Wannamaker Summary - Chapter 13

Chapter Summary Of The Philosophy Of Freedom
Olin D. Wannamaker

Chapter 13 The Value Of Life (Optimism and Pessimism)
The human being's inner freedom is manifest in his attitude toward life; the manner in which he evaluates it. This becomes clear in the course of a close scrutiny of the conflicting arguments of the pessimist  who undertakes to prove that there is more evil than good in life --that the human beings logical conclusion would be suicide-- and of the optimist, who denies this evaluation of life. It is evident even when we consider the argument of one exceptional pessimist, Von Hartman, who argues that the human being's suffering is intended to lead to the redemption of the Deity from unimaginable pain; hence that we should not seek happiness but willingly endure suffering. Taking this thoroughgoing pessimist's presentation of an alleged excess of pain in life as typical for the pessimistic view, and considering his argument for what he views as a moral resignation for the sake of a greater good, we find that it is all refuted by the right conception of human inner freedom. The pessimist's argument is not only fallacious in details, but also false in its fundamental premise: its conception of the human being's attitude toward happiness. The human being's nature is such that he seeks primarily, not for happiness, but for the realization of his ideals. And, when he has risen to the level of moral intuition, he wills and acts in complete freedom without primary regard to happiness or suffering.

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