Theoretical Foundations of Pessimism

Abstract

Philosophical pessimism consists of a set of theses offering a gloomy view of humanity and its destiny. The core claim of those theses might be said to be that the world and human beings are structured such that most of the deepest interests and desires which human beings have will be thwarted. These theses, and the philosophical position they comprise, have been held by Giacomo Leopardi, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Camus, E. M. Cioran, and perhaps Unamuno and Freud. This paper asks: What are this position's theoretical foundations? What are the theories which underpin and justify the position and its constituent theses? In answer, the paper argues that pessimism’s foundations consist of three theories: a theory of human nature, a theory of human reason, and a theory of the universe. In arguing to this thesis, the paper specifies the 27 characteristic theses of philosophical pessimism, explicates the notion of a theoretical foundation, and considers and tries to refute four alternative views of pessimism’s foundations.

Keywords: philosophical pessimism, theoretical foundations, human nature, reason, the universe