Jack Cummins

So how do you think communal pessimism would take place? Do you think that it would be about people sharing their experiences in a group? I do believe...

Of course, Freud's original idea was really one of catharsis, rather than of telling people that they should get better. Freud's philosophy was fairly...

I have been in some experiential psychotherapy groups which seem to operate along those lines. But, we can also ask to what extent is moaning useful? ...

This is your first post, so welcome to the forum. You make some important points, especially in saying that the question of pessimism and optimism see...

I am surprised that you could not function for about a month after reading Schopenhauer's ideas, especially on desire. I read his essays on pessimism ...

The anthropology of religion is an area I find fascinating. I have read Eliade's, 'The Sacred and the Profane'. I have dipped into Levi Strauss, but I...

I have been reading, 'The Essays of Arthur Schopenhauer: Studies in Pessimism, ' this morning and found it a good book to read. One aspect which I was...

I am glad that you can see the link between pessimism and mood. I am definitely not in favour of a whole empty philosophy of happiness but sometimes w...

I am about to log off for the night, but it is an interesting idea that modern philosophy begins with despair.

It is interesting that pessimism and asceticism can be linked because in some ways it could give rise to the view that nothing matters and that, there...

I have got a few books by Schopenhauer on my Kindle. Which do you recommend, because he has written a lot? I also realise that he is your mentor in so...

I have read some Camus, including, 'The Myth of Syphyus'. I do embrace despair to some extent, but I do find that if I focus on that philosophy too mu...

I do agree that one can have a philosophy of pessimism without necessarily being unhappy. I wonder if this is a set of ideas which is detached from th...

I don't see why Buddhism can't be considered in this thread because it is a valid perspective. I am interested in looking at the whole question of pes...

So, what is the one way to find out? I am a bit puzzled.

It is interesting that you mention death because it may be that ideas of death are an underlying aspect of many forms of pessimistic philosophy. It co...

I don't see why you started the discussion about transgender. Perhaps, it would have been better to start with the basis of gender because you are pro...

I would imagine that it is not that there is a fundamental difference in the nature of the commonplace understanding of pessimism, but more about the ...

What is 'simplicity of soul'? I am not sure that many women would be happy with such an idea applied to them.

Of course, there is a difference between pessimism and hopelessness but, surely, pessimistic thoughts can give rise to a sense of hopelessness.

I am really interested in Lacan's work on psychoanalysis and his book, 'The Psychoses', although I have only read parts of it. I am also interested in...

Probably the context in which I have followed through the ideas of postmodernism is within sociology and it is on this level that I think it is useful...

Pessimism and optimism definitely seem to be partly a consequence of the states of mind we experience. Some people become depressed and some even deve...

I do think that it is true that repeated attempts to strive for hope do give way to a more ultimate collapse into despair. It may be that the person k...

It is interesting that you bring in the topic of romanticism because the whole movement of romanticism came with very different views. Perhaps the mos...

I do believe that it is possible to blend optimism and pessimism. Perhaps it can even be seen as a continuum. You speak of brain chemistry and I think...

Decay of the body is one which we face individually. It is interesting to think of this in relation to the global crisis. Perhaps Gaia, or mother eart...

I think that it would be worth you doing some research into trans issues. The whole medical process of changing gender is to address the experience of...

Your reference to Heidegger is very apt to the topic because my whole thinking around the idea of the question of pessimism and optimism was not meant...

I see pessimism as a leading to a problem for choices. I once had a tutor who said that it was a mistake to try to give people a sense of hope. I see ...

I am out at the moment, so plan to respond to comments when I get home, but I can respond to yours quickly while outside. I don't think that you shoul...

I find pessimism as rather limited and prefer optimism. However, it seems to me that so much philosophy is biased in favour of pessimism. I would be i...

I think that it is both one of avoiding deception and of reaching our goals in life. My query is about the whole way of finding a balanced perception ...

I think that you are right that people are going back to the idea of the premodern? I am inclined to think that postmodernism was extremely useful as ...

I believe that we have experienced modernism and postmodernism, with its deconstruction of values. Perhaps we are in the post post modern. The whole e...

Yes, I didn't think that your triangle should mean that people should just stay at the bottom. In many ways, dualistic thinking seems to be the illuso...

I completely agree with your perspective on boredom. It seems far more preferable to suffering. I don't get bored very often but from talking to some ...

I think that your view of Maslow is a bit wrong because he is not just a social activist or scientist. He places great emphasis on peak experiences. E...

However, I can see the relevance of Maslow's ideas, because he is suggesting that when one need is met this becomes a basis for moving on to the next ...

Okay, that's fine, because the discussion did begin with Schopenhauer, and I probably was stretching the question in other directions.

But I am not convinced that all life is miserable. That is Schopenhauer's subjective perspective. Personally, I find that it has extreme lows and high...

I am really talking about conflict over desire, although I am aware that the passage from Schopenhauer is talking about boredom. However, I do believe...

I know that you are talking about the higher consciousness but do you think that the balance of opposites is different to the one in real life?Do you ...

I think that there are so many perspectives, especially the subjective. I think that it can be that some fulfilment of desires leads to a happier and ...

I think that is the motivational aspect, but apart from that there is a whole process about what is agreed in small groups and in larger groups. In th...

One aspect which I think that it is worth clarifying is to what extent you are thinking about the comfort of being protected by morality or about how ...

I believe that you are correct in focusing on Cicero and, when you suggest that all religions are the same, I think that you are pointing to the way i...

I think that there is definitely a spiritual and ecstatic side to music, including the shamanic one. This includes the whole of psychedelic and dance ...

One idea is the law of attraction, developed by Esther and Jeremy Hicks, and a number of others, which suggests that we can draw the circumstances whi...

I found the ideas of Niscolescu very helpful as my understanding of reality is certainly multidimensional. I also think that the whole idea of the mid...