The Rationality of Despair

Contemporary philosophical discussions of despair have often been secondary to analyses of hope, treating despair as the opposite of hope, as something bad, irrational, and to be avoided. I will argue that it’s not necessarily the case. By providing an analysis of the rationality of despair, I will illustrate that despair, though sometimes derived from the impression that life is meaningless, can be rational and even valuable. Despair can be intrinsically valuable qua rational attitude, and instrumentally rational qua its contributions to self-understanding and the integrity of one’s practical identity, to reshape one’s goals and projects, to optimize outcomes, or to motivate actions. We thus have reason to appreciate the value of despair; to see despair as something that can make a positive contribution to our lives.