{"product_id":"a-philosophy-of-pessimism-9781780235059","title":"A Philosophy of Pessimism","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere are many reasons to despair over the state of the world today: climate change  war  terrorism  social injustice  and an utter failure by our political systems to fix them. Yet there will always be those frustrating optimists who counter such an outlook by citing developments such as modern medicine  democracy  and the global internet as signs that things are  and always have been  on the up and up. This book locks those people in a separate room  shattering their rose-colored glasses to show the tremendous value in keeping the dark side of human affairs at the forefront of our consciousness.  Stuart Sim starts with the proposition that pessimists simply have a more realistic world view. Tracing how pessimism has developed over time and exploring its multifaceted nature  he shows that many thinkers throughout historyincluding philosophers  theologians  authors  artists  and even scientistshave been pessimists at heart  challenging us to face up to the desperations that define human existence. Spanning cultures and moving across eras  he assembles a grand discourse of pessimism. Ultimately he offers the provocative argument that pessimism should be cultivated and vigorously defended as one of our most useful and ever-relevant dispositions.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45953166180405,"sku":"ByrdShop_1780235054","price":34.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781780235059.jpg?v=1788180431","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/a-philosophy-of-pessimism-9781780235059","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}