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By Victor Perton
"I was taken with a tweet from Eric Weiner asking, 'Is the world too much with you?' and offering 'a monthly jolt of intelligent optimism in your inbox.'"
In an era where pessimism and cynicism often dominate, optimism is a refreshing counterbalance: A superpower. But what exactly is intelligent optimism?
What is Intelligent Optimism?
Intelligent optimism, as discussed in Jurriaan Kamp's "The Intelligent Optimist's Guide to Life," and as understood widely, advocates for a pragmatic, informed, and forward-thinking hope. This perspective is championed by thinkers like Rohan Roberts and showcased on the Intelligent Optimism website. Intelligent optimism is grounded in a realistic assessment of the current state of affairs while maintaining a hopeful outlook for the future. It highlights progress and everyday acts of brilliance, contrasting the media's focus on conflict and disaster.
Rafael San Román Rodrígues adds depth to this concept, stating, "Intelligent optimism helps us gain a critical vision, whether the situation is positive or negative. It is a mature way to face challenges but also a crucial way to foster our mental health and others." This perspective recognises the complexity of life's challenges while fostering mental health and well-being.
Raya Bidshahri also contributes to this understanding, describing intelligent optimism as being "excited about the future in an informed and rational way."
This mindset is an excellent underpinning for engaging everyone in pursuing solutions, highlighting the rapid progress made and recognising humans' tremendous potential to solve our problems.
Why Do We Need Intelligent Optimism?
The need for intelligent optimism arises from the challenges and complexities of our modern world.
Rohan Roberts explains, "Intelligent optimism is all about being thrilled, excited, and optimistic about the future in an informed and rational way based on statistics, data, evidence, facts, science, and empirical evidence." This approach is vital in a time inundated with often overwhelming news and a tendency towards pessimism and cynicism. A balanced, informed, and hopeful approach is not just desirable; it's essential.
Angus Harvey advocates for the need to adopt intelligent optimism. He calls on us to embrace an optimism that is "informed by incredible advances in science and technology, and inspired by stories of human progress and environmental stewardship." This perspective acknowledges the remarkable achievements in various fields and uses them as a foundation for a positive outlook on the future.
How Do We Develop Intelligent Optimism?
In "The Surprising Power of Intelligent Optimism" by Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler, a practical approach to developing intelligent optimism is proposed. Dr. Ammon-Wexler asks, "How can you develop intelligent optimism?" The answer lies in adopting a realistic attitude. This involves facing the reality of your current situation, identifying what you can't change, and working on what you CAN change or improve.
Developing intelligent optimism begins with cultivating optimism itself. Some of the tools I advocate for include smiling and saying hello to everyone, asking about the best things in their day during greetings, and surrounding yourself with optimists. Being grateful and saying thank you more often is also a key practice.
Then, as I do, it's important to turn down 'the news' and use your own settings on Google alerts and social media, reading professional journals to find accurate stories of the good things happening and progress. Share these stories in the media you use. This approach helps in focusing on the positive aspects of our world, thereby fostering a mindset of intelligent optimism.
Fact-Based Optimism
When I think of intelligent optimism, it brings to mind fact-based optimists. This approach to fostering optimism uses data and empirical evidence to form a hopeful and realistic outlook on the future. Organisations and platforms like The World in Data, Future Crunch, Human Progress, and Climate Optimism epitomise this approach - people like Tane Hunter, John Hagel, and Hannah Ritchie, as well as Hans Rosling's book "Factfulness," are commended reading. They provide factual data and analysis on global trends, technological advancements, and environmental progress, offering a more nuanced and hopeful perspective on global issues. This fact-based optimism is crucial for countering the often pessimistic and sensationalist narratives in mainstream media, providing a more accurate and uplifting view of the world's trajectory.
Conclusion
I refer to myself as a radical optimist and sometimes a Pollyanna optimist. My day-to-day work promotes infectious and magnetic optimism.
I subscribe to intelligent and fact-based optimists as we need to paint a positive future and counter pessimism and negativity with facts. We need to share the news, stories, and narratives of the beautiful world in which we live while being alive to solve the problems that are within our power to solve or contribute to. Optimism is essential for mental and physical health. Intelligent optimism fosters a contagious culture of positivity for many people, inspiring others to adopt a more constructive and hopeful perspective.
In a broader societal context, intelligent optimism can drive better policy-making, scientific research, and community initiatives aiming for sustainable and positive outcomes. This well-informed, proactive mindset, embodying philosophical optimism, is desirable as underpinning proposals for progress. In today's world, embracing intelligent optimism equips us to work actively towards a better future, making it a powerful and necessary perspective for pushing humanity forward.
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