Guises of Despair

For Bob Stern In Memoriam In a recent paper (2024), Bob Stern and I presented a defence of hope as a secular virtue. Part of this defence consisted in claiming that hope sits between two vices, unwarranted optimism and despair. As our focus was on hope, we did not subject our conception of despair to detailed scrutiny. In this paper, I seek to remedy this and to examine whether our previous defence of hope can hold up to this widening of the scope of the inquiry. (DFD): involves being unable to stop desiring something we deem of great value while believing that this good can neither be obtained, nor obtain on its own. This set of claims raises several issues. First, and in relation to the last point, one may worry that our opposition between unwarranted optimism and despair led us to ignore the possibility of warranted despair, namely despair which would arise from an appropriate use of our epistemic abilities. We examined this possibility in relation to the mother's situation in Cormac McCarthy's book, The Road, and concluded that the question of whether the mother is correct in her epistemic assessment is moot because in fact she does not despair: she hopes for death, not as an intrinsic good, but as a contextually preferable option. Grim as it is, this hope sustains her as an agent and she finds the strength to leave to die during the night. Still, it would be hazardous to infer from this particular case that a person can never be right to despair. And if despair was, in some instances, an appropriate response to a situation well judged, then it could not be one of the two vices hope sits between as a virtue. (DFL): involves believing that something we deem of great value has been lost, and that this good can neither be retrieved, nor return on its own. Throughout the paper, I will investigate the consequences of having overlooked the despair from loss: can Bob and I still argue that hope is a secular virtue, and for the same reasons? Does hope relate to DFL in the same way as it relates to DFD? To answer these questions, I have drawn out from our previous paper three key questions: (1) is DFL bad for the agent? (2) does it deprive the agent of their agency? (3) does it involve an inappropriate use of our epistemic abilities? I shall call this set the ‘litmus test’ and return to it after each case study. Allow me three methodological provisos. First, I am very aware that turning to literary works or real life testimonies risks being reductive and/or instrumentalising. I turn to these works because the alternative, making up philosophical examples of despair, presents a worse risk: that of simplifying a very rich phenomenon. On balance, I would rather trust literary works to show (but not articulate, let alone theorise) despair in its poignant complexity, and hope that my awareness of the dangers of will me I am aware of the risks of I have my three case because each to of despair from and this and I to in my case on a In the same I not the from the of the to these case will be in of despair from I that these will to some I shall return to this the of the three works in their of despair. an appropriate to is in that it I have to the right as I The was between and the of a on a of The but never to is of it can be as the of a and out despair from of the of and the that out is that of a The its from the last to in I shall from the I shall to it is that hope that me and that hope is to to I shall from despair and a to a of and of one may from to was that for would despair: is to of my my for that my for and this that me in will me in my one the and its in of which not to but to to of and to am a of I on hope, and her on In the this despair to having been have have the have to have to The of of their of our is the that me is that in that I in that of the which is set for or for This despair has three The is the of of my has an to that was to and and that The is the of The and its several in the as in this the of my I did and but my in This of to the for this of to of despair: that could that was is to the of in the rather a for of in is in that in their of or As a to a and in but we And us in I not The of DFL in being to of the of namely In the is one of the vices despair: a to was well aware of the but the to me the of I that a real life would could I that us to could have been to of the dangers of the as an a to despair: an in to on or up to in the of a is that it the person on their and is and despair that and the of that one as it to and for their as for an or a a response from the and to the of despair, this but an to in this the is a is up to a point, for presents a for from despair, a way to and I in the that my to be to question (2) of my it that DFL of was and in a of on in despair to be for to the of This us (1) DFL bad for the and (3) it involve an inappropriate use of our epistemic the a very of in to to but a of of of the of the two I was to have me I will not have in of my or my life that The as an rather of to and and for the of as a life way to this in for has to despair. DFL would in case in an appropriate use of epistemic the to examine and the can be as a the to as a of particular and that this is correct and that while was not the the to then it would that was in despair in question the answer is as of DFL was bad for was bad from the of it from and because it not for answer a key of the namely and the of the a of call from despair to This is a from the and its and from the focus on the of the of this a virtue, and a the of was not a I I as if I would to an for could for it as of as a is not a of the which I not and a of the on the of to I in my something that me that in the is and of the to each rather the of the can be to the of be which is is the and of great in this the is a an of its the and the is as a way out of as the appropriate and raises a question could it be while the DFL out to be an good in the the of to let of and to the of up my to but to as a to my in to my I I it would be and of me to a we that DFL was good for in that it the of and of as a person and as an on it is not despair which these but DFL would have been good, not but because it to does not that this can be to could not have nor me of I would have it been to I would have it is the it and may not it to is did not to in a because nor as something could did not to did not to be been of or would have or to or to could not have The of a of of and is to the of in is one has that one that one on it would be to despair from as a virtue, the of which would have been good for the real is and one of the it is is that it to stop the is then and my to this case of the despair from I turn to my case study. In the of a from the of and but well and in the of a rich on a having her from on the great in the in that the be of and deem In the finds as a to that for literary and despair the of the book, the of the presents us an of the despair from case from because is is not particular of the good, but the very possibility of being And in on the of be in is the that been was in in this to I will argue that from a of or which from the that I to and in two of for the and the in the to I will argue that the of a response to despair from to of In the is drawn to a a is to on a between two this to the to the the as a of to is a between and a an the life as a to their in an to the on and the is aware of the for and to making out of is that set a is that the of their to the while the is does set a to as because on was and was and as never it could was something to to to for and die epistemic could have from to of the their was In good and but as an of never And in to be the of and The of in the of the of the a out of of And a of was life to then it was for to of to the while having to to to on and for and being does in she to a and up the of being and to very her and to her the of turn to for This to literary and but to the one is the to and then am I a For to whether is an is the fact that is was the of and in the one or As is of the same value that was that was not for real but for a value that to is for and of these is not in the of for the I have and am that is not that was in on was As as is that not was an an of the and of The real the and the of in her never to and to and to that and that the which is the of finds in a of This is the of to to return to to the and that this be to of which been was to was of between and in the of could return was in the has a and the of and their a that has between the the and the and to to does but this is a for the that these not for in the and the does but the of the of this point, the to the in the having a which to to the of despair and the of the last after the was last to and to the of their life and the last to their and deem for up on and the scope of their as to and the it was to for one still and up for one and has for the and for the but one the last and the of and to on a to the For the in life will in on the as a the in for to and and for was not to and each that the last is of of a to finds on the a does not but or of the a from an to it is on the of or rather is to of the was in of the that would have been this a and that that have been book, book, and not up a of a has for the and the last the for the and to a a last is not one of does not that has a of On the that is in I to have I for am very a And a of situation that was in the of the the the of on the of a and has a was The very that it never to was the of it of hope and set We may be life up to the in out of the and the to but that this to is to and the these the And the to a way out of to our in relation to question (1) it is to DFL could be as good for it not of but of the for and the is one of DFL of while and and in despair is is several As of a person rather as an was not the would out it in for it was, it did not does the and the same and to as did to a the last of the that it is not despair which to but of the on the and to of the was a in its and aware that was did not set out to this particular book, of its and that has been to is not despair: the the This does not in the of a or but in the to This is from the and from the last not or not to The of death, I on the consequences of the of despair. can be as a of this for which the and in to and her and strength and the is in this to investigate and being which the of the does not to the the of the while the a would have to in a the of the and does of but on not or will to was and the was a will will that one last it could and to the is a not a has will to the to the to because life as was to after the of was not in on the of still a to the of despair and the of that In this is In is the of the of the if a as the of despair, hope is for a after question does despair involve a bad use of epistemic abilities? Throughout the book, will to and the and to the was that could to and as a to life as is in the for as Does despair, not because is but rather because is As it to a On the one assessment of does as she she the of and it to because it did not of for and of the way of On the not for was an and may whether very may have led to the of the it be that out the the from the that the not good that good can be in this in this despair from it to the possibility of and in the of from is in the as and the of the the the then this of the and my I turn to my last case As a of despair: we in its the in despair we and the same and in the same the we to of in In this I argue that to the a of the despair from I call of the to be and of trust in the I examine each of these in Does a is to scope and of the of that us from the the of of is in the this is set from as that of its while several in the that has claims that to that never been my is this can in the I that in the of this the of the particular as from the of having a in the namely the to be The of this us our First, we call the of the that I I something and am the that I return it to that then me that in I the in question from but to my I would not the that I did not have the in the as but as a I The is because the that the was not in my the as out the I is As a in the and in the after the a from the of a the that was this and its was an an in it On the of the the of the of to that was never to in the the that never a to despair. did and an the of will As out in The of can that was because it is of being not to be aware that is something one can aware of in the In the case of of the of awareness is while that was that did not have a the the real of the not which but that which it for to as having in the to be is not an of the good, was to it has an in that it involves an of the to be from the from which the possibility of the good as we shall never because it on a person in the In my our to be is in as because it involves it to be for we our to and For this is a key of is of our and has three First, we call to a that for us of the to be is to and to of the their their in the is that have a in the to be the possibility of being a we in of the of and of trust and We trust to and to This the and of a person to their and and in that is to us our and the to be is to it because it is in the that it does not to be or to be as one mother its one and The of the this to the of the to be in the of being lost, and This the key the to be in relation to the has it does not the the for to be of the and to does not to trust of because has the which to of as in and the life was the was and one one of to be as having a which in a of the of something one have in the is the of is not the particular did not but to be I turn to the of which of trust in the of the the of in of trust in the is to of as of it is to trust in the is to in the trust in the is and to awareness this trust having been the to be trust in the is very to our awareness of being an trust in the is the that the which from our being will be and This is the trust that will not and the trust that I be will the trust in the involves that of or the person will my and it my In this to the of a on the trust in the involves the that will me if I am in life is is the of the from a which can be and which will a of our life and it can never be On trust in the is because it the in which a person is in the relate to their and that of which in from is for and the does not particular the of of trust in the the of of For for of trust in the could be as the of the to a out that of trust in the an of being a from as or as but has a and I on The the would have In trust in the may be to being from the of as or a may the of trust in the as from the of the in the of the not In relation to our paper, trust in the is to Bob and I as the to in we as a trust that some can is and not it can be in us to hope because it the possibility of a in which good can can be a for of trust in the the a in which the of hope is a of for two it does not on the of the good or but on the trust in the one the in the not of making but of as has a in which can and in trust in the be I my trust in the The is a from the and a of despair and trust in the I my as a is and and that I can to is to my I shall argue in to to the a of the despair from of the despair from and that this presents our a the possibility that despair may be bad for the and is not from a as a and examine my does not in but in an of which the of on to a while believing that this be In two the and of is well aware that for be that will the of our and the will as the in the of the and in the it will a that some of us still The awareness that this be the of the the of an of which I shall of on an of the which the and of to because it as an which its on this is a reductive to the of the of the to a set of and these as the of the to to as to from it of in this the of and whether their was or As for of in the of that it does not to because is a of which neither nor was to have of the person as nor nor or and on to be because to be and and to in the I neither can nor to of I and am to for involves two First, that is for the did not me that of us the of out that is and because it in the way of the of the and of from which is on the to and the it is and be in a of the to as it may be for the is in that the a for the in that be the of on to from being a is an to the of that the the of The person the of the to as a a of and it is and a of which in the of and is aware that of is to a I will be for I am aware from the that the of the will my This awareness despair as the good or from and the of is this of despair is for a for of which as a my my of presents a to and my because it up the possibility of a between is good for us on the one and is right to on the this the fact that despair is bad for us is not a to it if this despair is the same to on to which that we have a not to our because up would the way to which not For on to and for and the or or not is then Bob and I the value of despair: in the of of the good be the of the and in the that this because would be key is whether that last is one not the for but the for its to an of This would up the possibility of while to it The to would as the agent would their while the that this be As it this is a it is from In which was as a and and the a that in a to a me as I not this as or as but as I am not to I have not of our then I but I in the of is to and to the of my my a not to and to for but to seek a way of this on as the to obtain In of and of while for their not the because and can despair: led to of and that of in and of the a very for is of never up for but of it in was for the of This is a did to the to the in the of the to that which was it the very to a fact was well aware case a that of on a the for and being right the of or up the for and despair, but the of being the fact that in this case does not out the possibility of would not be but to despair, is not to call for a of the that despair is a because it is bad for the In one may that did not for the of despair as a but for the of is a between for despair for its on the one and for a which is and despair on the is is not a to despair, but the to despair in the of a a which is to despair of this is then it the possibility of despair being good in which was the of despair be good for This us to the question of the did despair deprive of this does not to be the was in the while was to despair a on the possibility of of being because it a of have the as an does not that can these still the but which that and despair. This is the three First, the and a As we of previous is and the that this was never the to a in to that this is an for one will never have the the that one the the will not be but rather an one a of to can never be is a to the the and a mother mother was to and but that neither would to a which a a while it in a and that an that is in the same in my The was and the same and I that in the I would be to the and being a the is a the as of to be a the finds it to as a because to being a a in and a then I in a the can is the very of as a is not because I to be a but because I be And be The and of being a that is me The for the of is can the a that one has lost, but one it for that is the I was not a I am not and I am not I be to This an of one a because for the and it is or but then the is not this would the can neither a this would be nor appropriate a does not own. examples that Bob and I not right in that despair us of our We in of the agent is despair. case that it is in the to despair and to but not in relation to question (2) of the we our and that the despair our I turn to the last question of the the of could not despair from a correct epistemic assessment of did of trust in the to good in the and the of The question of whether was was to it several and that of and to out that is the and on the of the a in on the focus on as well as the of in the defence not in the did the use epistemic I am in to a I was the fact that each the question of whether is does a this is then one may in the of an whether the fact that does not this may be as that the way in which situation and is not as as it I shall examine three The is in this am I this in of my I examine could be that I am for after us in its has up the of the the of our is could one can me I that for me this is In the and of the of us rather because of our and up an being and to a to of or being and from in which case one is not one could be and In the could in in the very in which is for or for of us is to be one of the of this the could be to the very which in particular the to the of is for me to the that I am the of a in the of an I will have to the to me to in the my and the The as has of but of in the of the a

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