Misanthropy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Molière comedy see Le Misanthrope.
Misanthropy is a hatred or distrust of the human race, or a disposition to dislike and mistrust other people. The word comes from the Greek words μίσος ("hatred") and άνθρωπος ("man, human being"). A misanthrope is a person who hates or distrusts mankind and in most cases his or her own humanity. Misanthropology is the scientific study of the origin, the behavior, and the physical, social, and cultural development of hatred in humans.
Misanthropy does not necessarily imply an inhumane, antisocial, or sociopathic attitude towards humanity.
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[edit] Forms of misanthropy
While misanthropes express a general dislike for humanity on the whole, they generally have normal relationships with specific individuals. Misanthropy may be motivated by feelings of isolation or alienation.
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-ins.
[edit] 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 (Dark comedy) outlook toward humankind may be easily 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). However, 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 humorous book on the history of misanthropy called With Charity Toward None: A Fond Look at Misanthropy.
The read-by-all novel Wuthering Heights, first published in 1847, describes the main charater as a misanthropist.
The famous author Hunter S. Thompson was considered by many members of his family and close friends to have a misanthropic worldview. The reasons for this are evident in much of his writing; many close to him have speculated that these feelings were brought on by a very tough childhood during which he saw his father die young and his mother fall into alcoholism.
Perhaps the most famous example of a misanthrope in literature is the protagonist in Molière's eponymous 1666 play (Fr. Le Misanthrope).
Iago, the villain in William Shakespeare's play Othello is another famous fictional misanthrope. He manipulates those around him with utter contempt and reaps a genuine pleasure from doing so. One critic has said, for Iago, "Honour, loyalty, reverence, and fidelity - the highest and the holiest virtues of humanity - are but base commodities to be bought and sold."[1]
The American satirical author Kurt Vonnegut often expressed misanthropic views in his books, most likely because he witnessed the tragic consequences of the horrific firebombing of Dresden. In one of his most famous works, Slaughterhouse Five, the protagonist Billy Pilgrim "becomes unstuck in time." He is taken hostage by the Tralfamadorians, a race able to see in 4D, who can travel through time and experience all the events in their lives, not necessarily in chronological order. Through the novel they teach him a fatalistic philosophy, summed up in the book's signature phrase, "so it goes." In another book, Breakfast Of Champions, Kilgore Trout, a science fiction author, 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. Some quotes from the book include:
"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."
Some works by Franz Kafka such as The Metamorphosis and The Hunger Artist also display misanthropic views.
[edit] Misanthropy in philosophy
In Plato's Phaedo, Socrates states, "Misology and misanthropy arise from similar causes."[2] He equates misanthropy with misology, the hatred of speech, drawing an important distinction between philosophical pessimism and misanthropy. Immanuel Kant said, "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, "Hell must be like... reminiscing about the good old days when we wished we were dead." This 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, "Human existence must be a kind of error." 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. However, his metaphysics ultimately led him to conclude that suicide was no escape from the suffering of the world. He claimed that the world was one side representation--how we perceived it, and one side will--the underlying indivisible metaphysical matter that was the basis of existence. Because suicide does not allow one to escape from the will (from which all suffering proceeds), it is pointless to kill oneself. Schopenhauer instead suggests aesthetic enjoyment as the only escape from the suffering of the world. This would be along the lines of the cathartic release points of Mozart's Requiem, or the charmingly mysterious smile of the Mona Lisa. He also offers an escape from suffering through compassion; however, very few are capable of reaching this state, and those who do reach it have rejected their humanity (further demonstrating his misanthropy).
[edit] Misanthropy in popular culture
In film, many villains could be read as misanthropes, particularly those with plots of mass destruction against humans in general and not specific targets. One explicit example is Agent Smith of The Matrix claiming humanity was a virus, justifying the mass mental imprisonment and exploitation of the human population.
In television, a hatred or dislike of, not so much humanity as a whole, but of dealing with people and society in general is a comedic theme in shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and House M.D. while darker shows might characterize the outsider or socially alienated character as misanthropic.
In music, explicit misanthropy is frequently presented in various sub-genres of heavy metal music.
Several of the more cynical stand-up comedians have adopted misanthropy in their criticisms of society and popular culture. Bill Hicks in particular would repeatedly make cynical statements like "[humanity] is a virus with shoes" and "Hitler had the right idea, he was just an underachiever! Kill 'em all, Adolf, all of 'em! Jew, Mexican, American, white, kill 'em all! Start over, the experiment didn't work!"
Comedian George Carlin also is famous for making several comments based on his misanthropic point on view of human beings and society. He has said on numerous occasions and performances that he enjoys the idea of lots of people dying and suffering, [citation needed] and how he sees human beings as capable of doing anything due to their perverted nature. These comments can be found in some of his HBO specials, like Jammin' in New York and Life is Worth Losing.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Othello. Shakespeare Online.
- ^ 1 Plato, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Phaedo. The Perseus Digital Library.
