Hope (secular hope, anyway) isn’t the expectation that the hoped-for thing will come to pass but includes the tension of some fear that it will not.
Hope does seem to at least require some possibility that the hoped-for thing could come to pass, but also some possibility that it might not: you cannot “hope” for something that is a certainty (though you might have a pleasant expectation of it) or an impossibility (though you might wish it could be otherwise). The Catholic Encyclopedia defines hope as “the desire of something together with the expectation of obtaining it.” However, in common use people often hope for things they do not expect or even think likely (e.g. This makes the virtue less passive than hope/optimism might imply. The catalog Character Strengths and Virtues combines hope/optimism with “future-mindedness” or “future orientation”-which is to say that someone with this virtue has evaluated possible futures and judged which would be the better ones, and has some sort of plan for getting to one of those. “Williams syndrome” is a genetic disorder that includes a dangerous overabundance of trust among its symptoms. There are also vices associated with an excess of optimism / hope / trust, like unpreparedness, gullibility, or bliss-bunnyishness.
Helplessness is a variety of opposite to hope.
HOPE AND OPTIMISM MEANING FREE
Sometimes lack of hope in particular becomes fatalism, a feeling of lack of agency (“nothing I do matters”), or, philosophically, a loss of faith in free will. The vices associated with a lack of optimism / hope / trust include cynicism, distrust, doubt, paranoia, suspicion, pessimism, and despair.
HOPE AND OPTIMISM MEANING HOW TO
Camus recommended that for hints on how to adjust to our own hopelessly absurd situation we should “imagine Sisyphus happy.” The attitude of resignation, surrender, or stoicism is sometimes presented as a healthier and more sensible alternative to hope: rather than anticipating a good future, prepare to meet with equanimity whatever future happens to arrive. If optimism becomes an excuse to discount evidence that disagrees with a positive outlook, it can undercut rationality and skepticism. There is some tension between optimism and caution, if optimism causes you to underweight the possibility of bad outcomes that you ought to prepare for. Samantha Vice considers hope to be a form of patience (or maybe endurance/ perseverance): a “refusal to capitulate.” Richard Rorty thought shared hope was at the base of civility. Solidarity can include an extension or expectation of trust. Intimacy, openness, and vulnerability can be boosted by trust. Imagination can help you to discover possible good outcomes to be hopeful about. Confidence, boldness, ambition, and courage are aided by the hope of triumph. These virtues are closely related to some others: Cheer and joy, for instance, are easier to maintain when one is optimistic. Are hope, optimism, and trust ingredients of a life well lived, or are they results of a life well lived (or perhaps of good fortune)? However there is controversy about whether encouraging a hopeful, optimistic, trustful outlook puts the cart before the horse. There is little controversy about hope, optimism, and trust being parts of a flourishing life. So let me say at the start that this is just one possible way the optimistic outlook can be defined, and that others can bear more rational weight. The belief that the probability of an outcome is increased by one’s positive disposition toward it There is a naive version of optimism that I would not want to try to defend on LessWrong: But there are a number of ways to interpret this, and if we are looking for a virtue - that is, a characteristic disposition that promotes human flourishing - we would be wise to be precise and careful. These virtues have in common a sort of “look on the bright side” / “expect the best” approach to life. I hope it will be helpful to people who want to know more about these virtues and how to nurture them. I wrote this not as an expert on the topic, but as someone who wants to learn more about it. It is meant mostly as an exploration of what other people have learned about these virtues, rather than as me expressing my own opinions about them, though I’ve been selective about what I found interesting or credible, according to my own inclinations. This post examines the virtues of hope, optimism, and trust.
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