Hope persists
15/01/22 01:28
Sometimes we will find ourselves in a conversation about how we think future historians will interpret our time of history. We have imagined some future archaeologists sifting through the rubble of our time on earth in some future dig revealing our time on earth. The other day, we noted that the abundance of Lego bricks might bring some consternation to future archeologists. Why was so much energy invested in miniature building materials. There is no evidence of tiny humans having lived in our time, but the Lego detritus that we leave behind will certainly include abundant mini-figures. Will future historians interpret the presence of such items as a kind of religious practice. If so, what will all of the heads separated from bodies and upper torsos without lower extremities be interpreted? What will they think of figures with “hands” that are shaped to grasp round objects only?
It is, of course, idle speculation, but sometimes it doesn’t take much to amuse us and spark thoughts and ideas that can be shared. I suppose that part of what inspires such conversation is a love of learning and a bit of knowledge of history and the tools of discovery about the past.
Having some kind of perspective on our time, and a bit of understanding that there are both similarities and differences between different historical eras, can be a source of strength for the trials of this life. We experience pain and grief and we turn to our scriptures to discover that ours isn’t the first generation to experience such emotions. Furthermore, we discover that our forebears endured despite suffering. Hope is born from a sense of connection with those who have lived in other times.
As a college student I found the history of philosophy to be a hopeful pursuit. It is clear to students of how humans have thought about the meaning of life over the centuries that we aren’t the first generation to ponder dark thoughts. I can express dismay at the grim state of politics, in which politicians equate winning with goodness and see any disagreement as enmity. Ours isn’t the first generation of hypocritical leaders, however. Others have experienced injustice and cruelty in the halls of power.
Philosophers have pondered the presence of evil in the world since ancient times. More than seven centuries before the birth of Christ ancient philosophers discussed what has been labeled the Myth of Pandora. In the story, the god Zeus creates Pandora as a punishment for humanity over the theft of fire by Prometheus. Pandora comes to humanity bearing a jar (or sometimes a box, depending on who is telling the story). In the jar are countless plagues. The jar is opened and evil is released into the world. Only one thing remains in the jar. Hope is somehow stuck within the rim of the jar.
There are many different ways to interpret the story. Some see the presence of hope in the midst of evil as a sign that evil is never the only option for humans. Others see the presence of hope as a sign that hope somehow is also a plague - a soothing emotion that can also cause harm.
Philosophers have debated the meaning of the story for thousands of years. In the 19th-Century Arthur Schopenhauer described hope as a “folly of the heart.” He argued that hope is a delusion the "deranges the intellects appreciation of probability.” Hope, from his perspective prevents people from seeing the obvious. “A hopeless misfortune is like a quick death blow, whilst a hope that is always frustrated and constantly revived resembles a kind of slow death by prolonged torture.”
Schopenhauer wasn’t the only philosopher of his century to take up such a dim view. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “Zeus did not want man to throw his life away, no matter how much the other evils might torment him, but rather to go on letting himself be tormented anew. To that end, he gives man hope. In truth, it is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man’s torment.”
Those and other philosophers of previous generations might find themselves at home in the frustrations of current times. In a world beset by a global pandemic facing catastrophic events of global climate change, they might argue that hope blinds humans so that we do not see the inevitable and that any hope in our current situation is simply a prolonging of inevitable suffering.
Fortunately for me students of philosophy are trained to argue with other thinkers, whether they belong to our generation or to another. I can read Schopenhauer and Nietzsche and not be swayed by their arguments. Furthermore, their voices are not the only ones we can read. Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Pure Reason, argues that hope is an essential element and necessary for human life. Without hope, there is no joy. Søren Kierkegaard and Gabriel Marcel view hope as a way of overcoming the limitations of human experience. Kierkegaard makes a distinction between earthly hope which fades over time and heavenly hope which is eternal. Both are available to humans.
Regardless of all of the arguments and philosophies, Hope continues to persist. Even in the darkest of times, humans are capable of experiencing hope and using hope to motivate significant action. History is filled with accounts of humans overcoming odds and accomplishing great good. Furthermore, hope is often present in the lives of those who are most familiar with the evils of this world. The new collaboration between Jane Goodall and Doug Abrams, The Book of Hope, is not prefaced by some blindness to the dangers and evil of this world. Goodall is a realist who has seen the danger and damage humans have caused. Her hope is not some weak emotion that will disappear at the first challenge. It is, rather a deep strength that cannot be destroyed.
Despite millennia of debate, hope continues to motivate people to work for good. Despite the realities of evil in the world, hope persists. A student of the history of philosophy will soon conclude that hope will continue to inspire humans for generations yet to come.
In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo asks Sam, “What are we holding on to?”
“That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo . . . and it’s worth fighting for.”
Despite the multitude of evils in Pandora’s jar, hope is the strongest of its contents.
It is, of course, idle speculation, but sometimes it doesn’t take much to amuse us and spark thoughts and ideas that can be shared. I suppose that part of what inspires such conversation is a love of learning and a bit of knowledge of history and the tools of discovery about the past.
Having some kind of perspective on our time, and a bit of understanding that there are both similarities and differences between different historical eras, can be a source of strength for the trials of this life. We experience pain and grief and we turn to our scriptures to discover that ours isn’t the first generation to experience such emotions. Furthermore, we discover that our forebears endured despite suffering. Hope is born from a sense of connection with those who have lived in other times.
As a college student I found the history of philosophy to be a hopeful pursuit. It is clear to students of how humans have thought about the meaning of life over the centuries that we aren’t the first generation to ponder dark thoughts. I can express dismay at the grim state of politics, in which politicians equate winning with goodness and see any disagreement as enmity. Ours isn’t the first generation of hypocritical leaders, however. Others have experienced injustice and cruelty in the halls of power.
Philosophers have pondered the presence of evil in the world since ancient times. More than seven centuries before the birth of Christ ancient philosophers discussed what has been labeled the Myth of Pandora. In the story, the god Zeus creates Pandora as a punishment for humanity over the theft of fire by Prometheus. Pandora comes to humanity bearing a jar (or sometimes a box, depending on who is telling the story). In the jar are countless plagues. The jar is opened and evil is released into the world. Only one thing remains in the jar. Hope is somehow stuck within the rim of the jar.
There are many different ways to interpret the story. Some see the presence of hope in the midst of evil as a sign that evil is never the only option for humans. Others see the presence of hope as a sign that hope somehow is also a plague - a soothing emotion that can also cause harm.
Philosophers have debated the meaning of the story for thousands of years. In the 19th-Century Arthur Schopenhauer described hope as a “folly of the heart.” He argued that hope is a delusion the "deranges the intellects appreciation of probability.” Hope, from his perspective prevents people from seeing the obvious. “A hopeless misfortune is like a quick death blow, whilst a hope that is always frustrated and constantly revived resembles a kind of slow death by prolonged torture.”
Schopenhauer wasn’t the only philosopher of his century to take up such a dim view. Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “Zeus did not want man to throw his life away, no matter how much the other evils might torment him, but rather to go on letting himself be tormented anew. To that end, he gives man hope. In truth, it is the most evil of evils because it prolongs man’s torment.”
Those and other philosophers of previous generations might find themselves at home in the frustrations of current times. In a world beset by a global pandemic facing catastrophic events of global climate change, they might argue that hope blinds humans so that we do not see the inevitable and that any hope in our current situation is simply a prolonging of inevitable suffering.
Fortunately for me students of philosophy are trained to argue with other thinkers, whether they belong to our generation or to another. I can read Schopenhauer and Nietzsche and not be swayed by their arguments. Furthermore, their voices are not the only ones we can read. Immanuel Kant, in his Critique of Pure Reason, argues that hope is an essential element and necessary for human life. Without hope, there is no joy. Søren Kierkegaard and Gabriel Marcel view hope as a way of overcoming the limitations of human experience. Kierkegaard makes a distinction between earthly hope which fades over time and heavenly hope which is eternal. Both are available to humans.
Regardless of all of the arguments and philosophies, Hope continues to persist. Even in the darkest of times, humans are capable of experiencing hope and using hope to motivate significant action. History is filled with accounts of humans overcoming odds and accomplishing great good. Furthermore, hope is often present in the lives of those who are most familiar with the evils of this world. The new collaboration between Jane Goodall and Doug Abrams, The Book of Hope, is not prefaced by some blindness to the dangers and evil of this world. Goodall is a realist who has seen the danger and damage humans have caused. Her hope is not some weak emotion that will disappear at the first challenge. It is, rather a deep strength that cannot be destroyed.
Despite millennia of debate, hope continues to motivate people to work for good. Despite the realities of evil in the world, hope persists. A student of the history of philosophy will soon conclude that hope will continue to inspire humans for generations yet to come.
In the Lord of the Rings, Frodo asks Sam, “What are we holding on to?”
“That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo . . . and it’s worth fighting for.”
Despite the multitude of evils in Pandora’s jar, hope is the strongest of its contents.
