In the theist / atheist spectrum, including agnostics & nones, what role does optimism play?

[pinto]

Here's some notable brief quotes about optimism from a variety of folks (via Brainy Quote) -

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/optimism.html

Your takes?

[cbayer]

1. The basis of optimism is sheer terror. Oscar Wilde

Love that one, but I don't really agree.

Optimism seems to be a human trait that may or may not have anything to do with religious beliefs.

Sometimes one can be optimistic to a degree that is detrimental because you might miss the signs. Most people going into marriages are very optimistic.

OTOH, pessimism doesn't get you very far at all.

I tend to be very optimistic, believing that things will generally work out OK.

[longship]

2. Yup! Working with people is better than working against them.

Of course, there are some who one must be pessimistic about. But if one presumes optimism, that can take one far. And only by experience does one reverse that presumption.

So, I kind of take a mixed approach.

I have little patience for some propositions. E.G., pseudoscience and fundementalist religions, which often overlap.

[cbayer]

3. Optimism has done well for me.

I have jumped off many a cliff believing that I would land on my feet or at least on something that wouldn't kill me, lol.

This has allowed me to take chances, change courses and alter the way I was interacting with the world.

Sometimes that becomes harder as we age, but I am hopeful (there I go again) that it is a trait that will persist.

As you say, there are times when pessimism should prevail. When it becomes blatantly obvious that something is unlikely to change no matter what you do, it may be time to give up….

but then again, maybe not.

[longship]

4. Hope springs eternal.

[LostOne4Ever]

5. The optimist believes this is the best possible of all worlds

And I am scared to death he might be right.

I suffer from a horrible case of being very very idealistic and very very cynical and pessimistic. I was this way when I was a believer. I am still this way as a non-believer. Optimism seems to play no role in belief that I can see.

The only time I was both an optimist and an idealist (ie a naive idiot) I was a libertarian. I quickly dispelled myself of that idiocy in my teenage days.

But to quote a famous non-believer:


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I will say this, as a cynic and a pessimist I find I am always either proven right, or pleasantly surprised by how things turn out.

[Warren Stupidity]

7. "Optimism seems to play no role in belief"

within philosophy optimism is linked to theism. God made this best of all possible worlds, just for us. See Leibniz. It is generally not considered a serious idea, given the abundant counter factual evidence. See Voltaire.

[LostOne4Ever]

8. I was not aware of that. Thank you (nt)

[pinto]

6. I'd tag myself as an optimist. In this group's venue. And at large.

So my take is generally favorable. A bit of that comes from my religious background. Though I move on I can't discount that. The community, the social connections and, yeah, the ritual mean something to me. I'll take the best and leave the rest, as they say.

In a simple personal sense, one time I got on a bus. Took a pound of cheese, a gallon of OJ and a few bucks. Had no clue what would come next but carried that sense of optimism with me. And sunrise over the Mississippi River was really something.

[rrneck]

9. It depends on what one is optimistic about, and why. nt

[AtheistCrusader]

10. I'm not sure what camp I fit into.

I expect and plan for the worst, but hope for the best.

[Act_of_Reparation]

11. "An optimist thinks things can't get worse...

... a pessimist knows they can."

- No Man's Land

A great flick, btw.

[goldent]

12. I'm always optomistic

I don't think religion has much to do with it. I'd say more that my religion simply makes me happy, although I guess you could say that happiness is related to optimism.

[Brettongarcia]

13. Great question. Pinto often does a great job at getting beyond the conceptual cliches

Probably optimism IS related to religion; and is possibly its secular equivalent. We hope for the best; for the good.

Another example related to this? "Luck" sometimes is given a religious role. One of the common Buddhas - the fat and "Laughing Buddha" - is reputedly borrowed from another god of Luck.

Good fortune; luck; future prosperity; good.

I liked the post that believed in Jesus but not God, as well.

Oddly enough, there are some interesting religions, theologies, that support such ties.

[pinto]

14. Thanks. Much of what I post is off the top of the head stuff. I like looking at different angles.

And reading discussions here, which I do much more than post.