, liars, and hypocrites. Still, our age does seem to be more cynical than most, and with good reason. As Mark Twain said, "Man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to." When I was young, I admired presidents of the United States, religious leaders,...
