Can't hope be rational? I raise the question because pessimists believe that their thinking is rational. It seems like rationality could go either way.
Reason can support hope or pessimism, depending on how it is used, what evidence is emphasized, and what assumptions are smuggled in.
At the same time, it's possible for both hope and pessimism to be irrational.
Excellent point! Your comment about pessimists seeing themselves as rational made me think of research on cynics, which found that people with a more cynical outlook often pride themselves on being especially rational, even though cynicism is linked to things like conspiracy thinking and poorer judgment in some areas.
I used to think optimism and hope were the same thing (and still use the words interchangeably). Recently I heard a distinction that optimism is about believing things will work out, while hope is believing they could.
By that definition, hope may be more compatible with realism, whereas both optimism and pessimism can drift away from it.
Interesting that yesterday I read the same Stockdale quote in the comments for another Substack post - Twice in two days, maybe I should pay attention to the message!
Can't hope be rational? I raise the question because pessimists believe that their thinking is rational. It seems like rationality could go either way.
Reason can support hope or pessimism, depending on how it is used, what evidence is emphasized, and what assumptions are smuggled in.
At the same time, it's possible for both hope and pessimism to be irrational.
Good point – may write a follow up on this exact point.
Excellent point! Your comment about pessimists seeing themselves as rational made me think of research on cynics, which found that people with a more cynical outlook often pride themselves on being especially rational, even though cynicism is linked to things like conspiracy thinking and poorer judgment in some areas.
I used to think optimism and hope were the same thing (and still use the words interchangeably). Recently I heard a distinction that optimism is about believing things will work out, while hope is believing they could.
By that definition, hope may be more compatible with realism, whereas both optimism and pessimism can drift away from it.
Interesting that yesterday I read the same Stockdale quote in the comments for another Substack post - Twice in two days, maybe I should pay attention to the message!