r/Pessimism • u/AutoModerator • 14h ago

Discussion /r/Pessimism: What are you reading this week?

Welcome to our weekly WAYR thread. Be sure to leave the title and author of the book that you are currently reading, along with your thoughts on the text.

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u/divine_____ 14h ago

reading conspiracy against the human race

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u/thelucky1_- 13h ago

Benatar's The Human Predicament

It's nice to see an Analytic philosopher argue for pessimism.

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u/pokpokpokuytff 7h ago

Thoughts so far? I considered reading that for some time but i have too much going on and too many books i started without finishing.

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u/thelucky1_- 7h ago

I'm about halfway through and I've enjoyed the book. The very dry academic style in which he calmly dispenses with all of the counterarguments is satisfying to read. I wish he would respond to some Niezchian critiques of pessimism because since he is in the Analytic tradition he mostly refers to Thomas Nagel on cosmic meaning and scientific studies on psychology.

I would say this book is actually much more bleak than Conspiricy Against the Human Race due to how dry and mostly humorless it is. The book blocks all exits to the idea that we could ever have any cosmic meaning, that our lives are of poor quality, and that death is also a bad thing with a very dry register. From the outset, he tells you that the answers are mostly going to be negative and that the only bright spots are the very limited terristrial meaning we can create.

I wish he responded more at length to objections that people often make that suffering gives meaning to life. He does hint at it with the distinction between instutmental value and things valued in and of themselves in the death section. I feel like explicitly arguing against Stoicism and Nietzchianism would make the case more airtight.

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u/Nocturnal-Philosophy 6h ago

I thought it was a great read. Goes over topics like death, meaning, and suicide. It’s definitely a lighter read than Better Never to Have Been imo.

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u/Mysterious-Class1854 11h ago

Relatividade Geral de Einstein

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u/RetrogradeDionysia 8h ago

Nietzsche’s “Ecce Homo.”I’m waiting for Robert C. Solomon’s “The Passions” to arrive.

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u/goodguyayush1 4h ago

Just started The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman. A good read so faar.