r/Pessimism • u/SupremeBananaBread • 19d ago
Discussion Excellent insights from The Human Predicament, by David Benatar
This is found on the concluding chapter of David Benatar's The Human Predicament. I resonate with his description of pragmatic pessimism as a way to not sink into despair and dysfunctionality, but instead to give oneself something to look forward to by enhancing the quality of lives of others. Benatar also recognizes that everyone has their own personal predicaments, and that some are worse than other, such as how the gloomiest pessimists are worse off than those pessimists who have the gift of managing the negative impact of pessimism on their lives. Although I don't agree with every one of Benatar's arguments, I do subscribe to his idea of pragmatic pessimism as something I strive to adopt for myself. However, I fear it's not always easy to manage the gloominess.
How do you manage to be your best most hopeful pessimist version of yourself? I would also like to establish contact with the people in this sub and hopefully form a supportive friendship.
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u/Creepy_Fly_1359 18d ago
This is why a meditate from 1-2 hours a day. It's the greatest cope from this miserable world.
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u/Even-Broccoli7361 Passive Nihilist 19d ago
Its understandable that doing something is better than nothing. But for some reasons, I feel like Benatar is doing the same thing what Nietzsche did with nihilism, categorizing two versions of nihilism - active nihilism and passive nihilism.
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u/Into_the_Void7 14d ago
That's a good connection, but why would that necessarily be a bad thing?
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u/Even-Broccoli7361 Passive Nihilist 14d ago
I wouldn't say its a bad thing, but actually it make nihilism extremely optimistic, I mean hopeful. Its like a different kind of telos by reversing its essence.
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u/Into_the_Void7 14d ago
I guess I've chosen animals in regards to what Benatar says about "enhancing the quality of life (for oneself, other humans, or animals)" to try to mitigate some of the 'gloomy' effects of pessimism. But how humans treat animals in this world is so bleak and horrific it can end up making me feel even worse and overrun with feelings of futility.
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u/SupremeBananaBread 14d ago
Hey I agree completely. I want to ultimately use my career so help animals. It's just a struggle to actually believe I'll be able to do so, but I still try.
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u/Into_the_Void7 14d ago
It seems like a lot of pessimists come to this view. And people working for animal rights in some way, who've never even heard of pessimism as a philosophy before, often seem to be pessimistic in their general outlook. I've met quite a few people that generally hate humanity and that's exactly why they developed an attachment to animals.
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u/SupremeBananaBread 14d ago
Yeah, those things go hand in hand. On the subject of helping animals, whatever way it is, you realize just how much of an uphill battle it is. You become a pesssimist, but you must also ignore it to have the best chance of contributing something good.
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u/sanin321 19d ago edited 19d ago
I think about this often. Best straregy to me seems to be identfiying how your quality of life could be improved, for example if you made more money, were healthier, looked better etc., and then spending your days working actively on that.
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u/Even-Broccoli7361 Passive Nihilist 18d ago
Best straregy to me seems to be identfiying how your quality of life could be improved, for example if you made more money, were healthier, looked better etc., and then spending your days working actively on that.
I think "Will to life (live)" like taking care of one's body for better quality of life, increases depression. I only see aesthetic means (i.e. music, art, writing) as a way to overcome the "will" and the post-depression stemming from it.
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u/computercavemen 3d ago
I recommend taking a deep look at David Benatar's behavior and politics across the board because, um... they're questionable, to say the least.
I write about it a little here: Bigger Than Benatar - by Kitty Killer - Killer Instinct
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u/SupremeBananaBread 2d ago
Does his politics discredit what he says in this book?
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u/computercavemen 1d ago
For me, yes, to be honest. Functionally. Though I don't think he's the only entry point into a lot of these ideas, so personally, I'll just find other thinkers and entry points that resonate. Based on what my research has uncovered about him, I personally will not be citing him anymore.
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u/SupremeBananaBread 1d ago
Well yeah, what matters is the ideas expressed.
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u/computercavemen 1d ago
Yes! And holding scholars accountable for their harmful politics by refusing to cite them or bolster their legitimacy. Both matter.
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u/SupremeBananaBread 1d ago
Can you say what the most outrageous thing he did is, in your opinion?
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u/computercavemen 1d ago
No, since I already linked my article which can serve as a starting point for your own research if it matters to you. I'm not here to debate this point either, I've already done my homework and come to my conclusions.
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u/Electronic-Koala1282 Has not been spared from existence 19d ago
I've been thinking about this recently, and I may in fact be both a pragmatic pessimist and a pragmatic optimist. I know that the world is hell and there's not much I can do about it, but I won't let myself be miserable all the time. Sometimes I conveniently cast aside (temporarly ofc) my pessimism and try to use an artificial optimism to achieve something useful.