(Book Notes) Pessimism: Philosophy, Ethic, Spirit; by Joshua Foa Dienstag
π€― β€οΈ π π
This might be my new favorite book of ever :)
It traces the origins and development of the philosophical tradition of pessimism (as opposed to the philosophical tradition of optimism). At a 10,000 foot view, these two traditions are divided on the response to the human condition of time consciousness. Optimists believe that happiness is in some sense our due (and that there is an underlying order to reality that accounts for and/or should lead to this happiness that we should be able to attain). Pessimists reject the idea of the order, or that philosophy or reason can sweep away the darkness, or that we should expect any sort of progress. Instead, it teaches us how to live with what we cannot eradicate: the limitations of death and time which which the universe saddles us.
The book charts three distinct forms of philosophical pessimism: cultural pessimism (as illustrated by Rousseau and Leopardi); metaphysical pessimism (Schopenhauer and Freud); and existential pessimism (Unamuno, Camus, and Cioran). Within each of these forms, the philosophers split roughly into two types: those that council resignation (Rousseau, Schopenhauer, Cioran) and those that advocate for pessimistic engagement (Leopardi, Freud, Camus and Unamuno). Special sections are dedicated to Nietzsche (Dyonysian Pessimism) and Cervantes / Don Quixote.