![]() Clean-cut pessimism has its own difficulties. ![]() Extreme positions are difficult to hold: The almost unlimited optimism of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the potential for human improvement through culture and progress has been strongly challenged by a twentieth century of wars and destruction. ![]() Religions are usually optimistic in their view of salvation but pessimistic in their assessment of human weakness and regarding those who do not go the way of redemption (Christianity) or liberation (Buddhism). Some are optimists concerning society's potential influence, and pessimists when it comes to our human nature. Some, like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, are optimists concerning our human nature, but pessimists regarding civilization's potential to bring out the good in us. Pessimism and optimism in matters of opinion are even more complex. No one is a monolithic bloc of positivity or negativity. Even then, one is often surprised to see what lies below the surface. In everyday life, the optimist and pessimist types may seem fairly well defined. The two are also often associated with the expectation that there is, or respectively isn’t, eternal life. Optimism is often associated with the notion that the world was created by a benevolent deity pessimism is often associated with the notion that there is no meaningful explanation for the world’s existence. Historical circumstances that suggest our inability to reach these goals generally contribute to a pessimistic outlook. Pessimism is linked to the notion that people are fundamentally evil, that life is devoid of meaning and thus destined to lead to increasing suffering and the frustration of one’s goals. It is also prevalent whenever there is a sense that humans can control their environment and their destiny. Philosophically, optimism is linked to the notion that the world is fundamentally good, that it has purpose and meaning and that, therefore, one can reasonably expect fulfillment. But optimism and pessimism are not limited to such a psychological predisposition.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |