Dark Matters: Pessimism and the Problem of Suffering

by Mara Van Der Lugt

An intellectual history of the philosophers who grappled with the problem of evil, and the case for why pessimism still holds moral value for us today

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, philosophers engaged in heated debates on the question of how God could have allowed evil and suffering in a creation that is supposedly good. Dark Matters traces how the competing philosophical traditions of optimism and pessimism arose from early modern debates about the problem of evil, and makes a compelling case for the rediscovery of pessimism as a source for compassion, consolation, and perhaps even hope.

Bringing to life one of the most vibrant eras in the history of philosophy, Mara van der Lugt discusses legendary figures such as Leibniz, Hume, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant, and Schopenhauer. She also introduces readers to less familiar names, such as Bayle, King, La Mettrie, and Maupertuis. Van der Lugt describes not only how the earliest optimists and pessimists were deeply concerned with finding an answer to the question of the value of existence that does justice to the reality of human suffering, but also how they were fundamentally divided over what such an answer should look like.

A breathtaking work of intellectual history by one of today's leading scholars, Dark Matters reveals how the crucial moral aim of pessimism is to find a way of speaking about suffering that offers consolation and does justice to the fragility of life.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, History

472 pages, Paperback

Published September 26, 2023

About the author

Mara van der Lugt is lecturer in philosophy at the University of St Andrews, where she specializes in early modern intellectual history and philosophy. She is the author of Bayle, Jurieu, and the "Dictionnaire Historique et Critique."

Reviews

[Benji · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Pessimism, then, need not stand in the way of joy or happiness or love of life, but it requires a different attitude to it, as receptivity rather than entitlement: receptivity to something that it is either given or not given to us to enjoy, and always in the knowledge that 'Nothing is so delicate or so fragile as a happy state.' The binding concept is perhaps that of fragility, as the place where optimism and pessimism can meet; as the point of entry of that awareness of the terrible side of life, and at the same time of hope itself. For it is precisely through the sense of fragility of all things that pessimism, without insisting on hope, can nevertheless leave the door open to it, so that, on the day when 'mystic gladness' irrupts into our lives or happiness finds us, despite everything, as a thief in the night, we can greet it with a gratitude all the richer for having been deepened by compassion.'

[LovelikeJesus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't read this book if you are scared to go into another existential crisis lol. This one definitely makes you think and slow to read for me personally cause I wanted to understand her concepts well.

[Elijah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a slog in places (especially the Kant chapter). I get cold sweats now every time I encounter the word "theodicy".

But the author is measured, with a startling sympathy. Even the bleakest Cioran-stans might see a rainbow.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here’s what I reflected on after finishing this book:

● I had read Candide before, so the part about Voltaire and Rousseau was especially interesting to me.

● I didn’t know the story of Maria von Herbert before — that was something completely new and unexpected.

● I especially liked the last chapter and how it explored what it means to live with suffering and a pessimistic perspective.

[Margot Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrifyingly tender, life affirming book that holds your hand as it looks into the void with you. Beautiful, honest philosophy that makes the darkness habitable.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and unique exploration of not merely the problem of suffering but more specifically how value-oriented pessimism, in distinction from future-oriented pessimism, was explored by various philosophers such as Hume, Kant, and Schopenhauer. The author, drawing from this intellectual history, argues that hopeful pessimism is more ethically sound than optimism as it faces the suffering of life head on, strengthens the importance of morally good actions to alleviate the suffering and pain that characterizes this world, and by sympathizing with the pain of others. A fascinating and worthwhile read for anyone interested in an intriguing philosophical approach to suffering in this world.

[Cai]

Very good, albeit slightly repetitive - writing about 10 or so authors' treatment of the same topic makes that hard to avoid.