Foreword: Just My Opinion™
Pessimists are creatives who are able to see the worst possible outcomes. To me, this means we have people who are able to effectively sound the alarm, and it’s worth at least listening to what they have to say.
I feel Pessimism is shunned nowadays because it comes close enough to Realism so as to be uncomfortably familiar, as what we’re seeing unfold is one of the worst potentialities we had at our disposal (I think most if not all of us agree that we couldn’t have anticipated a dystopia THIS fucking stupid).
In a healthy society, however, one in which things work in favour of the citizens and every soul has the necessities of life assured, Pessimism would serve as a cautionary element. It would demonstrate the disasters we’re avoiding or will have to avoid.
I feel this has always been its role, from Ancient Greek Tragedies to contemporary dystopian sci-fi, but somewhere along the way it became something to be avoided like the plague (see Toxic Optimism/Positivism).
An optimist invents the airplane. A pessimist invents the parachute.
Exactly! Thank you! Yes, I realised I’ve focused too much on Pessimism (guess I’d make for a good defence lawyer! or a poor one, food for thought…) and not the big picture.
Yes! It’s about reasonably establishing the risks and actually setting safeguards in place, whereas optimism should be allowed to roam free and dream stuff up! One tempers/uplifts the other!
Warning for crummy poetics: and in the synnergy of the two, Reality is born!:)))
The only difference between optimism and pessimism, is that you prefer one over the other. The only people that think pessimism is closer to reality than optimism are the pessimists, because that’s literally how pessimism works.
Optimists think pessimists are just depressing and further from reality.
It’s more rare to find a pessimist than an optimist. To be a pessimist, you need to predict outcomes WORSE than reality.
Most people you think are pessimists are realists.
Realists are just people who refuse to believe that their perspective is skewed.
Imagine the arrogance to think that your life experiences are exactly what’s required to be right and completely objective all of the time
All of the time? Don’t be daft.
Realists are simply people who, when they get things wrong, adjust their understanding of the world.
Optimists and pessimists just slip that second step.
And let me guess, you’re a realist who always has the exact right amount of positivity or negativity that each situation requires.
Oh god no. I’m wrong a whole bunch. Less than last year though. Much less than three years ago.
Well, that would be fair, except I’ve stated no preference for pessimism:)) In my view it is just as important as Optimism. Two sides of the same coin.
Edit: and the current situation demonstrates that, in fact, reality itself can be horrible enough for the Pessimists to be right:))
Well, that would be fair, except I’ve stated no preference for pessimism:))
I’d argue that your tone throughout the post says otherwise, but if I misinterpreted that, the only word I would change is the “you” in the last sentence to “pessimists”. As not to point fingers, but the point still stands
I honestly don’t know which to which “you” you’re referring, it’s in neither the last, or the second-to-last paragraph. :-?
As far as my tone goes, well… how else could I make a case for Pessimism if not by using at least a quasi-positive tone around it?
I just changed it.
Oooh, I got it now, sorry!
I’m not saying Pessimism can’t be taken to the extremes (same as some Optimists believe that Optimism is best, which is arguably why we’re still neck-deep in crap, but I digress). I wasn’t arguing for that, though, I was arguing for a healthy inclusion of Pessimism in our thought processes, just as we should do with Optimism.
Also, funnily enough, this is exactly why the thought hit me, I was thinking about just how many people oppose Pessimism without even considering its worth, based on generalised preconceptions:))
Funny, I’m typically used to people leaning towards pessimism as the “smarter” perspective, and optimists being considered in naive or ignorant to “How things really are.”
And reading your post in that context felt like reinforcement of that concept.
To be perfectly clear, I’m more optimistic, and I believe that if someone’s pessimism is constantly bringing them down, then they should probably not lean so hard into it. But I wouldn’t say one is better than another, we need as many differing perspectives as possible to create real working solutions.
Well, hey, fully valid that I may be biased in a similar way, but in reverse, having been surrounded mostly by people who refuse to see The Darkness even if it’s actively slapping them… In either case, I agree with you, it takes a balance between them, as always!
You’ve actually expressed my point way better than I have, so I guess that bias is at least present in the direction from which I approach expressing the idea:-?
I would argue that pessimism, like optimism, is too hobbled by an inability to see clearly the arguments of the other side. Realism seems a better way to go, and if that happens to look bleak then well, that still does not make it actual pessimism.
But that was my point exactly, Pessimism isn’t meant to fully replace awareness of reality. It, just as Optimism, is a Hypothetical at the end of the day, whereas I’d argue Realism, i.e. the ability to see things for what they are is a Concrete. Not even the same conceptual class from where I’m standing.
Edit: to add, I’d argue neither Pessimism nor Optimism can exist without a basis in Realism. Optimism is what I wish reality would be, Pessimism is what I fear reality could be. Without a pre-existing Realistic perception, both would be nothing but unrelated delirium, and then we’d be talking about something else entirely.
2+2=4
2+2=3 is too small, i.e. wrong in the direction of being too small
2+2=5 is too wrong in the direction of being too large
Likewise, optimism is wrong in being too hopeful, pessimism is wrong in being too fearful.
What you said though is that:
Pessimism is a vital component for any healthy society
So being wrong is a vital component of being right? It is an issue with the phrasing. It is not “pessimism” that is necessary, but a willingness to look at the things that may cause us fear - though your phrasing indicated that pessimism itself was the necessary component, which is what I disagreed with.
I see what you’re saying, but perspective is not equatable to a math equation. An optimist and a pessimist can both have a complete understanding of the facts, but one predicts that things will get better, and the other predicts that things will get worse, and eventually, given enough time, they’ll both be right.
There is no such thing as a realist. That’s just what someone calls themselves when they don’t realize that their perspective is flawed and unique to themselves.
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Sure, if you want to neglect the value of trying to picture a better and a worse.
Honestly, you seem to have a problem with Pessimism itself by default, in which case there’s nothing more I can say here.
And, to answer your question, how does one learn if not by first being wrong about things?
