r/Pessimism

9.5K archived posts · Apr 2010 – Sep 2026

The worst of all possible subreddits

r/Pessimism

A community for discussing PHILOSOPHICAL PESSIMISM — a philosophy that judges the world as fundamentally flawed and life as not worth living. We aim to facilitate thoughtful discussions and spread knowledge about this niche topic. Whether you're here to ask questions, discuss the ideas of pessimistic philosophers, or share your own insights, this is a place for you. Before posting, please review the community guidelines to ensure your contribution aligns with the sub's purpose and rules.

Created Apr 24, 2010

15KMembers (last snapshot)

9.5KArchived posts

^I ^do ^not ^struggle ^against ^the ^world, ^I ^struggle ^against ^a ^greater ^force, ^against ^my ^weariness ^of ^the ^world. ^— ^E.M ^Cioran, ^Drawn ^and ^Quartered

Anything and everything that falls under the broad category of philosophical pessimism belongs here.

Anything else will just be removed. Memes, personal problems, thinly veiled cries of despair, et cetera—not the place.

Philosophical pessimism quotes
Philosophical pessimism Discord (not affiliated with this subreddit)
Recommended reading list
Recommended playing list
Recommended watching list

Subreddit rules:

Be civil to each other.
No memes or low-effort posts.
Do not link to other subreddits directly; use 'np' links.
Submissions must be relevant to philosophical pessimism
Philosophical discussion of suicide and the right to die is fine; no discussion of suicide methods

Recommended authors:

Thomas Bernhard
Julio Cabrera
Emil Cioran
Thomas Ligotti
Philipp Mainländer
Arthur Schopenhauer
Eugene Thacker
Peter Wessel Zapffe

Related Subreddits:

^Consciousness ^makes ^it ^seem ^as ^if ^[1] ^there ^is ^something ^to ^do; ^[2] ^there ^is ^somewhere ^to ^go; ^[3] ^there ^is ^something ^to ^be; ^[4] ^there ^is ^someone ^to ^know. ^This ^is ^what ^makes ^consciousness ^the ^parent ^of ^all ^horrors, ^the ^thing ^that ^makes ^us ^try ^to ^do ^something, ^go ^somewhere, ^be ^something, ^and ^know ^someone, ^such ^as ^ourselves, ^so ^that ^we ^can ^escape ^our ^MALIGNANTLY ^USELESS ^being ^and ^think ^that ^being ^alive ^is ^all ^right ^rather ^than ^that ^which ^should ^not ^be. ^— ^Thomas ^Ligotti, ^The ^Conspiracy ^Against ^the ^Human ^Race: ^A ^Contrivance ^of ^Horror

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