3 Pessimistic Philosophers Who Will Cheer You Up
Let “The Messenger of Misery” brighten your day
In 1961, philosopher Martin Heidegger was asked how to live a more authentic life. His reply was morose, albeit pithy — “we should spend more time in graveyards.”
It’s a sentiment more people should embrace. Graveyards are a modern memento mori that reminds us of the importance of a life well-lived. And I mean really lived. Not lived through a curated social media feed.
And while we are romping through graveyards, we should find our favorite plot of earth above the dead and curl up with the teachings of the following pessimistic philosophers.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860)
Any study of pessimism has to begin with the man who earned the monikers — “The Messenger of Misery” and “The Sad Prince of Pessimism.”
Schopenhauer has long been accused of being the poster child for the grouchy philosopher, but that’s not entirely fair. He simply viewed happiness not as profound joy but as the absence of misery.
