Dark Matters

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This intellectual history explores how philosophers in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries confronted the problem of evil, questioning how a benevolent God could permit suffering in a supposedly good creation. It examines the emergence of optimism and pessimism from these debates, advocating for the rediscovery of pessimism as a source of compassion, consolation, and hope. The author brings to life a vibrant philosophical era, discussing prominent figures like Leibniz, Hume, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant, and Schopenhauer, alongside lesser-known thinkers such as Bayle, King, La Mettrie, and Maupertuis. The text reveals how both optimists and pessimists sought to address the value of existence while grappling with human suffering, highlighting their fundamental disagreements on the nature of such answers. This work of intellectual history underscores the moral significance of pessimism in articulating suffering, aiming to provide consolation and acknowledge life's fragility.