Socrates famously claimed that the unexamined life is not worth living. But is any life worth living? How can human existence be justified, given abundant and seemingly unavoidable suffering? Is that even a coherent question? Could scientific progress eliminate suffering? We will address these questions through a study of nineteenth-century German philosophical debates about the suffering and the value of life, especially the pessimistic writings of Arthur Schopenhauer, Eduard von Hartmann, Olga Plümacher, and Julius Bahnsen, and the life  affirming responses to this literature found in the works of Friedrich Nietzsche. 

• Explain and critically analyse the major reasons that were given in favour pessimism, as well as the primary objections to it that Nietzsche developed across the period of his writing.
• Construct arguments, both verbally and in written work, drawing on relevant literature and using carefully selected examples. 
• Write careful, well-organised philosophical prose.  
• Work independently. 

The module will be delivered through a mix of large group and small group sessions, including, where relevant, asynchronous materials such as lecture recordings. Full details on the delivery mode of this module will be available on Learning Central at the start of the academic year – and may be, in part, determined by Welsh Government and Public Health Wales guidance.   

Transferable / Employability Skills: 

It is worth bearing in mind that, even though the point of the module is to do philosophy, many of the skills you’ll be developing are also highly valued by graduate employers. These include: 

• Critical Thinking: e.g. the ability to understand, structure and critically evaluate the key points and arguments made in written texts and discussions––achieved through e.g. reading, small group activities in lectures and seminars, plenary discussions in seminars, reflecting on lecture materials, essay and exam preparation and writing. 
• Communication: the ability to formulate and articulate your critical thinking, both orally and on paper, in ways that others can grasp and engage with––achieved through e.g. small group work in seminars, seminar discussions, essay/exam writing. 
• Organisation: the ability to organise and coordinate workloads––achieved through balancing e.g. reading, seminar preparation, essay/exam preparation. 
• Working with others: e.g. co-constructing ideas, responding sensitively to others––achieved through e.g. small group work in seminars, group presentations. 

Core topics covered on the module may include the below. Please note that these are subject to change and that the core readings below are indicative and not exhaustive.

Section 1: What is the Value of Life?

In this first section of the course, we will explore and assess some of the primary arguments for pessimism popular in the 19th century. Is suffering really a ubiquitous and essential feature of human (and all sentient) life? How would this make a difference to the value of living? By considering the framework for these questions offered by the likes of Schopenhauer, Hartmann, Plümacher, Bahnsen, and others, we shall examine different conceptions of the good life and if we should be convinced by the pessimists’ arguments that it is unachievable.

Core Texts:

• Arthur Schopenhauer, (2010) [1818], The World as Will and Representation, Vol. 1, Judith Norman, Alistair Welchman, and Christopher Janaway (eds. and trans.), Cambridge University Press [extracts]
• Frederick Beiser, (2016), Weltschmerz: Pessimism in German Philosophy, 1860-1900, Oxford University Press [extracts]
• Eduard von Hartmann, (2010) [1893], Philosophy of the Unconscious, tr. William Chatterton Coupland, Vol III. London: Routledge, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, & Co. [extracts]

Section 2: If Pessimism is True…Now What?!

It might be thought that if life really isn’t worth living then surely suicide is the only appropriate practical action to take. But remarkably, the vast majority of pessimists rejected suicide, and for different reasons. In this section we shall explore what the response to an unforgiving and hostile world should be, whether that is: ascetic renunciation; moral sainthood; aesthetic contemplation; heroic defiance, or, as Nietzsche attempted, something else entirely.

Core Texts:

• Friedrich Nietzsche, (1994) [1872], The Birth of Tragedy, Michael Tanner (trans.), Penguin Classics [extracts]
• Eugen Dühring, (1865), The Value of Life, Breslan: Verlag von Eduard Trewendt [extracts]

Section 3: Pessimism: A Matter of Philosophy or Psychology?

One of the most common responses to pessimism—both in the 19th century and in contemporary thought—is that it is not really a philosophical theory at all, but a mere symptom of mood or disposition. In the late 1870’s, Nietzsche began to think along these lines. Provoked by his rejection of metaphysics, he doubted whether the question of ‘the value of life’ made sense at all. In this section of the course we will consider the various versions of this objection, its implications for ethics and epistemology more broadly, and whether it poses a genuine challenge to negative (or positive!) assessments of the value of life.

Core Texts:

• Friedrich Nietzsche, (1986) [1878], Human, All Too Human, R.J. Hollingdale (trans.), Cambridge University Press [extracts]
• Olga Plümacher, (1879), “Pessimism”, Mind, Vol. 4, Issue 13.
• James Sully, (1877), Pessimism: A History and a Criticism, Henry S. King & Co. [extracts]
   

Section 4: The Affirmation of Life

From the early 1880’s onwards, Nietzsche’s concerns about pessimism seem to turn to its relationship to nihilistic feeling, and the pernicious effects this would have on both creative individuals and great cultures. His mature thought will help frame an important question for our study: can we accept Schopenhauer’s description of the ubiquity of suffering, but reject his evaluative conclusion? Could there be, as Nietzsche puts it, a ‘pessimism of strength’? Might we affirm life as it is by taking up an aesthetic perspective towards the world? What would that mean in practice?

Core Texts:

• Friedrich Nietzsche, (1974) [1882], The Gay Science, W. Kaufmann (trans.), Vintage Books [extracts]
• Friedrich Nietzsche, (1990) [1886], Beyond Good & Evil, R.J. Hollingdale (trans.), Penguin Books [extracts]
• Friedrich Nietzsche, (1969) [1887], On the Genealogy of Morality, W. Kaufmann and R.J. Hollingdale (trans.), Vintage Books [extracts]