Motivated by Hope: Why We Strive for the Improbable

Some of the most rewarding actions we take in life are difficult. The outcomes of these actions are surrounded by uncertainty, and what relevant data is available indicates a high probability of failure. Current philosophical work proposes that hope can resolve the puzzle of how people can rationally choose to engage in difficult actions, but this work constrains hope’s motivational role to actions whose successful outcomes reside within the realm of an individual’s own agency. I expand the explanatory role of hope motivating action to include cases whose outcomes depend on some combination of factors internal and external to the agent. I do so by developing a typology based on an agent’s perceived favorability of factors internal and external to their agency and discuss how these assessments interact within the context of hope. Advisor: John Brunero