Better than Both The Case for Pessimism

by Heinegg, Peter

• ISBN13: 9780761833123
• ISBN10: 0761833129
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-01-17
• Publisher: Hamilton Books

Summary

"Better Than Both: The Case for Pessimism is an experiment in "popular philosophy." It presents and discusses (literally) life-and-death issues in non-technical, everyday language. This new work sees pessimism, not as a kind of depressed moodiness or self-indulgent negativity, but as the inevitable result of any fair-minded survey of the world we actually live in. It reaches this conclusion by looking into basic human psychology, the record of history, the experience of aging and death, the failure of religion, and many features of both ancient and modern culture."--BOOK JACKET.

Author Biography

Peter Heinegg is a Professor of English at Union College.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction to Pessimism: What Are the Odds?	1	(6)
Brain-Fever: Psychological Pessimism	7	(8)
Chained to the Slaughter-Bench: Historical Pessimism	15	(12)
Not a Pretty Picture: Pessimism and Old Age	27	(6)
What Has God Done for You Lately? Atheistic/Agnostic Pessimism	33	(12)
Crumbling Rock of Ages: Pessimism and the Religious Imagination	45	(14)
Promises, Promises: American Pessimism	59	(8)
The Filthiest Nest: Ecological Pessimism	67	(8)
On and On and On: Pessimism and the Continuum	75	(6)
Don't Kid Yourself: Pessimism and Death	81	(10)
Blood-Soaked Roots: Cultural Pessimism	91	(8)
Don't Be Duped: Pessimism and Comedy	99	(6)
The Triumph of Experience over Hope: Sexual Pessimism	105	(4)
Get Real: Pessimism and Tragedy	109	(6)
Anybody Home? Pessimism in a Chaotic Cosmos	115	(8)
You Think You Got Trouble? Proverbial Pessimism	123	(6)
Things Aren't That Bad: Silly Pessimism	129	(8)
Who Needs All this Stuff? Pessimism vs. Creation	137	(4)
Don't Tell Me How it Ends: Eschatological Pessimism	141	(4)
Epilogue: The Joy of Pessimism	145