Information AboutMisanthrope |
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Misanthropy is a general dislike of the Human race from the viewpoint of another Human individual. It is derived from the Greek , a combination of the prefix 'mis-' (meaning "bad, wrong,") and anthropos (meaning "man, human being"), thus referencing defective mankind. It is not dislike of individual human beings, but rather dislike of the features shared by all humanity throughout place and time, including oneself. A misanthrope is thus a person who exhibits a general dislike of its own human kind and opposes any kind of prevalence of the human race, regardless whether through descendants and/or other specious features. Such a person consistently sees throughout history, a futile evolution in mankind and therefore no meaningful future development of the human race per se. The term can only be applied inherently to the human race. It should be noted that misanthropy does not necessarily imply an Inhumane , Antisocial , or Sociopathic attitude towards humanity. FORMS OF MISANTHROPY Humans are generally Tribal creatures. Misanthropy is a rejection of tribal sentiments. While misanthropes express a general dislike for humanity as a single entity, they generally have normal relationships with specific individuals. Misanthropy may be motivated by feelings of isolation or alienation. Misanthropy may also resemble intellectual arrogance, where a person dislikes humanity because of a sense of mental superiority over humans. Overt expressions of misanthropy are common in satire and comedy, although intense misanthropy is generally rare. Subtler expressions are far more common, especially for those pointing out the shortcomings of humanity. In extreme cases, misanthropes may remove themselves from society, becoming Hermits or Shut-in s. Occasionally, misanthropy is connected with anti-social or criminal behavior, although such connections are tenuous at best. Some have proposed elevating misanthropy to a protoscience of misanthropology. MISANTHROPY IN LITERATURE Misanthropy has been ascribed to a number of writers of Satire , such as William S. Gilbert ("I hate my fellow-man"), but such identifications must be closely scrutinized because a critical or darkly humorous outlook toward humankind may be mistaken for genuine misanthropy. Jonathan Swift is widely accused of misanthropy (see '' A Tale Of A Tub '' and, most especially, Book IV of '' Gulliver's Travels ''). But Swift was also involved with many charitable organizations in Dublin, including a hospital for the care of the mentally ill. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ’s famous hero Sherlock Holmes is also often called a misanthrope, although critical studies of the character also reveal a streak of Humanism . In 1992, Southern American essayist Florence King , a self-described misanthrope, wrote a humourous book on the history of misanthropy called ''With Charity Toward None: A Fond Look at Misanthropy''. The famous author Hunter S. Thompson was considered by many members of his family and close friends to harbour a misanthropic Worldview . This is quite evident in a lot of his writing; many close to him have speculated that these feelings were brought on by a very tough childhood that saw his father die quite young and his mother fall into Alcoholism . The Canadian essayist Kevin Draper also exhibits a profound dislike of Humanity in a lot of his writing, however he has told many close friends that he considers himself to be an empathetic Humanist . The novel " A Confederacy Of Dunces " is considered by many to be a classic example of misanthropy. MISANTHROPY IN PHILOSOPHY In Plato's ''Phaedo'', Socrates states that "Misology and misanthropy arise from similar causes" 1 . He equates misanthropy with Misology , hatred of speech, drawing an important distinction between philosophical Pessimism and misanthropy. Immanuel Kant said that "Of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing can ever be made," and yet this was not an expression of the uselessness of humanity itself. Similarly, Samuel Beckett once remarked that "Hell must be like... reminiscing about the good old days when we wished we were dead." — a statement that may, perhaps, be seen as rather bleak and hopeless, but not as anti-human or expressive of any hatred of humankind. The German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer , on the other hand, was almost certainly as famously misanthropic as his reputation. He wrote that "human existence must be a kind of error." It should be added, however, that misanthropy does not necessarily equate with an inhumane attitude towards humanity. Schopenhauer concluded, in fact, that ethical treatment of others was the best attitude, for we are all fellow sufferers and all part of the same will-to-live; he also discussed Suicide with a sympathetic understanding which was rare in his own time, when it was largely a Taboo subject. Martin Heidegger also showed misanthropy in his concern of the "they"; the tendency of people to conform to one view, which no-one has really thought through, but is just followed because, " 'they’ say so". Unlike Schopenhauer , Heidegger was opposed to any ethics or reason to treat others with respect. In recent times, Anton LaVey and his brand of Satanism have voiced militant misanthropy; going so far as to advocate sterilisation of parts of the population and ghettoising "lower forms of human life". The American Satirical authour Kurt Vonnegut . often used Misanthropist views in his books. Most likely because he witnessed the tragic consequences of the Dresden Air Raid of WW2. In one of his most famous works, " Slaughterhouse Five " the Protagonist Billy Pilgrim comes loose from time. He is taken hostage by the Tramalfadores, a race who see in "4d", they can travel through time becoming unstuck and experience all the events in their lives, not necessarily in chronological order. They teach him a "so it goes" kind of philosophy. Events happen and there's nothing you can do about it accept watch it unfold. Billy then begins to see the pointlessness of life. In another book ( Breakast Of Champions ) Kilgore Trout a fictional science fiction writer writes many books about man destroying the world and the pointlessness of our existence. The book has passages throughout showing the destruction of earth due to man and man's pointless existence. "This is a tale of a meeting of two lonesome, skinny, fairly old white men on a planet which was dying fast.". "Human beings will be happier - not when they cure cancer or get to Mars or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again. That's my utopia.". "I really wonder what gives us the right to wreck this poor planet of ours." MISANTHROPY IN POPULAR CULTURE
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