The Pleasures of Pessimism

<p>Re:CONSIDERING invites you to look at what's familiar from an unfamiliar angle. To consider <em>how</em> we consider things - and how to do it better.</p><p>Pandemic supervolcano late capitalism transhumanism populism cancel culture the post-antibiotic age the gig economy the surveillance state the cascading effects of climate change...</p><p></p><p>Whatever the specifics do you ever feel like things are going off the rails-or are just about to?</p><p></p><p>If you've read the headlines watched a zombie movie or gotten into an argument on Twitter lately the answer is probably yes.</p><p>And you're not alone.</p><p></p><p>We live in an age of deep anxiety about the future. Catastrophe-whether political technological environmental or moral-feels not just possible but probable. In this atmosphere we've become something of a culture of 'apocaholics': addicted to doomscrolling captivated by worst-case scenarios fascinated by collapse. The apocalypse once the domain of religious prophecy now dominates our entertainment our politics and even our casual conversations.</p><p></p><p>But what makes the end of the world so strangely compelling? What's so appealing about Armageddon? What are the pleasures - and also the perils of our pessimism?</p>