A review by stephen_coulon
Infinite Resignation: On Pessimism by Eugene Thacker

3.0

The first half of this work incorporates pessimistic proverbs and aphorisms original from Thacker and borrowed from sundry literary, religious, and philosophical sources throughout time. It's a morose and depressing melange, enjoyable in small measures for fellow pessimists and para-misanthropists, but its lack of narrative direction dissolves interest rather quickly. The real strength of the book is the second half which sketches out the lives and work of a dozen "Patron Saints of Pessimism," mostly existential philosophers (reflecting Thacker's scholarly expertise) mixed in with some literary and religious figures. These profoundly written summaries are engaging and often humorous, and importantly they highlight how pessimism, despair, anxiety, and depression serve as necessary elements in the aggregate of any truly authentic approach to individual living and to the shaping of societies.