Philosophy Now Forum

duszek wrote:When your optimism proves incorrect you jump to another positive scenario and hope for the best again.

You look forward to something good again.

That's what I'm saying.

Yeah, I think he is. I don't do that. I have better things to do. Like look for explanations as to how pessimism could possibly yield happiness.

I'd be happy to hear how negativity makes someone happy. You said: A pessimist must think: the food could be poisoned or I will get a heart-attack or I will get an allergy or I will put on weight and stop being attractive to the opposite sex etc. etc. Explain how that would make someone happy. Are ...

For the love of God help him explain how pessimism yields happiness.

Are you fucking with me? How is imagining food might be poisoned enjoying the food?

I'd be happy to hear how negativity makes someone happy. You said: A pessimist must think: the food could be poisoned or I will get a heart-attack or I will get an allergy or I will put on weight and stop being attractive to the opposite sex etc. etc. Explain how that would make someone happy. Are y...

How can a pessimist enjoy food ? A pessimist must think: the food could be poisoned or I will get a heart-attack or I will get an allergy or I will put on weight and stop being attractive to the opposite sex etc. etc. There. Okay, explain how that would make someone happy. Are you going to say it c...

By asking you to explain what must be quite simple.

As for the rest of your post, I don't know what you're talking about. Where did you get suicide from?

Be rational, not emotional. If I'm wrong, explain why. There's no need to get bent out of shape. I meant no offense. Also, how can you possibly see your reaction as belonging to someone who doesn't need counseling of some sort? There's no shame in it. Many Americans need it. It is conducive to what ...

Then explain how it is possible without referring to something like sadomasochism. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just a condition. You are the one with the offensive opinion, that such people are "wack jobs." Btw, I meant the non-sexual version. I didn't say pessimists can't be happy...

This is a little off topic, but could you tell us a bit about what is meant by "good sense"?

Exactly. The only way it wouldn't be a contradiction is if you were an exceptional sadomasochist.

Yeah, but clearly survival is not the end all be all. Who cares about survival when you're starving? Clearly the end all be all is the ability to be happy. Their ability to survive is undeniably a strength. The question is whether it is worth much.

duszek wrote:Can an optimist be unhappy (at times) ?

Yeah, but not as a result or their optimism.

But, what if my pessimism actually makes me happy? Would you want an unhappy optimist? And no, I'm not kidding. I don't see how that's possible unless you're an exceptional sadomasochist or suffer exceptionally from clinical depression. At the end of the day, it is indeed about happiness. But I don...