--- title: "Roy Scranton's \"Ethical Pessimism\"" description: Roy Scranton believes most of us are optimistic by nature and, by and large, that’s a good thing. image: https://www.centreforoptimism.com/hubfs/An%20optimist%20and%20a%20pessimist%20by%20Vladimir%20Makovsky.jpeg --- ###### [Check out Our latest insights on Optimism](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog) [![Centre for Optimism_Logo](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/hubfs/Centre%20for%20Optimism_Logo.svg)](https://www.centreforoptimism.com?hsLang=en) - [Home](https://www.centreforoptimism.com) - [Subscribe](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/subscribe) - [Why Optimism?](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/whyoptimism) - [What is Optimism?](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/whatisoptimism) - [The Optimism Principle](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog/theoptimismprinciple) - [Need Optimism?](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/services-and-workshops) - [The Optimism Workshop](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/workshop) - [Victor Perton - That Optimism Man](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/victorperton) - [Magnetic Optimism for Organisations](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/magnetic-optimism-workshops) ![Close Icon (3)](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/hubfs/Close%20Icon%20(3).svg) ![Search (2)](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/hubfs/Search%20(2).svg) ###### [Pessimism](https://www.centreforoptimism.com/blog/tag/pessimism) # Roy Scranton's "Ethical Pessimism" While I disagree with the conclusion, I found Professor Roy Scranton's answer most interesting. Carrie Gates asked, "You’re currently working on a book called “Endgame: Climate Change, the Myth of Progress and Ethical Pessimism.” How do you define “ethical pessimism” when it comes to climate change?" Roy answered, "Well, most of us are optimistic by nature. And, by and large, that’s a good thing. When we’re facing an intractable and existential problem like climate change, however, that kind of collective optimism is profoundly dangerous and irresponsible. We need more people resisting that and making a space for pessimism. I argue that, actually, presuming the worst is in many ways a compassionate, resilient, responsible position.  "A lot of critics of pessimism conflate it with cynicism or nihilism or fatalism. It’s none of those. The weakest form of pessimism is simply a rejection or skepticism of the optimistic promise that things are going to work out fine. A stronger form of pessimism is maybe a belief that things will work out poorly — but it’s not nihilism because to the pessimist that matters. It matters because it means people will suffer. I think one of the most substantive criticisms that pessimists can offer optimists is that optimism doesn’t take into account human suffering. Pessimism insists that we sit with that, that we sit with our failures, our limits, and sit with our delusions and the fact that things don’t always work out the way we’d like. And that can help us — not to give up or throw in the towel or assume there’s nothing we can do, but rather it helps us make better decisions about what we can do." 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