Pessimism of the Intellect and Optimism of the Will

A Confident Perspective on the Future

Abstract

Taking up a dictum of Gramsci, in his essay Antonio Scarpino wants “to verify whether there are reasons for a cautious optimism concerning the future.” Based on a critical reflection of uncontrolled economic growth and extreme consumer behaviour in times of polycrisis, he argues both for an intellectual questioning of wrong decisions and misconduct and for the conviction that it is possible to change flawed systems through the power of optimistic will.