The Knowledge of Pessimism

Abstract

Leaving a well-trodden path of conflating pessimism with a favourite pastime of those who take pleasure in coming up with aporetic riddles, the article gives the knowledge of pessimism the attention it deserves. Pessimism endorses us to confront and express our existence without anxiously paying respect to the imperative of progress. The knowledge of pessimism is here for us to express rather than resolve our existence, thus claiming our freedom of thought. The article first outlines pessimism and its commitments. It then proceeds to propose the understanding of suffering as an underlying condition of our existence that allows the self to confront a discourse by which it has been constituted. Finally, showing that the imperative of progress is embedded in grant application forms, the article demonstrates one of the mechanisms by which the knowledge of pessimism is excluded from the contemporary university.