Hello Doctor Philo. I fear being somewhat agree Schopenhauer and wanted to know what can argue with his pessimism, what does it have the great philosophers argue and what you think. It would please me to embrace a different philosophy than his, yet he would convince me ... Thank you very much
Question: If you are not pessimistic, necessarily optimistic are you?
examine alternatives to pessimism.
a - Optimism.
I will not make a statement on the topic of optimism, I content myself with a reference to Leibniz, who is best known representative: Everything is for the best in the best possible worlds . I would simply say that optimism requires commitment, a belief in a principle organizer of the world (one God, Great Architect, the material history of men (Marx), or who you want) that guarantees perfection or at least its slightest imperfection. It also ensures consistency and continuity.
Say to conclude this case, those who disbelieve say to such a principle we must still do as if true, because without morality - that rewards the good and bad deeds - would not be possible. That Kant illustrates this option.
b - The ancient materialism.
I think the pessimism and optimism in fact disappeared from our horizon with the collapse of Marxism. As Sartre says, we do soft has promised nothing, and besides we were not threatened anything either. We are free to make our mark in the world (1), and then one fine day we disappear like the soap bubble bursting, and it completed.
If I refer to the history of ideas, I find here Epicurus.
According to him, the gods are too far away to intervene in our lives, they do not absolutely care of us, and indeed they have not created - the only chance is our origin. We therefore need not fear their anger, nor indeed to count on them to improve our lot. Suffering is the only evil that we have to fear, and first of all our suffering is the fear that we have. (Think of the role assigned today stress to understand the Epicurean message.) Our evil is in us, it is none other than our fear of evil. And thus, death is not fear, because, since we removed it does not concern us: the fear of death that is deadly.
c - Conclusion.
The optimist and the pessimist join hands to affirm that life is all mapped out, it is useless to fight, it was all said before our birth (Inshallah .. .). They are philosophies lazy.
I move Epicureanism as an alternative to these options, and I notice that I'm not alone - think of Michel Onfray this tireless supporter of Greek materialism.
(1) For Sartre, freedom is not to do what we dream, but "to do something with what we have done to us".
