Misanthropy

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") + άνθρωπος ("man, human being"). A misanthrope is a person who hates or distrusts mankind or their own humanity.

It should be noted that misanthropy does not necessarily imply an inhumane, antisocial, or sociopathic attitude towards humanity.

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. It may also resemble intellectual arrogance, where a person dislikes humanity because of a sense of mental superiority over other humans.

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.

Misanthropy may also take form as a belief that humanity is inherently animalistic and wild, and that we, as thinking beings, must struggle to overcome our animalism and strive towards a higher intellectual and measured nature. This view is especially common in Judaism and Christianity, which hold that mankind has two natures: that he is a) created in God's image, and b) fallen into Sin. This view is diametrically opposed to Satanism, which holds that mankind's animal nature is inexorable, should be celebrated and given in to, and that those who do not are thereby pathologically ill. Other intellectual movements espousing this form of misanthropy or very similar ideas include Stoicism, etc.

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 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 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.

The Canadian essayist Kevin Draper also exhibits a profound dislike of humanity in a lot of his writing, however he has told many close friends that he considers himself to be an empathic humanist.

Another example of a misanthrope in Literature is the protagonist in Moliere's 1666 work Le Misanthrope.

Misanthropy in philosophy

In Plato's Phaedo, Socrates states that "Misology and misanthropy arise from similar causes"1. He equates misanthropy with misology, the hatred of speech, drawing an important distinction between philosophical pessimism and misanthropy. Immanuel Kant said that "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 that "Hell must be like... reminiscing about the good old days when we wished we were dead." — a 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 that "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.

In recent times, the late Anton LaVey's sect of Satanism has voiced militant misanthropy; going so far as to advocate sterilisation of parts of the population and ghettoizing "lower forms of human life" ^{[citation needed]}, although Satanism asserts that it is a "life affirming" philosophy and therefore would generally consider itself to be a form of misanthropy.

The American satirical author Kurt Vonnegut often expressed misanthropist 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 "comes loose from 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 fictional science fiction writer, 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. "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."

Misanthropy in popular culture

The late comedian Bill Hicks during his darker moments displayed misanthropy. He once called the human race "a virus with fuckin' shoes" and often referred to himself as a "misanthropic humanist." See also: the early work of British stand-up Jack Dee.
The work of comedian-philosopher George Carlin is often highly misanthropic.
The novel Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger features a misanthropic protagonist.
The novel Ishmael by David Quinn offers insightful points which could turn just about anyone into a misanthrope.
The metal band Death has written a song called 'Misanthrope', which is found on their album Symbolic.
Essex-born comedian Alex McNamara is known to be a misanthrope.
Dr. Gregory House, portrayed by Hugh Laurie on the television series House, is a misanthrope.
Bernard Black of the sitcom Black Books is a misanthrope.
The popular video game Final Fantasy VI has a misanthropic antagonist, Kefka.
The protagonist Johnny C., from the comic Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, exhibits strong misanthropy in word and deed.
Black Mage from the popular webcomic 8-bit Theater is a misanthrope.
Themes of misanthropy appeared on The Holy Bible, the third album by Welsh rock band Manic Street Preachers; it included lines such as "All I preach is extinction" and a speech sample of author J.G. Ballard expressing what appear to be deeply misanthropic sentiments. Songwriter Paul Westerberg refers to himself as a misanthrope in "What a Wonderful Lie," though the song is ultimately positive.
The sixth album from the Norweigian Black Metal band Dimmu Borgir is called Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia.
A more pop music example of misanthropy might be Eddie Vedder's lyrics to Pearl Jam's 1998 single "Do the Evolution," inspired by Daniel Quinn's book "Ishmael."
Chad Mulligan, the fictional sociologist in John Brunner's novel Stand on Zanzibar can be categorized as a quite profound misanthrope due to his views upon the human race and his isolation from society (he has been living as a hermit for several years). However, Mulligan exhibits the same kind of misanthropy as Arthur Schopenhauer (see above) - he shows distinctive humanistic tendencies and his agenda may be summarized as: Do unto others as they shall do unto you. It is most likely that he adopted a misanthropic ideology after having been confronted with severe problems of society while working as a sociologist - that also seems to be the cause for his heavy drinking, which rapidly turned into alcoholism.
Jonathan Franzen's novel 'The Corrections' initially depicts all its characters' actions (whether others may interperet such actions in a more positive light) in a misanthropic tone. Furthermore, one of the novel's characters is himself misanthropic and frequently quotes misanthropic German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer to himself.
The popular website The Best Page in the Universe by "Maddox" (George Ouzounian) is notable for its misanthropic humor.
The Joker of Batman fame demonstrates degrees of misanthropy when at his most rational.
The rapper X-Raided has song called "Misanthropy" on his album The Unforgiviven Vol. I.
Millions Knives, the main villain of the manga and anime Trigun, has developed extremely pessimistic and hateful views on mankind after watching their greedy and abusive nature towards each other and himself. Many of his followers share his views, though some serve him only for money or because he has threatened their lives.

Forms of misanthropy

Misanthropy in literature

Misanthropy in philosophy

Misanthropy in popular culture

See also