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/lit/ - Literature

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16773197 No.16773197 [Reply] [Original]

Why is pessimism as a philosophy so unpopular?

Is it just because humans favor their comfortable copes over the hard to swallow truth? I feel like it's against biology to accept the bleakness of existence and that most would simply end their lives

>> No.16773209

>>16773197
Actually, the ones “coping” here are pessimists, who exaggerate life’s hardships on a metaphysical scale to experience some catharsis from the many personal failures they experience day to day throughout their lives. Your pic related is a prime example

>> No.16773217

yo harry styles GOLDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN

>> No.16773220

>>16773197
Pessimism is the surest NPC-filter in existence. They can't even rationally consider life-denying. As soon they encounter anything remotely pessimistic, their system throws an exception:
>LIFE GOOD! PESSIMISM BAD! LIFE GOOD! PESSIMISM BAD!
Of course, there are also faulty NPC's who are attracted to pessimism because their system is damaged (those 'depressed' types), but that's another story.

>> No.16773235

>>16773197
Because most people live happy, normal lives that they enjoy greatly 90% of the time.
It's just depressed losers like yourself who think that everyone else is secretly a depressed loser like them just they're pretending not to be. It's funny you talk about copes because that's exactly what you're doing lol. The hard to swallow truth (for you) is that life is on the whole amazing and valuable and glorious and that you are in the small minority that doesn't think so. Poor fella.

>> No.16773238
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16773238

Jokkul Experience Worm, Fork, Coconut.
The Only reason to be a pessimist is defeatism, often with a large dose masochistic and narcissistic self-congratulation. You're literally a spiritual bottom, taking it in the ass by a truth you have no metaphysical basis to believe in since you reject the Good.

>> No.16773254

>>16773235
>>16773238
Haven't suffered

>> No.16773283

>>16773209
Cringe, you're a mental midget incapable of contemplating suffering objectively

>> No.16773285

>>16773220
>>16773235
>>16773238
children

>> No.16773297

>>16773283
>thinking avoidance of suffering is objectively the highest value and anyone who disagrees with that is objectively wrong

>> No.16773305

>>16773297
>avoidance of suffering
But that's impossible

>> No.16773306

>>16773197
With nihilism must come the breakdown of all values. If what we traditionally deem as good must come down, them what is bad must go with it. There can be no bad without good.

The pessimist view is no more correct than an optimist view. Both block out the other half of reality, and think that they can just come up with rationalizations for their presumptions. That's exactly what pessimism is: first comes the conclusion that life is bad, then second comes the rationalization to justify everything.

Both pessimism and optimism are just stories we tell ourselves. The truth is not stories, it is just bare and simple reality. The rational faculty of mind is only a small part, and is a survival mechanism. This evolved mechanism has two parts: the part that deals with bad and the part that deals with good. Pessimism is simply when the survival mechanism that deals with negative emotion grows so much that it takes over the rational faculty and begins creating justifications for itself.

Truth is silent, pure, and is laid bare when you toss aside the animal mechanisms of pessimism and optimism.

>> No.16773317

>>16773197
Because being a defeatist virgin freak is a fate reserved to only the most pathetic people.

>> No.16774926

bump

>> No.16775004

>>16773283
>OOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHH I'M SOOOOOFFERING NOOOOOOOOOOOO LIFE IS PRISOOOOOOOON

>> No.16775094

>>16773197
Actually, if pessimism is man's natural tendency after hearing these "pessimistic philosophies" or experiencing hardships in life, to maintain strength and hope (some kind of optimism) is not a comfortable cope, it is the hard choice.

>favor their comfortable copes over the hard to swallow truth
It's hard to swallow, sure, but people like you believe in it because you feel like it gives you superiority over the "blue pilled" masses. It's just another red pill phase. It's an uncomfortable cope with your own insecurity and inferiority, but it brings you pleasure nonetheless.

>>16773220
>NPC= person that disagrees with me
>doesn't see the potential for this to be reversed so as to attack him

>>16773254
>if you don't share my pessimistic beliefs, you haven't suffered
So many millions of people have suffered without being career pessimists like you, that's patently false. Perhaps you are just weak; in that case, keep your weakness to yourself, stop trying to infect others.

>>16773305
Then stop trying to avoid it, and face it head on. You can't be telling me that all suffering is inevitable, but certain sufferings are. You reap what you sow.

>>16775004
And they are too weak to "escape" their prison (unlike Mainlander in OP's pic). They are too weak to make convincing arguments, let alone write philosophy or hang themselves. In truth, their pessimism is just weakness, a tiredness of life. If pessimism is the "bitter pill," then they have chosen to suffer, and to render all of their sufferings meaningless. Others choose ways to ground themselves, a nation, faith, etcetera, and so their suffering takes on a different nature. Pessimists have chosen to suffer like dogs, let them be.

>> No.16775126

>>16773283
>suffering
>objectively
The most simple and obvious oxymoron and you still commit to using it. Any pessimistic philosophy is BTFO'd by the simple fact that I enjoy eating and then shitting, and still have the means to do so as I please.

>> No.16775144

>>16773197
most people don't want to kill themselves

>> No.16775159

>>16775144
most people should

>> No.16775182

>>16775094
>So many millions of people have suffered without being career pessimists like you, that's patently false. You can't be telling me that all suffering is inevitable, but certain sufferings are. You reap what you sow.
i thought so but lately i've watched my grandma's will broken as her body's grown so frail it's near collapsing in on itself
there's suffering that one just can't bear and it's coming regardless of how what they sowed unless they're lucky enough to die early

>> No.16775200

>>16775159
after you

>> No.16775205

>>16775200
im not most people

>> No.16775206

It's popular with depressed teenagers on reddit, why don't you go there?

>> No.16775239

>>16773197
Most nihilistic/pessimistic people I know are just losers, and usually because of something that is entirely their fault and in their control.

>> No.16775288

>>16773283
NOOOO NOT MY HECKIN SOOFERINOOOOS NOOO

>> No.16775305

>>16773306
You hit the nail on the head here. If anyone was truly nihilistic, which I don't believe there is, there would no concept of suffering.

>> No.16775317

>>16773197
no chin

>> No.16775351
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16775351

>>16775305
isnt that just buddhism
tradtards btfo

>> No.16775493

>>16773197
who's pic related?

>> No.16775555

>>16773235
cope

>> No.16775748

>>16773197
because optimism is much comfier than nihlism and unquestionably superior to pessimism. read montaigne, spinoza, even nietzsche, who espouses the highest form of optimism

>> No.16775756

>>16773235
based

>> No.16775760

>>16773238
Ever heard of ethical naturalism? Keep coping though, I'm sure things will go well for you.

>> No.16775780

>>16773209
>>16773317
>>16775004
>>16775126
Stockholm Syndrome.

>> No.16775801

>>16773197
pessimism is face tats, xan popping soundcloud rapper tier

>> No.16776712

>>16773197
I think it's because to most people it's so obviously false. The majority of people do not care or think about it, others enjoy their life, then there are the batch of losers who recognize the inherent suffering in life but don't do anything about it. The rest are people who realize it and reform their life for a higher purpose. Schopenhauer was the last one, by the way.

>> No.16776720

>>16775780
>Stockholm Syndrome.
why

>> No.16776737

>>16775780
Pessimists have this odd rhetorical strategy of dismissing their opposition on the grounds of mental biases or coping strategies, but ironically seethe if you suggest that their own philosophy just reflects mental illness. (Which, by the way , it does.)

>> No.16777387

>>16773197
Neither side on this board seems to realize they both use immense coping strategies to get their points across. Almost everyone here goes to great lengths only to repeat an opinion that has been posted here thousands of times. I don’t get why either side tries so desperately to seem superior.

>> No.16777395

>>16776737
cope

>> No.16777404

pessimism, cynicism, misanthropy, and nihilism are all boring and nauseating

>> No.16777435

>>16777387
Pessimists invariably attack the mental capacities of non-pessimists because they have to. If you take the general population at their word, then there is strong empirical evidence that life is worth living--people generally report they are glad to be alive. Pessimists have no choice but to defend the position that everyone is rationally compromised on the issue. This isn't a symmetric problem that both sides have equally--non-pessimists can appeal to people's basic sense that life is worth living.

>> No.16777452

>>16773235
needed to hear that...thanks anon

>> No.16777473

>>16777435
>there is strong empirical evidence that life is worth living--people generally report they are glad to be alive
This is because most people are NPCs.

>> No.16777475

>>16773235
Also what makes life worth living is love in it's purest sense, which most people experience with others. Autists never experienced the love that's worth dying for, so they try to understand reality through cold logic and utilitarianism which ultimately leads to pessimism and cynicism.

>> No.16777490 [DELETED] 

>>16773238
t. hasn't lived a tough life

>> No.16777508

>>16773235
t. hasn't lived a tough life

>> No.16777509

>>16777473
On the contrary, it's because most people don't have an affective disorder. Just listen to Benatar's description of routine events like experiencing hunger and one will observe how perverse it is--the man literally experiences life as a catalogue of little pains, and has no positive emotion associated with basic activities. That's not normal human experience, and it has nothing to do with rational capacities.

>> No.16777517

>>16773197
because most people grow up.

>> No.16777520

>>16777473
Just because you’re depressed does not make you le super smart different thinker

>> No.16777555
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16777555

>>16777473
What makes you think you're not one of them? What makes you think you're special? You ARE a pessimist, right?

>>16777387
There is no "both sides," everyone is, to some extent, both a pessimist and an optimist, they just fluctuate and intertwine (even a pessimist hopes he will beat his opponent or prove himself intellectually superior, why else would he keep arguing here, reading, or appealing to intellect?).

>>16775780
Misdiagnosis. Even then, I see what you're going for, and it can just as easily be applied to you. You submit to and defend this "new truth" or "blackpill," even though it is one of the things that causes you pain. I defend life, though it causes me pain; we are one and the same.

>>16775182
Yeah, you just bear it. Or don't bear it. It's of no consequence either way, I don't believe a good world needs to be without gratuitous or great suffering, and there is no pain we cannot bear. If dying early is "lucky," by all means, do so. Wait for your loved ones to die, and then show yourself out. Otherwise, you demonstrate to us that the fear of suffering in the future (that is, avoidance of pain) is not as important or great as the expectation of pleasure, or change.

>> No.16777565

>>16773197
because pessimism inst rigorous as other philosophy fields.

>> No.16777578

>>16777473
based

>> No.16777582

>>16777509
Being metaphysically satisfied by eating and similar activities is literally the definition of being a hylic.

>> No.16777587

>>16777520
yes it does fuck off faggot

>> No.16777588

>>16777555
>There is no "both sides,"...
Sure, that’s true, although most posts on this board usually indicate the preference of one specific “side”. That’s what I was talking about, none of the opinions seem reasonable because they’re fully dedicated to denigrating the opposing side.

>> No.16777601

>>16777517
based and maturepilled

>> No.16777616
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16777616

what makes life even more suffering is that not everyone suffers, some people don't suffer at all, others are born with progeria or down's syndrome in a developing country. there is nothing to be done about this and it will be forever like this
you will never get it, happy momma's little boy.

>> No.16777617

>>16777582
I was examining Benatar in particular there. He describes bodily pains as evidence of the bad in life outweighing the good. The pains are not "metaphysical dissatisfactions". I point out only that his immediate psychological experiences are not normal, nothing more.

As an aside, gnosticism is a /lit/ meme, not a serious religion.

>> No.16777654
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16777654

>>16773235
People wanna preach about being happy but they live in a fucking anomaly.The place you are at right now? Can end any second, and you'll be ripped right back to reality. None of these fags have ever had to struggle in life, went to war. Had to put someone back together. Sit in your madcats gaming chair and tell us more about why we should all just be happy you sub human fuck. And the hyperbole is necessary for pieces of dogshit on this board. Especially ones like you. Fake men.

>> No.16777707

>>16773235
>Because most people live happy, normal lives that they enjoy greatly 90% of the time.
speak for yourself, you disingenuous faggot. kys

>> No.16777738
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16777738

>>16773197
Who gives fuck about direct popularity of philosophers man?
Just look at the sorry condition of contemporary philosophy. It's a total dead end. Look at the contemporary normalfag culture it's full of mental illness romanticisation and nihilism. Read the of thesis of Mark Fisher for cultural stasis and psychopathology. Read the Roy Scranton's thesis for catastrophic climate. Read the scientific reports on energy crisis. Look at the political discourse, total stasis. Birth rates are declining. All over the world the world people are pessimistic about future. And countless other "bleak" factors.

Pessimist canon won.

>> No.16777761

>>16777616
Humans take on the role of God and try to mend the wounds of circumstance, in other words to bring heaven down to earth to the best of our abilities. This is what it means to be human.

>> No.16777764

>>16773197
cringe

>> No.16777766

>>16773209
>Actually, the ones “coping” here are pessimists
Everyone is coping, even you, as you dismiss pessimism as a mere cope.

>> No.16777782
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16777782

>>16773197
because their pathetic impotence and desire for death doesnt allow them to get a strong hold of culture.

But, that being said, it is clear that this only applies to pessimist PHILOSOPHERS, but pessimist PHILOSOPHY is actually more and more mainstream in zoomers, with all that doomerism crap.

We are evermore near the Last Men...

>> No.16777869

>>16777616
if life is too hard for you you can just end it here and now. Chads will still be living a work of art of a life, while you enjoy your comfortable cloud of despair which allows you to just sit and cry like a baby waiting for momma. When you realize how much of a failure ypu are, you can just say: "hey, Being is shit, i can just sit here and cry", instead of affirming your Being and enjoy your suffering as the mere price one has to pay to become Divine.

>> No.16778001

because it's as foolish as blind optimism. life is life. no more no less.

>> No.16778009

>>16778001
Either you keep going or you extinguish

>> No.16778022

>>16777869
>work hard! become chad! all life revolves around 4chan terminology!!!
what a naive imbecile. you think that everything is just a matter of "trying hard" enough because you never tried hard enough for anything, you never knew or saw your limits or you choose to ignore them. in truth even the most basic things are inaccessible to many and everything revolves around futile competition which is either won by pure luck or genetic luck.
most people in the world live miserable lives but continue out of necessity and instinct. suicide goes against all instincts, every cell of your body does its hardest to avoid your death. almost all suicides are done impulsively. you can't just entirely remove instincts.
yet the one "hero" and the winner dictates everything and tells everyone how they should feel and that they are wrong. like i said this is something that you either understand or never will, i am arguing from the position of the loser so insult just furthers my point

>> No.16778028

>>16777508
you make your own life tough

>> No.16778032

>>16773197
Because it's not really useful.

>> No.16778038

>>16773197
In order to drive forward people need philosophies of high energy. Some eastern european peasants thrive on suffering and pessimism but they're built for it.

People tend to adopt philosophies and belief systems that fit their environment and match their genetic disposal.

>> No.16778047

>>16773209
This is actually a good post.

>> No.16778056

>>16778038
>disposal

Meant to say disposition.

>> No.16778057

>>16778038
Why are you conflating philosophy with genetics? This is dumb shit

>> No.16778087

>>16778022
failure is painful, especially when you value success greatly, but ultimately you must make peace with your destiny. even for the most wretched, there are things to enjoy. So, don't diminish these comforts, enjoy them wholeheartedly, without guilt. Enjoy the attempt, the journey. If your particular journey is not enjoyable to you, maybe it is time to find something else? You still have time to find something to do. In racing schools, when an aspiring driver is not particularly skilled, they say, "other sports beckon".

>> No.16778093

>>16778057
Because things like individualism are genetically passed on. People have dispositions for personalities that are inherited.

>> No.16778115

>>16778093
Worldviews are passed on culturally, not genetically. There are individualists who are white, brown, and asian

>> No.16778146

>>16778115
They may copy certain things but individualism is literally a trait associated with pastoralists. It's not just culture it's blood too. Confucianism would've have developed with anyone but ethnic Chinese.

>> No.16778155

>>16778146
would've

Meant wouldn't

>> No.16778161

>>16778146
>They may copy certain things but individualism is literally a trait associated with pastoralists
this is mental gymnastics

>> No.16778189

>>16778161
If you say so. Humans are somewhat malleable, but they are not infinitely malleable. Forget which black asian. It's more than that. Even several generations of tribal tradition effect a peoples personality.

>> No.16778209

>>16778189
Do you believe the difference between Protestants and Catholics are genetic?

>> No.16778217
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16778217

Pessimism is a midwit philosophy. It allows its followers to role-play as le dark brooding intellectual with only minimal mental effort.
Suffering, misery and sadness are not complex emotions. It's easy to understand where they come from: poverty, deprivation, illness, loss, death, etc. Even children can understand them.
But what about happiness?
These pessimists just love to rant on and on about the inherently horrible nature of the universe and the cruelty of man to man but they will be utterly stumped and unable to answer if you ask them what happiness is and where it comes from.
That's because happiness is a concept much more difficult to understand, and pessimists don't want to do the intellectual effort required to understand it, they'd rather endlessly rehash the same old diatribes about how awful everything is while offering no solutions to the problems that any idiot could point out about the world.

>> No.16778223

>>16778217
it takes more courage to be an optimist

>> No.16778230

>>16778209
Possibly. So much of the Protestants were germs and northern Europeans chimping out

>> No.16778246

>>16778217
One of the funnier differences between pessimism and optimism is that optimists often enjoy a higher quality of life. If you had to relive your life for eternity would you choose to whine like a baby or seize every moment and make it your own?

>> No.16778256

>>1677320
Post of the week. People have made suffering their new God to fill the hole left by a lack of metaphysics

>> No.16778257

>>16778217
>But what about happiness?
A conspiracy of entropy to force a biological puppet move through this meat grinder.

>> No.16778382

>>16778217
Children can understand happiness as well. The “profundity” (although I’d hardly call it that) you’re talking about also exists in pessimism, and both of these mental states are achieved through coping strategies. Striving towards happiness may be the more reasonable choice, but your view of the world is no more “profound” or correct than an unhappy person’s view. You chose the side that makes you feel better about life, which is undoubtedly the better one in this case.

>> No.16778457

when one of my friends was starting to tell me basically he was becoming an adherent to pessimistic philosophy i pretty much knew that the friendship was gonna be through sooner than later.. and it is. hey no hard feelings or weirdness or anything: just benevolent indifference on both side.

>> No.16778479

>>16778246
based eternal recurrence

>> No.16778484

>>16778457
because there is an impotent virulent arrogance in pessimism , the way they mediocrely refuse existence as it is with a reducing pov, oh they can snarf and guffaw but it doesn't make them right, their insight is shit so their jokes are based on nothing ,they can't afford to be smug .

>> No.16778509

>>16778217
Have you even read any of the philosophical pessimists retard? They worked at a metaphysical level instead of your infantile
>I feel good therefore world good

>> No.16778521

>>16778457
There's nothing wrong with cutting off toxic people, and pessimists are absolutely toxic. I'm personally too attached to people to cut them out, but I understand it completely

>> No.16778541

>>16778484
Nothing is new under the sun. Pessimism is not new but the people that have adhered to it end up not reproducing and just fading away. Cynics like diogenes are far more based. I like cynics. Pessimists just worship their own suffering like little sad boys.

>> No.16778710

>>16777738
I only recognize schopenhauer and mainländer. who are these others?

>> No.16778782

Suffering Is strength.

>> No.16778793

>>16778509

Metaphysically suffering makes you choose to be strong.

>> No.16779528

>>16773197
Because the people which it is popular with is not here anymore

>> No.16779539

>>16775780
>>16775159
>>16773197
>t. didn't have a tough life