Common Pessimism vs. Philosophical Pessimism

The two kinds of pessimism are common pessimism and philosophical pessimism.

Common pessimism is pretty much equivalent to the idea of defeatism. That is the classic "glass is half empty" position regarding the outcome of one's fortune or future fortunes. This is the most common type of pessimism people think about when they think of pessimism. This type is generally just saying to expect the worst, things will not be getting "better" (whatever subjective meaning we are using for better).

Philosophical pessimism is on the whole related in its negative estimation of life events, but much broader and more complex than common pessimism (defeatism). Philosophical pessimism is the position generally outlined by Arthur Schopenhauer and states that the world in some fundamental metaphysical way, is "no good". Similar to Buddhism, the idea is that when humans are born into existence, they suffer. Suffering occurs because of a pervasive restlessness in big-brained human animal. We are in constant need and want for reasons of survival, discomfort, and boredom. Boredom especially shows the negative quality that existence imposes on the human animal as it indicates that at the end of all the striving, there is simply a lack and feeling of worthlessness that leads us to go back on the "striving" merry-go-round. Schopenhauer specifically described this inner striving and restlessness as our "Will-to-live" which is constant and endless. According to his views (which have been labeled as Philosophical Pessimism by later philosophers), existence is really a seething, striving, force, or "Will" that manifests itself in representational form as the phenomena of the physical universe (see neutral monism). Schopenhauer's claim is that the Will is categorically suffering for all living beings, and is especially so for human beings. The reason for the greater suffering in Humans is the assertion that Humans, can self-reflect on their own pain as well as feel pain more acutely (in the everyday strife of living, natural disasters, emotional anguish, boredom, and the ceaseless striving for goals). It seems that having goals itself, and the need to have to work towards something is a form of suffering. It seems being disappointed if goals are not reached lead to suffering, it seems that boredom and restlessness continuing when one reaches goals, and has no task to accomplish is also suffering. In his work, Schopenhauer advocated aesthetic contemplation and compassion as two lower level ways to solve the problem of suffering. However, he wrote that the most fundamental way for the individual to end suffering is to retreat to living as a hermit or ascetic who cuts all physical relations with the world, therefore "ending the Will-to-Live". Along with this, one should not act in the supreme Will's command by procreating the will unto another individual and thus, giving into the ultimate demand of the Will-to-Live (procreating the Will and its suffering to a new individual human form).

So, with all this said, you must now try to evaluate the idea of pessimism with this understanding. If you are to examine philosophical pessimism, and its worldview, do you generally agree with this assessment of the world? I personally agree with much of the sentiment and would say it is most accurate to our situation. I cannot refute the fact that we are big-brained animals that are restless, and this restlessness leads to suffering due to our strivings and realization of worthlessness and incomprehensibility of existence through the experience of profound boredom. As stated in another post of mine: When our attention goes smoothly, we are very much "of the appearance of things" that everything is "all right" in our world. However, when our attention is not focused on a specific task, or is not consumed with something to take its mind off existence itself, boredom comes seeping in. The feeling of boredom may be analogous to Heiddger's idea of "broken tool". No longer does the world seem to run smoothly as it did in when our minds were focused or attentive to some task. Now the world itself seems to lack significance. The void of nothingness stares in our face and forces us to flee. The feeling of existential dread is that all consuming feeling that at the heart of the world there is nothingness, at the end of the day there is blankness. When we are focusing our attention we stay at the surface of things. Life makes sense.. things seem logical. Boredom breaks this barrier and shows it for what it is really. We cannot describe what the world is because there are no words. As stated before, it is ineffable. We can only describe the feeling, and that is one of existential dread.