(iANRIF]I, \IAI{CI|I,

Sketch of a I'lrcuonuu ogy and r lttetaphysics oJ Hope*

The -SkEtch of a Phcnomnol(rt" nn(r wh,'lcncss an th tilcc ,'l the tr,Uc,l-t ()l'
Mcllphysics ol H{}pc" rs Marccl \ linitLrdr 'l'hus. h,)pc is rlo( idcrrtical tr) thi..
(xposirion ,,1 thc belicrrr'r (\prficn(( , (rllimism It rhe hliDd brirl(Uical dcmrnd 1(t
opcring to thc rvholencsr bcyond de;prr| L,,Irinue,l c\i\tfl1LL Ncithcr i5 h.'t'|j ti1(
l{is \\,hole cxplorarion ol rh nrcarring dnri lfuiL,t v'ill nof ol desirc. illtinl!tcl\, fnI)0
soufcr ol hope is r\)(ned irl hil js the,hjld oi c,)rDrnutliou It is hori) frnm
unders{rnding of C(xI as uansccrdrrr rhc :rhs,ilute opcr'u)css ol-lhc | () llrc ({hcf
pcrsr.n uhos( mystery i. dbi, l-l( lruJd..c \,r'hrr is irs sole recolrse. Hop is horn lrom
rhe Holy dwelis in a realn heyond tiniruuc thc lrcc participati()n Ul rhc tiliir *lf,
Mnrcel's philosophical careers ti)c{rscd imNcr)cd in thc darkness oftiniludc, in lhe
gready on the exploration of bsing r: rrlf Sivrrg oi the absolule {)ther who d\vctts
nlysrdy. His corpus, with rts styl( rt Ityond all tinitude, bcyond all darkncss.
reflecrion, is a clcar rcfusal l,) fcdu!r rhr Thr kcy t uDderrtandint hrrpc li in
thinkinB reSarding th( cvcr dcrpuIIl! ths insight born lil|m an abs(rlutc opcnlrcss
mystery of heing ro lhc lirrmulaic rr' t(r a lhou. a pcrso0al absolutc, vho can
dogma(ic. Being as nly\trr) i{ rrcrnill {lllly b0 |nt in crrnurunirrn. This
dcplh. th< Etcrnal unlirklurg.rl whar cirithir et)nrnru|]tolt denrarrds a losiug ol (hc cuo as
be crrmprrhcftded by tlntughl bu( Inusl hc tlc ccDtcf of reality. k dcnrands a livcu
rhougtu through wnh livcd rellecri()n. (.'j'rnLrti.4t wrlh ill ,,rhsfs r^lr, ijrLcL in
For- Mareel, ,iuthcnti( thought is il liniruJr rs $,cll. ii)r onl, ihc conlmunion.
pdrlicil'ati()n in thc mystrry (ll br tg ll tl \\'hlch demands an opcniug and ir
:,n rr(rnal {,f<ning t, hLtng is ir uDr,,,J.. pal.ticipirrir)n in rhc rality
of the tj8rtc and
This gives thc thinkcr lhc ol)l\)tt0lity t,! anlarrrtc othcr. :tllows a disp!lltng t!t thu
participate in the lruth of wha! is, wirhou( r.lcspsir ol fiDirudc. The mutull giving of
rEducing dis rrulh (n lhc..alegori(r,,r scll in communion allows a genghe
torrnulaic thinkini that rcduccs trv(J ,pcning of scll (r the prcscrce of an
exPcrience to mere abstraction Mdtrcl ahsoiuic bcing beyond thc ditfkncss of
opcns L\e rcllcctiJn ol rhc rhinkcr rJ rhr tlnitude.
realm of
lived crperience. i c_ hurnan Exisrenlially, hope is tied t(' thc
expcricnce of bcing ds it uflli,Uf M,1t(cl !\)mnrunio| 01 spirhs tha! tinds its gr,)und
lcllc!h un th( cr.pericrcr ,'t h(f{ in {tI, rn lhr comDunioll wilh thc absolutc source
spirit. He retums to the livcd experieuce r)f ot lovc. For Marccl, thc absolulo rhou rs
lhe person ol fdidl and rn lhls \ray allJ\i opcnness und communion, atrd the only
dc rice of thc holy hctorr rhc hclicver t,r wc! li)r r.hc finitc I ru mccr his thou is in
come to prcsence. communion. The sclt-giving and opennc$s
Marcal in rhis es"dy rr^r/l ::plryl 0l uomrnunion allows thc inti ite l ()
tlc metlod ol phcnumcnoh)giral rcducri(nr clcounlcf drc absolute Iny$cr' of rhc
ro arrive at thc essential experience ol ttarrs((uJEnr lhuu. Thc paflicipati,,n in
autjntic hope. He works l() show lihat uontmunion alh,*s.irr ltrr rmrtl(rsc i6d.r in
hopc rs not in order rr) crplain what h{rnr lhis rhs lutc mystery and theretorc alk)ws
is llc shows rhal hopc is not rh tiuit oirhc i! lo ofclt t\r tllc triumphanl tullncss o,
,cl!.drLcption ,i ar\ I dral J.mirnd., hcurg lhJr d$Ell\ btv\Jnd. lAIt(;Rl

il i
 (l) lu a study such as dre otte I attr here undertaking there can be no
question of smrting lion] a particular detillition irrd endeavouring to explaill its
content progressively, I propose rather to ill)peal to a special experience which it
nust be supposed you havc. 'l'his cxPrrticltuc, u'ltich is titat of "l hopc.. ", rrrust,
'l
likc the fuudameltal cxperie cc oi iaillr. believe"- be purified; or. tnorc
exactly, we must pass fiom this expericnce in irs diluled or diflused state to the
siune experience, touched--l do uot say absolutely cooceived-at its hiSlrest
terrion or again at its point of complete saturatiotl.
(2) You must not tileretbre bc surprised to find mc starting frotn ] "!
hope" of a vcry low order which will constitu(e a regative poirt of departure,
(3) " l lrope rhat James \! ill ar|ive in tinre lbr lunch tonorrow and not just
in tle afternool." ''l'his. o1'coursc, rlrcans that I liope so because I should Iike to
bave Jancs uith rne as long as po;siblc; aud I ltave rcason to lhink that wlut I
want will colne aboul: I k0ow tlrat hc does not intent to return to his office and
could thercfor': carch irn early train, rrc.
(4) We can already detect two elertrcnts here which are always found
together: there is a wish and a certain belief. I am, l,owever, right in calling tilis
a diluted condition, because in such a case I arn near to what we can term the
point of indifference. Aftcr all, it is uot very inrportant if James only arrives at
five o' cLlck; there is nothirrg thcre li)r nrc 10 take to hcart loticc this -
expression wltich we shall necd to rc0rcrnbcr. i\'loleovcr, observc t-tlat t.lie I
reasorrs for hoping are here exterior to mlscif, dley are outside ary being, far
frour havirg dreir roots iu the very depdrs of what I am. In realiq' it is merely a
I
calculation conceming ce{ain chances am considerilg, a practical little
problem of probabilities, MoLeover, if I
find James boring or his visit is
inconvenient, I might quire easily say: "l
am afraid he will arrive in time for
lundr. "
(5) Now let us suppose, on the contrary. th:t I am going tfuough a timc
of tlial, either in my private affairs or in those of the Sroup to which I belong. I
long for some dclivctanr:e which would bring the trial to an cnd. 'fhe "l hope"
in all its strength is directed towards salvarion. It really is a matter of my coming
our oi a darkness in which I am at presenl plunged, an(l which nray bc Ihc
darkness of illoirss, 0f scparation, cxilc or slavery. lt i$ obv,iously iupossiblc in
such cases to separate dte "l hope" frorn a cerlain type of situation of which it is
really a paft. Hope is siruated within the framework of rhe trial, not only
cot,!.p./u!iiog to it, but co'nstituting our being's veritable response. I have used
the ineuphorical terlt of darkucss, but this rnctaphor bis nothing accidental
about it. It is, indeed, rue that throughour a rial of dre kind I have in rnind, I
lnd I am deprived for an indetinite period of a cenain light for rvhich I long. k
'Lecturc givcn to rhc Sch,)i.dslieirr .lc
!!rl]t!g in l:cbruaiy. 19.12.

lll
fact, I should say thill cvcr)' lfiill ol llliri or(lcf cilll bc c('llsidcrcd ils il lorlrl ol
captivity.
(6) Let us try to get a closer view of the meaniog of the word captiviLl,
or radrer let us exalnine dre characterisLics of any stale which can be described as
" being a captive or prisoner." A special kind of eldurance is, of course,
involved, but what are {re conditiotts utldet rvhich endurance becomes part ot llre
experience of captivity? Here we must emphasize the part played by duratic'o' )
should consider myself a captive if I tbund nryself uot merely precipitated into,
but as it were pledged by extenlal cotrstfiiitlt to a cornpulsory mode oi existence
irvoiving restrictions oi erery kind touching tu;" personal actions. ln addilior.
that which characterizes all the situatiolls we are e\'okilrg at lhe molnent, ls L\at
they invariably impl\ thc irlrpossibilill'. ttrrt nccctrsatily ol'ttlovitlg or evetr ol'
ilrti,lg in i! rlrrrrcl nlriclr is lel:rlrvely lrtc. l)til qL !r!!!lg (oit !g!-t4Ll l]!i!r!!-\l !'1
lite. rvhich rDay be in tltc rcitl lii ()l scrrsxtion or cveo-ql-LllQ!8!]l i!l thc stficl
sense of the word. It is qrtite clear, firr ittstattcc, thal the aftist or the $'riter who
suffers tiom a prolorged sterility has literally a sense of being in prison, or, if
your prefer, in exile, as though he had leally been taken oul of the light iu wliich
he nor|nrlly has his bcirtg. Wc can, th:r'clirte. say that all citptivity faltakes ol'
dre nature of alienation. lt may be in reality ftat, in tcarirlg me out of myself, il
gives me an opportunity Qf realizing tar rnore acuteiy, that I should have done
without it, th nature of drat lost integ|ity which l oow long to regain. This is
illustrated in the case of the iDvalid tbr whom the word health arouses a wealth
of associations generaliy unsuspected by those who are rvell. Yet, at the samc
time, we must deterrnine not only rvhat is positive but what is illusory in lhis
idea ol heai$ which the sick man cherishes. A sirnilar problem is presented
when the beloved beilg whose disappearance I deplore seems to me more rcal
and distinct now he is no longer witit nle thal when I was able to enjoy a mutual
ard direct reiationship with him.
(7) I will not elaborate the deails of tic discussion which would take us
away from our subject. I will merely remark that this method of reasoning does
not seem to open fte rvay for hope to us: quite on tie contrary it is likely to land
us in an anguish whence there is no escape, to make us prisoners of an
experience which tears our hearts, where fact and memory are endlessly opposed
and, far fron nerging together, are bound to co[tradict each other
uffelentingly. All dnt we car say is drat this tbnn of reasoning brinSs irlto
stronger relief at the tundamcnnl situation to which il is hope's mission to reply
as to a signal of dislress. But it may be objected, are not sorne situations, where
the tragic elernent seems to be absent, 0f such a nature as neverlheless to
encourage or even to invite l}re exercise c'f hope? 'fhe vromal who is expecting a
baby, for insrance, is litcrally inhabited by hope. it seelns to rne, however, thal
sgch exanples, and I would even include that ol the adolescent who anxiously

125

I
awaib t.he colning of love, only scenr to contiltlr what is said above As a malter
oi fact, the soul always turns towards a light which it does not yet perceive, a
light yet to be bom, in the hoPe of being deiivered fronl its present darkness, l}le
darkness of waiting, a darkness which cannol be Prolonged rvithout dragging it in
some way towards an organic dissolution. And rniglrt wc not say in passing that
it is from this point oi view lltat such peculiarities as lhc ab'lrratioos liequerrt in
adolescenis ai]d expcctatrt rnothcrs arc lo he explained?
(8) ln reality, we should probrbiy go t slep lurther i0 Lhis direciion arttl '
hterpreting the phenotnena sornewhat dilferentli from Plato and the leaders ul'
traditiomi spiritualisrn, recognizc lhat there is quite a geaeral aspect under which
human existence appears as a capti\,ily and lhat, precisely when il takes on tllis
tbnn. it becomes so to speal subiect 10 hopc. It rvould actually be et$y to show,
arid as we procee<I wc sirltll p|oballlS tcali:.:c tuore lully, thai dlcrc is also ail
ever-presenl possibiliry of deSfadrng this sanle existence to a state irl whiclt il
rvould losc all capiicity l0r'hopc. Ili'rt prt|iidox $'llich uecd sutptisc oilly thc vcfy
superficial tlfnker, the less lift is e\perienccd as a captivity the less the soul wil!
iuino oi tliat vci rious li whir"h rve feel sure
without any analysis, illumiites the very center of hope's dwellilg-place. ll is
incontestable, for instance, that free-thoughl impregnated with naturalism,
however it may strugglc, alas \\'itll iocreasing success, to obliterate certain great
contasts and to tlood the world widt dre harsh light of the lechrre hail. however
it may at tile same time ldver'lise rvhat I ltave elrcwhere styled the cateSory o1'
the pq&rdyltau&1 - it is, I repeat. inconteslabie tltat such a dogmatically
sundardized free thought eventually runs llic risk of depriving souls ol the very
rudinenrs of secular hope.
(9) Bul with rvhat kind of hope are rve really concerned? What exactly is
i$ object?
(10) lt seems very irnportiurl [o Ine to stress here, in coonectioil with
what I have just said abou. existerce in general being a captivity, tlte hope. bv a
drur which is pecuiiar to it, tends iuevitably to tralscerd the Pa icular objects
to which it at first seems lo be attached. Later on we shall have to recognize the
memphysical irnplications of this reinarl. But even now it
is possible lo
appreciate $c distilctioll i[ tonc betwecn 'i
hopc...", dlc absolute s{ tcnlellt, alld
'l hope that...". This distinction clcarlv runs p:rrallel to that which obtains in all
feligious philosophy and which opposes "i believe" lo "l believe dtat,"
(l 1) The phiiosopher must also consiiler anotirer point ol' an equalll,
decisive naure. lt bcers on the flndameotal clraracten'stics of the subject in "l
hope...". This subject is indeed in no way irlcntical with fte "I nryself...", wha is
leverdreless prcsert, or at alj.y ratt is ]ikel] to come to the surface wheneyef
there is a question nor of hope but ol cerrainty or even do"bt. Here I must refer
back m a group of ideas which I rvorked our a li[l: ilhile ago on rhe sub.ject oF

lt6
the Ego and lts Relatiou to Oth!$. 'fire eg!.), I said, very often, in tact alDrost
invariably, needs to rcler to soDic othci person ltit or conceived ol as aii
opponent or a witness, or again orercl] sunlrnoncd es an echo or a rectilicr.
"You have your doubts. l-.ecause lou are ill-ilfornred or because you lack ilncr
stability, or for arty otlier rcasorlt as lbr rnc. I lm sure.- and (bc it understood) i
am;rroud oithe fact. Or. on the coitrary, "\'ou are quite sure oi ibis becausc
you are sintplc. or b:rd1! inloI'lrcd. or'lJf iury {}lllcf reilsoni its lbf rnd. orr rirc
odler hand, I hiive r r)lore criticlil s:nst tiltrr r,ou, thcrelbre, I arn irr doubt.'
(12) Natufaliy, I do not rean thal I arr sulg or l_da!b1 inevirably implier
a position acceotuaied io this \\'aj: but what is cr:nain is that the underlying
nreaning which a:ritnirtcs tlle !_{Ut lqrc or' l dorrbt is rxx fcall\ distottcd, it dr)cs
not lose irs actual nature tiuough such an accentuaiion. ]'he case is quite different
wittt I hope. Here there is not. and tlrere carrlot be rhe note of defiance or of
provocalion which. on the contrary, so casily beconres essential to 1 doubr or I
an sure. What is *ie cause 01'this ditleretrce? It is surely due to the fact that "l
hope" is not orieoted in the sane way: there is no statement direcled towards,
and at the sarne time against, sonre other person either present or imagined. Ol
course there is nO$ing to prevent nre fron saying in certain cases, "For Iny part,
I hope, whilst you do not." But there would be none of that suggestion of
aggressive self-cornplacelcv which, ou the contrary, so ofien characrcrizes "l arn
sure" or "I doubt".
(13) This will be elucidated, I think, if we take the trotble to examine rhe
difference between hope atd optiurisnr. li is a difference which may seem to be
more of a musical dran a logical order and which accordingly is easy enough to
misunderstand. lts importance, however, should not be overlooked.
(14) The optimist is he rvho has a firm convictio0, or in ceflnin cases jusr
a vague feeling, tlur rhings Iend "to turn out fbr the best". This may concern
some definire situation, sorne precise dilliculty: it may have ro do with
difficulties. conflict and contradicrioos ir gcneral. It goes rvithout saying f.hat
op[mism can iake very dift'erent tbll..s. There is a purely sentimenul optimism
and an optinism with pretensions ro reason (\'hich ro tell rhe trufi is perhaps
merely a carnouflaged senrilnenlal ily). Thore are some kilds of opriinism which
rnaintain Lhat the5, arc based on practi(al expericoce: oihers, on dre courrary,
ciaim to rest on metaphysical or eveu retigious arguments. I ant inclirred to think,
however, that these dillercnces are l less wighty thiur one lnight be tetnpted to
believe at first. lt is by no means certain that optimism does not always indicate
the same disposition, the same habitus. Perhaps such a thing as deep as optimism
does not exist. The meraphysics of Leibnirz are deep, no doubr, but not in so far
as rhey are optimirtic, in so tar as they are presented as a theodicl,. Whcn we
come down to a final analysis, the optimist, as such, always relies upon an
cxperience, tvhich is rurt drawn Iron thc Inost inti|tate arul living part ol'
hinlscll. bu,. o0 tll! !o ltilry, is c0 titlcrccl llrrti a_!ulliciqllt distallcc lo itllow
c;rtain conlradiclions lo bccot|c altctttatcd or luscci irtto a Sctleral lrarllotry'
-I lcd t{r
re optimisl does l1ol hesitate to ext|apolate the conclusions which we are
if rnly we are wiiling to "consider tt)ings" thoroughiy' tiorn a suf{icient distance
anl clver a wide ettough stretch 'lt always co,ues ouL right in t'ire eld '"' "Wc
sh. l be bound to sec...", "lf ool)' wc dorl'l allo\t oursclves io slop too soot]
Sulh lre fie fortnul;e $llicl) Lon5tillrll\ rectll ill tlle sp(c'lres ol ule opt: lisls'
Notice fiat the rvord "speechcs" is irlpoftarll llcre. Tlte optirttist is csse ially ir
uaker ofspeeches. Thcre is il dre lralural 3nd iilvourabl)'directed dcvelopruent
to w[ich he so rotupiaccntly ciirtgs sotrielltitrg which readily icads ilsc]f to
oraLorical secluences and wrirten cxprcssiott. ln parenthesis we nolc that lhere is a
pessimism whici'l is the exact coulterpart of such oplirnism. It is oratofical in the
i*. *uy, and there is no fundamenml distinction betrveer drem. They are like
*rc inside a;rd outside 01 (ire same garmetrt.
(15) To go or tiom what has already been stated, we should say tlut thts
optimism (or, for the nutter of ilat, thir pessimism which does not really differ
from it) remains strictly in the plovince of the "l myself". The optimist
introduces hinseif indeed as a spectator with particularly keen sight. "lf your
vision is as good as mine, you are bound to see ." To be sure, the fact must be
recognized that in the case of a given individual (say in concrete reality and not
through the writirgs of a theorist, be he econornist or metaphysician), optimistn
cannot always bc sepanted from an ildistilct fairh which cannot be shared by
the specraror as suchi but wlul is llnpult,rrll tor us her( is optinrism in its
essence, that is lo say precisely in so llu as it does nol include dle interyention ot
laith, or eveu the direct participation, thc engagemert, which conres into being
as soo as life is regarded as sorttcLltiug o$cr than purely cxtcntal. Btlt \\'e luvc
already seel, ard we recognise n1ore and tnore clearly, that ire who hopes,
inasmuch as his hope is real arrd no! to be reduced to a mere platonic rvish'
seems to himself to be irrvolved in some kind of a plocess; and it is only from
t}ris poirt ol view that it is possible to realizc rvl''at is specific. and, I should add
super-ratiooal, perhaps also sr-rpcr-relatioLial, in hope. For, to use once agaur the
expression I have so oftcn ernployed, hope is a rnystery and not a problem. We
might point out lionr tho saure poitrt ol view thal ltope is verli ditficult to
describe. Indeed, wher I rry to represent iL Lo nryself I alll airnosl inevitably led
to alter in Lrue nature and to consider it as a presumption. Il is thus that we come
to subsrirute "ro flatter trysell'" fbr "to hope". But ir reality if we sttcceed in
tearnilg its meaning rnore accuratcly or, which comes to $e salne thing. in
imaginillg vividlv enough rvhat iropillg auroutits to in o0e oi dre situations
described turther back, we shall rccognize that "l hope" cannot ever be taken te
imply: "l an ill the secrct, I know lhe purpose ol God or of the gods, wltilst you
are a profane ousider: and lroreover it is because I have the benetit of sPecial

t2E
 I
enlightenment thst say what do." Sitclt art itlterPretation is ultair and
I
inaciurate as it is possible lo bc, it does ttill titkc ittlr acsount all thaL thcte ts ol
hunrility, of timidilv. of eila$lfy i| lhe lftre chlrlicter of hope i'he diiljcult task
ol the phiiosophel is pleciscly to rcalt strolully against such atl rrllerprcialrctr'
and ar he samc tilne to ttnderstil[d u'hy ii is stt ilitllcult 10 avoid rrlaking
it Hott
c,r),,ve fail to see thal hLrntility. nx c'ty ot slr.rstitr. b) tllcir
(ssrtlrc ciro nc!cr
corlsent to bc delined, d,at is to sly Ctcy rlill Dcrcr dclivcr thcit secfct to tllr-
rrercy oi ralionallslic nn'estigatiorl'j Ileilce ille tl Jarllennl insufficicitcy' tltel
clunrs) irlidcdua.Y ')l inlctpfslilt;olrs we gcrtcfilli)' havc lo Irlil bltck uprrr' iLr
seekirg to understaltd what i tann tlle trystcry ol llope. l"or illiliuicc, adopiills
Ure realislic poiitt of vic\\ peoplc are rcady enough to sii)'.
"l)oes not llie hope ol
the irrvalid, the prisoner or thc cxilc boil dorvrt irl dre crld to il surl ot urednlr
refusal to accept an intolcrable situirtion as illral? The amount of vinlity which
tre individual retaius can be tneasured b)' tliis relusal, and do rve noi find that' if
he has been woro dowrl to a certain point of cxluustion, he will beconle
ircapable of exercising the hope which supported him ir the first s(ages of his
tlial?':-
(16) It must be acknowledged tirirt the notion of vitality here referred lo is
(he
vague enough in ilself. Llul what is extremely characteristic is thc tcndcocy of
argulnent to belittle hope: "Let us have lto ilh'rsions, hope is not anylhing but ,
I
etc." ln dris way its specific natufc is disrupted. It is matter for reflecrio! to
discover tl)e otigin oi this anxiety ttt dcprcciatc. Wc shlil retunl lo Lllis p'rilll
further ou. lJut al thc sitnte lillle it is to be lioted tlr:lt wilhout any doubt the soul
can be in a state of dlowsiness wltich teuds to paralyze every kind of reaction; it
is quite clear, for insmnce, that cold or hunger can reduce me to a state in which
I cannol concenfate my attentiol on any idea, ot a fortiori use my powers of
reflection; it would be no less absurd lo draw malerialistic conclusions from this
as to the nature of attention or thought. As it happens, experience seelns to
establish that hope is able to survive that hope is able to sun'ii'e an airnos! toal
ruin of the organisnr; if t\en it is vitality in scme seose, it is very difflcult to
determine wltat that sense is, for it has llothing in common rvith the mef,rring $'e
attribute to the word in speaking ol the vitality ol a healthy body At any rate'
the prilcipie rnust be laid dorvn that a-ny physical theory of hope is absurd and,
according to all appearances, conlradictoryi perh:rps we might be justified itt
maintaining that hope coincides with ttre spiritual principle itself
'fhus we must
bc careful not to $ink 0tat we can understand it by psychologicai s.ippositions,
these as a matter of fact are alrvays imagined a posteriori, to cxplain sonrething
which is an abiding nrystery by its nature. To convince our:eivcs of this it is
elough to observe thal we are quitc unable to lell befbte au oldeal \\'hat that
ordeal rvill do to us and whal resources we slrall iind we posses wilh which to
lace it.

f29
 (t7) Tlrc Iniilt is l|:ti lltctcc:trt st,i.lly slrcal'itt3 lt rto ltollc c)iPcct uircrt
dle ternpratioo to despair exists. Hope is the act by which this tellptahon ir
actively or victoriously overcoure. 1'he victorl, ouy not invariabl) ittvolve an1'
sense of effort: I should even be quitc ready to go so far as to say that such a
fecling is not cornpatible widr hope in ir pLrrcst tbrttr.
(18) What rhcr does it nean Lo dcsplir? We wiil not stop short here rvrdl
symptonN and sigDs. What is the essenlc oi ltlc act of dcspair'/ l', scerns as
though it were aluays capitul tiorr belbrs r ce|1ain lilum laid tlo""tt try our'
judgenrcnt. llu( thc dilicrdlcc bcL!\c.r Lir)irulaii(llt anci t tou-capitu lalioil, Lllougll
certain, is ha|d to dcliue. Lct us supposc iltal. I dctelop some iucurable illncs:
and that niy condiliou sirows no irnpfo\elrrL'ltt. lt tray be tiut I say to rnyself, "l
caflrot bc cured". or tint it is thc rioeturs $llo tcll nle, wilh or without kcl, dial
there is no possible prospect ol m) rerovcly (tlle)' are, fbr instancc, wal'uirrg tue
in order to spare me irou disappoinnrents which woLrld wear me out to no
purpase). h d)e tlrsl case it scems ru rlrough I decide arrd defi itny real or
possible contradictious "You, \\ hr) cliiini lo know sorDellrirg ilbout il, say ihat I
can get better; but I myselt, r',ho krrorv how I feel ard who have lnner
experiencc of all rny synlptoms, I tcll you drat you are misakeo and that I ca not
recover", ln this way, I pronounce my own seotence, ard at the saine time my
relarions and my doctor will no doubt i'eel dut I have made conditions as
unfavorable as possible for nry constitrrion to put up an et-fective resistance. Is
there not now every chance tlur. discouragcd by l-tlis sentence, it wiil f'eel
obliged to confirm it? So it conres about dut, tar tionl merely fbreseeirrg nr1'
owr destiny, I shall really have plecipi:ated it. Sti'angely enough, things may
very well happen quite differently ilr the second case we are considering. [t may
be that the verdict conmunicated to me, comillg from outside, will arouse in nre
not mirely the strength ro deny it, bur ro prove it to be wrong in fact- Ar least we
can say drar in dris sccold case I do noL appear in principle lo be furthering lny
nol-recoveryr unless I radfy and thus nrakc m-v own the sentence which has been
con runicated to me, But it rernains true that a cerlnin margin is leti rne, a
certain possibility of contradiction preciseiy because it was someone else and rrot
I who declare n.Iy recovery to be impossibl:.
(19) Ilowevcr, it is still nccessar; lierc to distilguish between $r'u i[ner
attitudes which are very dift'erent and rvlich help to decide tJre event itself. 'l'o
capitulate, in the strongest scnse oi the wr)rd, is not orily, perhaps is uoL at all, to
accept the given serrtclce or even ro ;gqngnizc fie iocvilable as such, it is ro go
to pieces under this sentcnce, to disar 't betbre dre ireviable. It is at bottom to
renounce dre idea o1'rcmaining oncsclf, ir is 10 bc liscinated by the idea of onc's
own destuction ro tte point ol a0ricipaling this very desrrucrior itselr. To
accept, on the cont.rary, can iuean to hold on iurd to keep a firm hold of oneself,
that it is to say to safeguard one's inregritl,. Bccause I am condemned nevet to

:it0
recover from this illness, or not to corne olll ot this priscl I do nol nrean lo Sivc
up, I do not coment, tiom this very nlolnclrt, to lre drc usclcss creature whicii
my illness or my captivity tnay finaliy make of ire: I will counter the fascimtion
which rhe idea of this creature nli8ht have tbr me with the finll determinatiLjn tu
remain what I arn. h rnay thLts cottte about tllat by accepting arl inevitable destill
which I refuse wid all my slrength atlticipate, I will find a $'a)'of inward
cor$olidatioi, ol prorin-g m)'!d3iil) tct tlyself, and at thc sarlle iilne i shali rise
indeflnitely above tllis &!ull to *'hiclt i have never allowed rnyself lo shut rn)
eyes. Hereil without anl doubt lies the porvcr atrd greatness 01'sloici-"n. bul, al
the sane time. it rrust be recogttized $at the stoic is aiways intprisoned witltirr
himseif. He strergdicns ltirnself. no doubl. but hc cioes nol radiate. I woulii 80 as
far as to say lhat Il. allbrds us tllc lligllcst cxprcssion, tire greatcs{ dsgrcc trl
sublimation ol thc I nlyscl{". lle beilfs hirllscll:-n!ld thal lrcans thal itbove all hc
cotltrols his interior lilc --as thouSh lie had no rteiglibours, as though ire were
concerned or y with hintseif arld had uo responsibility tou'ards anyone else.
(20) lt is obvious that ill hope there is somethirg which Soes infiritel]
funher than acceptance, or one migltt say ntore exactly that is a non it
acceplance, but positive and he[ce rlisLi[guishable liom revolt. Non-acceptance
can indeed be a nere stit'feoing or conttadiction. When it is Lhis it is powerless
ard can be, in the salne rvay as its of,posite, abdicatiofl, a tnanner of working out
one's own defeat, of relinquishirg control. The itrportant question lbr us is tc
know how it can take o[ the positive character. I{ow, if I do not accept can I
avoid tightening myseli up, and, instead, r'elax in m1, very non-acceptance? Wc
might compare this with 0re supple rnovernerts of the swimmer or the Practiced
skier. But our difficulty is that it is very hard to conceive how there can be a
suppleness and grace in sornething which, on the face of it, appears to be
negation. We can begin to see the solutior of this strange problem by reflecting
that tightening up or stiffening, on whatever physical or spiritual level wd ma)
considering it, appears m be negation. We can begin to see the solution of this
strange problem by reflecting that tightening up or stiffening, on whatever
physical or spidtual level we may be corsidering it, always suggests the presence
of the same physical factor, wbich, if not exactly fear, is at any rate of the same
order, a concentration of tire self ori the self, the essence of which is probably a
ce ain impatience. If we iltroduce the eleurent of paiience into non-acceptance
we at once come very much nearer to hope. It seems then thal lhere e^ists it
secret--and rarely discovered connection between the way in which 0re ego is
either centered or not centered in imeli', and its reaction to the duration of the
time, or more precisely to the terl'rllor':ll ordcr, tha{ is til say to lhc fact thill
change is possible in reality. A sirnple expressior.r borrowed tion everyday
language is a help here: ro take one's tirne. He who stiffens arrd rebels does not
know how to take his time. What exactlv do these words. so tbreirn lo the

tlt
vrr.iLbulrr) ()l tucllr)l!.ll lllil,r\opll),, rtrcltll/ " lirko )ottr {itllc". iul clltllrtlcl
would 5a\'. ',.i exanrple. t,l.tlurIicri candidirie. 'lhal tttcaus, dit rtot tbrce thc
personal rhlJrm, rhc propei caderce of your rtflectiou, or even oi 1,our
mernol!, lbr ii you do you rvilJ sptril youl ciu:lces, you will bc lilelj, to say at
randorn the t:rst word w[ich c(nrle into your hcad. it ma5, seem tirat we havc
wandered rer. far fronr h,.lpe in Lhe strict scnse of the wcrd. I do not thilk so,
and rhis is bo!\, I artt goirrg to Lry to explair tile analogy. or n1r)re exactl).
pcilraps. tlre secrctallirrity bctu,ccl hillc attd telaxtlioit. I).)cs nol Iri wllo l()pss.
and, a5 \\c hare seen. has to coltcnd wilh n ccltirirt triiil comparablc io a fil.n ol'
captivit). tclld to treit tliis triai xnd to plocccrj ilr rrgald to it ls irc rrirc is l.rticrrL
towards hirnseli rreuts his iucrl,ericnced 5'or.rrrg 9!0, the ggit lirich ncerls
cdrre:rliru rrrtrl r(xllrr)lli ! Ah,rr,c:rll lrt rrcv(1 lelr it errrrlrircl hUl. orr lite olllcl
hald, hc does lc,t allo\r it to kick ovcr tllc lraL:cs or liike control prcnraturL:ly or
ulrl\,arrantabie. Frorn this point of view, hopc neans firsi. acceptillg dre trial as
an inLcgrll palt of the scll, but u,lrilc so doing it coosiders it as dcstioco to bc
absorbed and transnlutcd by thc inner workings of a cel(ailr creadve process.
(21) Further back I spoke oi patience rvidr oneself; perhaps ir is still more
instructive now to corrsider patience with others. This nrost certainly consists ir
never hustli:rg or being rough with another person, more exacily, in never rrying
to substitute our own rhythur by violerce. Neither should tie other person be
ueated as tiough he lacked an autoronous rhythrn, and could accordingly be
forced or bent ro suir us. Let us say positively this timc dlat it consism in phcing
o,rr confidence in a ccrlain p(rcess of growdr and developnent. 'l'o give one's
confiderrar'does nct nrcrel),rnean thli one rnakes iln acl of dleorgtical acceptaDcc
witir llo idea ol ilterlcrrlioD. ior that would, in iact, be to abafldon l}le other
purely and sinrply to hirnseli No, to have cooiidence here seems Io ntcan to
embrace dris process, in a selse, so that we prorlotc it tiom withil. P:,tience
seenrs, then, to suggesl a cenain tenrporal pluralism, a cerrain pluralizatiol of
dre self in timJ. It is radicallv oppos.d ro the lct by which l despail ot thc oLher
persoir. declaring tlrat he is good for notlring, or lhat h. will never undcrstilnd
anythilg, or that he is incurable. -l'llat is, ol courrie, the sarnc desplir ,.r'hich
makes me proclairD thnt I shail levcr be cured, thirr I shall never see the eud oi
lrry capfi!ily, ctc. ll sccnrs, stfiulgcly enougl, tliat, iI lrolilg, I devclop iI
colnecdon widr dre cvcnt, and perhaps abovc all thr(rugh wiral it nlakes of rne, a
typc of relationship, t kind of intiurac,, co rllarablc ro (lta{ trlriih I h ic rviLh llir
oLher person when I arn patient with hiru. Perhaps we nligirt go so tir as to speai:
here of a .eruin ,{qrnesticating of circunrsr^lr:es rvhigh rnigiil otherlvise, if \ye
allowed tlrcm r0 gct thc bcltcr ol us, llighten us unto acccpting tlrcln ls a 1a!qu.
If we look no furthcr thiur irs et5 mological nreirniug, pitticnce lppears to bc just ii
siuple letting things alone, or illowilg, thern to take their coursc, bul il wc txke
the analtsis a lit e funher we find thal such nol-intcrfr:reacc is of a higher order

3ll
l:a i dillcrerrcc atrd irrtltiics il slrl)tlc frsl)crt l\)f tllc oLllcl Pcls{)ll's llecd ol Lllllc
to preserye his vitll fhytllln, so thlt it tcllds l() cx0rcise a lrallslbrlritlg intluence
upon hirlt r',tich is comparable t,) dlllt \i'ilich sor)rctinle:] rewards love. lt
moleover be shorvn liow llcrc rutd ll cle purli qltrsillily is Lltterly lcli bchitrd. Ol'
course patience cau easily be clegrad:d: it can becotu,: nterg weakttc:ss, or tnete
compiacencl', prsciscl)' ir) so lar as it bclfir)'s tlre prirlciple ol charity which
should aniniatc it. But cao it be or crloitked th3l hope like\\'ise is liable ttr
degracialions of dre same ofder. wheo. iilr irlstlnce. it is tbuDd ill the rners
spectalor who, withoul being in the least involved irt the game o[ race at which
l'ie is present, hopes lhrt ore or other competitots rvili sLlcceed, and at thc same
time, in a conlused sorl of rvay, conSratlrlates himself that he is ntnning no risk
and has no direct palt to play in tite struggle.
I
(22) To lell lhc lru{h, har,c Do doubt lhat {h0 conrparison Ir:rvc I
suggestcd will appear paradoxical and absurd. lu lhc crse of patiencc there is
question of a beirtg, but here we arc not dealinS witil a being but a situittiou
which in its essence has notliing pcrsonrl about it Oo rcllection, hou'ever, lhe
gap tctrds to narrow, pcrhaps because I cau hope or not hope in Ure being oi'
whon I an in a sense in charge, and we sball have to ask ourselYes if "l place
my irope in ),ou' is rot really thc urost authentic fbrrn ol "l hope". llut it is not
everythiug: the trial aflicts rne, it atncks nry being so rhat I am likely to be
pennaleltl\ altered by it.'Ihus therc ill a risk that illncss will make of lne tlral
r
delbrrred crcir ure, cxtaloguc{l l0d prolcss io|rilized iovalid, who thinks of
hhrself as such and contracts iD all respects tlie hiil)itus o1-illness. lt is the sarne
with captivity or exile. elc., and, I should sai, with every sort of misibrrune. Irr
so far as I hope, I detach m1'sell iiom rhis inncr dctermilism which is ra&er like
a clanrp, tiueatening, rvhen the trial is upon me, to change me into one of iiose
degraCed, abnormal, and in the end perhaps hypnotized expressions of human
personalit)' produced by dqspair, because it is above al things a fascination.
(23) We come hefe, I think, ro one of rhe vital cenres of our subiect. But
irruIediately an objection preserts itsell which must be squarely tlced. It does
nol seenr possible to consider hope purely and sinrply as ar inner actior of
deleilsc by rviriclr I slroLrld be ll)lc io sillcgLlilfd rrry irttcgrity rvltcrt it is llrrcirtcrcd
by an obsessiolr: or morc exirctl). it is uot thc iictual snt-eSuald rvlrich we arc
ainring at; if this is secured by hope, it can onl5, be indircctly. Everything goes to
show that hope does not bcar upon what is in nrc, uport wlrat is in lne, upon the
region of ny interior lite, but ruuch more on what arises independently ol'rry
possible actiol, ald particularly of uly i,ction on nryself: I hopc-- tbr the return
of someone wiro is absent, ror the Ccfear of die enemy, for peace, rv|icn will
give back to my couiltry the libertics 01 \\'hich disastcr has robbed it. Il it is
I
permissible 10 say, as itlreadv implied above, tJrat hope has the povrer of
 making thinSs l)uid, it rct}iaitls to l)0 scclt cxactly ltr'lw ltttd upott wltat tllis llo\\ul
is exercised,
*(24)
L"t us agairt tttis tine Inakc usc of an exatnple. For a long tirDc a
father has bcen widlout rews ol llis srln. Thc bo1 ltld gone on a lnissloll to a
distant country, telling his relations not to tvoiry if he did not write for some
time, but his silence is unduly prdolged and gives rise to the worst fears Yct
thc father persists il
hoping. l:trclr drrl'll,: art.ti(s {1t,.' Icirer rvltich wi-tuld briltg
this anxiety to at end. l'o despair tvould bc t,r se1', "l have been disappointed so
many times t-here is every reaso,r tle*pcct thal I sllall be agair) today", it would
be to declare this woulld irculable, dtis $ound rvhich not only is irtflicted by
separation but which j5 sepalation. 'i shall ncver again be anythillS btrt lirc
wounded, mutilated creature I ant today. Dead alone can end rtty lrouble and it
will only do so by ending nte uryself. l'ha( is all dcstiny is able to do lor Inc
destiny, fte srang doctor which cirn onll cure the disease by kiiling thc
sufferer. " The despairing man not only coltcmplated and scts before hirnself the
dismal repetition, tbe externalization of a situatiolr in rvhich he is caught like a
ship in a sea of ice. By a paradox which is difficult to conceive, he anticipates
this repetition- lle sees it at the rnonlcDt, ld sirnultatrcously he has the bitter
certainty tlat &is anticipation will not spare hint fron Iiving through the same
trial day by day umil the extinction which, to tell the truth, he alticipates
likewise, not sceing it as a remedy but as a suprene outrage to fte departed for
whom his mourning does at least. eNure thc shadow of survival. Despair here
appears as an enchantnenr, or more exactl)r a kind of wirchcraft, whose evil
action has a bearing on all whiclr goes to fron the very substancc of a person's
life.
(25) Let us be still more precise. Eaclr injtant, my irnpressions, in the
very general sense rvhich llune gives rhis rvord, stand out aSainst a certain
"background' in which rcllection alouc is ablc to disccnl, sornewhat imperfcctly
perhaps, what belongs to the past or the fulure or what a horizon of Uoating
possibilities, Contrary to what one is otien tenrpted to adrlit, it is oot true to
argue that fiis "background" contrasts wilh giveo facts, as though it were merely
imagined; it is also "given" iu anolher fon)r, that lbr insttulcc which we
articipate d)e future, and rcjoice, grow sad or worry about a cerlaio prospect. lt
is precisel)' because we place oursclves unwarri-.ntably on thc "ground of fac$"
dlat we arc lcd to tb|.ruullts thc prirciplc tllat lllc lltulc is tlot givet)---and ca,l
dierefbre onJy be imagirrcd, It would be much nearer the trud to say thal jn
anticipatin8 I receive, I pockct in advance, I mkc a cerLri0 advance pcrcentage,
on a given facr which is ro come, and is quite literally cfedited to me. Actually it
does not grently lllalcr llcr! il drcse ldvl:n(!'s ,trc ditfclcnt lronr tlre rest which
we shall etlectivcly rsrlizc onc day. lvlrar I jusl called dre subsrulce of tile caJl
now be separared frorn the act, allrost intpossible to describe, by which I aut

i-11
nwilfc {)l lllrs stll)slitttec:ll :l lli\elr lll(rllrerll :ls {}llL: is itwilfc r)l lltc (ltrrllily ol ;l
wine or the \\'rter of a pfecious slolle. ltcllcclivc llllalysis will no doubl l.cre
suggest the idea of a relationship bctwcen thc inn[ediate, dre articipaled and i,lso
the remembered which we might say backs the operation lf we kepl to dre i( ea
of this relationship wc should clsily cottrc to speak ol a triangulalioo which e.!h
of us is making at every n]oment of his existence. Tltat. horvever, would olly oe
a very imperfect approxination, ftrr by dris lriarrguldtion I could ilever deterrline
a.nything but nry position at a 8iverl nlo rent. Norv, the appreciatioll which is
here under discussion is sornetlrittg quite diifcrcnr iionl a simple rcgisratur,
irdeed it tends at each niomeni to con\/ert ilself into a globai jutigctnent. r'alid
u-b-lqu!-glsenrpe I and tltclcby iniitritely tratrsceudillS everylhinS
which is lirnited
to *rc rC]qg!,oU]S.
(26) 'fhe trutli is thal it is impossible to rcst srtislled hcre witlr ar
interpretation expressed in tenns of rcla(iorisilips An amateur psychologrst,
whose name I luve unfbrtunately tbfSolter), brought out in a paper' which I
believe is sriil unpublished, dre importiurce ol what he very aptly called
"L'entrain a la vie (enthusiasn for living.)". The appreciation, or a fortiori the
uiangulation, of which I mentioned tire possibility just now, is in reality nothing
but the intellectualized alrd inadequate expression of that which is dynamically
known to us as enthusiasm or atdour for life This term of ardour,
unphilosopiiical as it may be, has tl,J lnerit of retaining and as it rvere
incaurating a rnetaphcr which we camot reduce io abstract lerms withoul lhereby
condenrning ourselves to miss the essential and inescapable cortnection which
exists between life and a flane. ln passing, how can help noticin8 like Dr.
Minkorvski, ftat cermin metaphors furnish us with sellilgs for the human
experience "to exist" to such a point that we have fie riSht to regard lJlem as
veritable concrete categories. It is on this llame, which is life, &at the
mslevolent acdon of despair is exercised. We might say lo pul it in anotter way
that ardour renders soluble or volatile what without it would at every moment
tend to prevent existence. lt is tumcd to\\'ards ir certailr matter in the personal
becoming which it is its iiurction lo consulne. Where, ho\\'ever, "the evil spell"
exists, this flane tunls arval'from dle matter which is its nalural food, to devcur
itself. This ulut v;e express admirably when we say of a behg "he preys on
himself"r. From this point ol vierr', despair can be compared to a cerlain spiritual
autophagy. We nust rolice here, and keep in rliud ior all that lbllows, the part
played by ihe self, that action which consists not only of reflecting but of making
selI the center.
tJre
(27) Do drese indica.tiols throw lny liglrt clt our problent? dte exarrple ll
we were colsicier-ine---that of the son of rvhom there is no news---it is clear drat

ll5
tJre disappointilg ['act, tltc arrival ol the posuual who does not bring lhe longed-
for letter, illustrates what I was speakiug oi as sonlething to be coDsumed or
li:solvcd I'ltc trrDt ol Ii(luclilcli(rrl cxprcsscs tllc surlc proccss. llut wL: rrlusl tlol
torget dle criticisnr () whicli we havc previorisly subjccled thc co fused nolion ol
, irality. We nlight siry- fiat r nutufirl o!tirlisnl cxists, which reflects trefbre
everydrurg clsc thc pcflcct luuctit-rllillg ol tlle (jrSanislu but which !llay also
conespond ro a thoroughly egoistical desire to husbaod one's forces. to save
olesclf usclcss iinxicLy lirr as lorg lr poirsiblc; it goes uitlurut snyinll thilt tlli:-
natural optirDisll is lrot to be coirlised ar]y nlore thau theoretical optimisnl wirh
hope. Tlie latter appcitrs io us ils iiispircd br' love. or perhaps nrorc exactly by ll
corlbilation of sceo.s rvLrich this love conjutcs up and irradiates- Br.rt arr
objection at once trises whiclr *'e must oow face squarely ancr which seerns
likely to ruin any mctaphysical theory 01 hop..
(28) The objectior consists of questioniug the value of the belief implied
in hope. If I wish ardentiy for a certain thing, it will be sairl, I shall represenr it
to myself very distincdy, I shall reallze it in rny imagination and irunediately, by
the san: process, I shall beiieve it i; actually going to ilapper. If this be so, rnust
we rot adnit that hope implies ar illusion of which critical reflection at once
exposcs t}le mecbarisni? This is exactly the illusio0 whicli makes us Uke our
wishes for realities-'-our wishes or our tiars: the mechafiism is obviously the
sarne ih both cases.
(29) We rnust low ask oursclves undcr what conditioos it is possible (o
savc hope, lhat is to sily to recognisc a valuc ill it rvhich such criticism canlot
dirninish, pertinent as it niay be in a great nulnber of particular cases.
(30) It is here no doubt that we must remember the distinction made
above between "to hope" and "to hope rhat". 'l'he more hope tends to reduce
itself to a matter of dwelling orl or of becotriug hypnotized over, sornedrilg one
has represemed to oneself, llle rnore the objectiou we have jrrst tbrmulated will
be irrefunble. On the conhary, the rnore iropc transcerds imtLginatioo, so t-tnt t
do not allow myself to imagine what I hope 1br, the more this objection seems to
disappear.
(31) It might, however, be asked \\hetller drar is not just an evasion.
Indeed, from re very moment that I aln called upon to endure solne trial suclt as
illness or exile, what irll rrry wishes arc bcnt upon is ny liberation. I rnay
represent more 0r less tl)f exacl way in which it ri'ill happel, but in any casc I
realize it irlienseiy. ard b), ,llat very fact I tend to believe ilr itj it scerns uer unr
t\e psychological mechanism functiorrs in rhe same way even where ni1,
ccnsciousneJs is lrot hyptlotized by a certain prccise inrage.
(32) But it must be answered thar in reasoning Lbus v/. atbiJa ly
simplify an inlerior situalion which inclurjes, as has becn exprelsly stated, &c
essendal element of tcmptation to despair. The siiflilg condirions !!.hjch surr0!t)d

:t:t6
irn(i ls rl \\:c[c ltcdgr us irr, tclld tu lrppcar urtchangeablc to us. Ws lecl thal th"'rc
is no reason to suplos,i that a nliracle will translbi m lllen into calltbmity \\'ilh
our desires. Notice that hert anotlrer psychological niechanisn is workiug in a
precisely opposite dircction liorr that whicil was shown to bring about thc
illusion exposed at dre heiifi of hope. It urust then be recognized dlat, in thr
situaiiol and triirls rvc irave in mind. consciousness has to cortend wi{i two
mechartisnls whiclr tcrrd lo rvork irt opposilc directiorls ltnd lhis obscrr'.rtit,tr.
coriiilg at the eld ol what rvc hnvc alleady, lcads us to recogllizc tlrc secrel
coluiection betrveen hope and liberty. Ilo|h takc ii)r glanted the overruling actiort
ofthejudgeme.
(33) Let us. ibr example, ronsidcf &c example of the invalid; it is
obvious that he has set his rnind upon recovering by the end of a dcfinite J,eriod:
he is likel)' to dcspair if he is not cured at the appointed time. llere it would be
the special funcrion of the judgenlcrlt to sugSest that evsn if the time has passed
without tiie expected recovery taking place, llrele is, all the sanle, plenty of rootr
fbr hopc. llele hopc rLppears to Lrs boLlnd up with thc usc of u nctlroil oi
surrrounting, by rvhich tlrcught riscs ahove lhe inaginings and lbm.ruladons
upon which ir had at first been iempted to dcpend, Ilut. in this exanple, !t
dcpends no dOrrbl oo nmre thun a qucrriou ol datrs. 'fhe very idea ol rccovery is
capable, ar an.,r rat. in a ceriai spifitual fcgiste[, of being puritied and
tr;ursfcrin'-d. "EverS,tliin;1 is lost for lie if I do not get weli", the invalid js at
lirst tenpted tc e::claim, naivell, ide tifying rccovery with salvation. Fronr the
ruom.i]t lihel) ire will havc not onl] rccoSnircd in an abstracr rr]anner, bul
understood in the deptlrs of his being. thrit is to say scc.!, that everything is not
necessaril)' lost ii drere is no cure, it is more than likely that his inner attitude
towards recovery or non-recovery \\,ili be ladicilly challged; he will have
regaiJled *re liberty, the faculty of relaxing to which we referred at lengdr funher
back.
(3,1) It really seems to be i'rorn this poinr of vierv tlut drc dislnction
betweai] beliver and unbeliever shnds out in its tnre meaning. Thc bellever is
he who $ili meet witi ro iruurmountable obstacle on his way towards
fanscendence. Let us say again, to fix the nreaning of the word obstacle more
precisely, drar in so far as I make my hope condidonal I nyself put up limim to
&e process by wilich I could tiumph over all successive disappointments. Still
more, I give a part of myself over to anguish; indeed I own iruplicitly thar if my
expectations are not fulfilled in some pafiicular point, I shall have no possibility
of escaping trom the despair intr: which I lnust eventuatly sirk. We can, or rhe
other hand, conceive, at least rlteoretically, ol thc inlel disposirion of onc r,,'1r0,
setting no condition or limir atrd abanuoning himself in absolute confidence,
would dtus transcend all possiblc disappointmenl a'ld would cxpcrrcnce a
security of his being, rvhich is conrllly to (lrc fit(licirl inscculity ol lluvirrg.
 (35) 'lhis is rvhat detenlioes lhe outological positim of hope-- absoiutc
hope, inseparlble lirxl a lititlr rvlticlt is likewisc absolutc, triursccnding all laying
dorvn of conditiols, alld fbr this very reasol every kind of represenhtion
whatever it nright be. 'fhc only possible sourcc liom which this absolutc hopc
springs must once nlore be stressed. lt appears as a response of tile creature 10
the inh,riie Being to \\'lloll i! is conscious of wing everything thlt rt has and upol
rvhom it cannot inpose any conilitiorr rvhatsoe',,er wilhout scandal. From dre
lltonenl dlat I abase rnyself in sorle scnse bel'ore tie absolute lhou who is lris
i.nfirire condesceusion lills broughl llle tbrth i)ut of nothingness, it secms as
though I forbid rnysell evef again to dcsprir, or rnorc cxaclly. Lhat I iiirplicitl\
accepr the possibilit), oi despair as rn indicrti(Jn of tre:rson. so tirat I could oot
givc way t(r it witho||1 pr or)oir rlr: irrg rrry 0rvrr cr rr rdcrnrtirt ior r. IIdccd, sccn ill tlri\
perspective. what is the meiuring oi despair if not a declaratioir thaL Cod has
withsrawn himself fronr rne? fn additiorr to the fact that such an accusiruol i:
incompatible with the nature ol'the absolute Thou, it is to be observed that in
advarcilg ir I ?un unwarfaolably alkibutirlg to nryscll a distinct realiry rvhich I do
nol posses-
(36) lt woLlld, holveYer, be vain ro try ro hide Iie dilticulries, fiorn the
humau point of view. of this position ol rvhich no one would drearn ol'contestilig
tlie meiaph)'sical and religious purity. Does not this invincible hope arise fronr
&e ruins of all human atid limited hopes? Musr not 0le true believer be ready io
accept fte derdr rd rlin of his dcar ones, fie temporal destruction of his
counr)', as possibilities irgainst wlrich ir is ibrbidden to rebel? To go turther: ii
drese dings cone about, lxust hc not be
^-eady to adore the divine rvill in thenl
We camot be enough on our guard against the softening processes to wiiich
som people have recourse in order to relssure those whose taith rnight faii in
I
0re presence of such rerrible irappenings. have in ]nird parricularly t\e
ailegadons of tirose uho claim to calm us by observing that God, bcing itfinitel)
good. caruol tempt us bevond our strength by driving us to despair which he has
actually forbidden jIr us. I am afraid that diese are no more {hai verbal tricks; se
know rteitrer the real extent of our powers nor dre ultimate designs of God; and.
if the argurnenrs were realll, possible ro accepr, it would in the long run amourr
to ar implicit and as it were hypocrirical way of laying dorvn conditions which
would bring hope once more widril the limits of the relative. But ther must ir
no! be agreed fiat llle absolute hope r,: which rve are invited tends to oecome
identified with fte despa:r irself-,with a despair however which it is no longer
even pennitred for us to indulge in, and which is perhaps no more than an
infinite apatiy?
'(37) 04 rle odrcr hariJ, it js to be wol eicil v/heilrJ, in claimin,; to artabiirir
hi,rnseli beyond the reach ol ?ny potsibk dutppotntment ln a zore of utllt twullhyrtLai
securir.r; man d@s r$l t.rorrt
Culliv o! $.hat njght welt be cnlle4 u@rlrn frot, lJ<nc.
Does he ncr rend to violale in lhis way lhe fundatrental conditiolrs unCer which he ls
introduced inlo the world? To lell the tfuth, itr tiliirlg back upor the idea ol what I havc
callgd absolute hope, it seerns that lelude rny probleDs far more thali I solve dleln and
that I am juggling with the given facts.
(38) But are we irot tiren losing our rvay again in the inextricable? Ilere i
take the exirmple orce lrtore of tlte patrioi who reluscs to despair of the libefrlion
of his native land which is provisionalll'conquuled. Il what, or il rvholn, cloes
he place his hope? Docs he nol corld iiion:rlize his hope il thc way which iust
now we decided was unwarralltablc'l Even il lte recogttizes thaL ther! i\ l]u
clII|lcc (l]li{ ltc will lrirrrscll !vilrlr\\ tltr lloli.(l li)l lil)crilliol), llc rilrlirs lrr)ol)(l
his own existctrcc the lullillrncrti ol ltis desitus. llc rclus(s $'ilh rlll Ills beilr! to
admit that the darkncss rvlricir lrls lalien ullon Iiis country can lt endurittg. he
aliinuj llul it is ortly atr ccliPsc. Slill rrtotc: il is rtLrl ctlottg,lt l(' slly lltal llc crll)llol
believe ir the deatll ol his country, tllc tfuth is nuch luofe tlrat he does not even
conrider he has the right to belicve in it, and tltilt it would seem lo hilll that he
was connliltinS a real ilct ol'treascn irt admining lhis possibililyi and thi5 is tluc
$,hether he is a believer or uot. In clery casc he lias made a jLtdgemeot, which
lies outside all his powcr oi reflection, drat to dcspair wouid be disloyal, it would
be to go over to the euem)'. This judgemenl rests on a poshjlate which is acnrally
very likely to renlaill ilrplicit but $hicli wc must examine. lt corutsts in tie
affirmation ttrat in hoping for liberatiou I really hcip to ptepare the way for it,
and that, inversely in raising a doubt aboul its possibility I reducc tlre chatice o1'
it to sore degree. It is not that stfictl)' spcakirrg I iurpute I causll cflicaoy 10 drc
fact of hoping or nol hoping. 'llre truth is tnuch ratltcr that I atr conscious that
when I hope I srengdlen, iuld wheu ldcspaif, or sirnply doubL, I weakel or lel
go of, a certaiu bond Which unites urc to the matter in queslion.'l'his bond shows
every evidence of being religious in essence.
(39) Here we come up, horvever, against a difllculty. Where dre matter
b question is strictly speaking my own t-ate, can we speak of a bond or indeed 01'
reiigion? It is probably necessary here to introduce a distinction whjch we have
previously had occasion to bring out. \\'her) I tremble lbr rty orvn existencc, it
may be tlrat I an giving rvay to the srntple instinct of sclf:preservalion: it is very
doubtful il one can legitiuately designate by dre word "hope" the kind of orgartic
attachnent to myself which makes rne irnagine final liberation in the midst oJ'
danger, even where thc luture seems rrosl threatening. It is differert when niet)
towafds onesell inLcrvcnes. Ily tltis I0l:arr r |elcrettcc to il ccrtniLl s[iirilull
intercoruection at the heari of which ur) exislcqce can prescrve its meanirrg and
its value. We are t]ot dealing here widr au abstJactiol, an irnpersonal order; if I
inspire anorher beurg witir love which I value and to which I respond, thal will
be enough to create lhis spiritual ir]rerconncction. 'fhe fact of the rcciprocal
.loye, the conmulion, r,iil be enough !0 brilg about a deep transfonuation ilr l]re

139
nature of l}Ie bond which unites n1e Lo mysell Where the matter concerns
me
the olly olre
alone, or more exactly when I considcr trlysell as tltougll I were
concerned, the questiol of kr'owiog wllat is going Lo happen lo me
rray strike me
'1'his' however, will.tto! prevelt
as practically withour intcrctt or irlrpotlance.
the instinct of self-prcservation lronl renrairlinS active in lre with all lhat it
entails. It is obvit.rusly rlot the sanrc il I know llrat ltc wltotn I lovc is itt sotnc
way depcndeot on mc, in lhal whirl hll)Pcns to nre will aficct irill vitalli/ We
,rrigtrt siy in lhc lnilnrlel ol Itc!c1 tlrirt ttly rclatiorrsliill 1o lllyscll is rlrcdiirtcd
h!
the:presence of fte olher person. bv rvlrltl itc is tirr ttrc artd whaL I attl iirr hint
But it is of capital itnpotlance iof a subjccl thal we sce at thc sanre tinlc thal this
spiritual irltercornccrion, ol rviriclt I ltavc ottly cxilriined the silllplesl exatrple
llerc. invrriitbly itppcrrts its \"Jilc(l irl ll)yslcry to hittt *lxt is conscious of ltaviltg
'l'o lovc alybody is tr-r
a part ir it. I-lere again, lct !s bc ils corlcrelc as possible.
expect something fronr him, st)llletltillg which can neither be defurcd nor
foieseel; it is at the sarlte tinle irr sorlic \\'ay lo rnake it possible ibr hirn to tulflll
this expectation. Yes, paradoxical as ll lnay seel]l, lo exfecl ls lll solne way to
give: but the opposite is noncdrcless true: no longer to expecr is to strike willi
sterility lire being tiom whont no tuore is expected, it is then in solne way lo
deprive him or to take frotn ltinr itt advauce wltat is surely a certain possibility of
inventilg or creating. Everydlir)8 looks as thougl we clur only speak of hopc
where t}Ie interaction exists belween hin who gives and him wiro recetves,
where there is that excharge which is the mark ol all spiritual life.
(40) But perhaps, without siming lhrough excessive subtlely, it might be
pointed out tl]al this delicate interplay oi relationships can exisl internally
wherever there is genuine creatiorl. In rhat casc, we need olrly to put ouiside llle
caregory oi hope die blird altacirment which impels us sinply to go on living'
carrying out day by da1' the finlclioris organic or odrerwise, wirich are exercised
for ourselves alone rvilhour all' superior object in vierv, be it iiltellectuai, moral
or aesftetic. lf this is so, [he :llcient distinction of the Stoics upon which arly
critical cxartritlttiort ol ltopc is iitriltiirbly lirLrnclcd, the disliilc{ion bctq'cctr thirlls
which depend, and do not depend. upon ourselves' will lose a greal deal oi ils
signilicance. Furtlrei. lurrv cirn we titil & rerall lhc coruection established above
between hcpc and liberty'l Not otill' Joes vcrluntary actlon not presupposc arl
objcctive judgment already ibrnrcd by witich I shotild see in advance what rvrs it'
my power to do and what was beyonJ it, bul it tuust on lhe contrar) b;
maintained that the authentic formula of wiliing is ll{jll, therefore kan; in c.rther
rvords, I decide that it is in m) po\\,er to do a certain thitlg, ro oblain a certairr
result precisely because it is m5, r.rill (or because it is necessary) dat this thing
should be do[e ld tl]is fesult oblai cd. Actua!l] wc only hrtve to rernernber thlrt
dre act freely is alwa)s to innovatc, in order to see that therc would be,r
contradiction in admitting that I should be obliged in rny willing to depend

140
 ol wlul t llld dollc bclbfc. It is, however, r)rrly b\
sir)1ply or) tlr k|owlcdSc
sta(ing trom sucii krowledge liar I could ploceed to an objective selting Lri
lirnim between what is in m1 porve| ard $hat is beycnd it.
."(41) ll is rrrt rlillicrrlt lo sre lr()w rr lxrsitivc lrlrikrsr4rlry ol lropc -rrrr lru
arrived at fiom these observations. We ilfe actuillly going to find thar tl our
tbregoing reuarks will corDe togcrhcr as iuto r shcaf. When wc said thal hote
was the very opposite of preteiisioD or defiancc, rve rvere ready to recognize tha:
it is esseutially siient iurd nrodesr, that it bears Lhe rnark of inviolable tirnidit\
except where it develops in the departnrcut of the g9, that is to sry in fellorvship
We ti k to each other of our common hope but h3te to express it befbre those
who do trot share it, as if it were really and perlups indeed it is -- A secrel
If hope is a defi;mce, perhaps ir is nevertheiess conscious of appearing rJefia,rt or
provocative in tlle eyes of those \yho cla.m that drey are established on dre tim',
rock of experiencc: "it has alu,ays been seer that..." ,or, on [he conrary, "it har
never been tbund ftat...". Hope *ith scandalously carefree grace undertakes lo
prove tiis asserliolls false; by whar right?
(42) Ir seems as drough hope is |inked to a certain candour, a cerrein
virgirity uDtouched by experielce. It belongs to those who have not been
hardened by life. We are illrpelled to iuLloduce a norion here which. tiom the
point of vierv of objective knowledge, rvill appear ro be devoid of sense: it is thai
of a suliyirtg or withering \lhich is counected with experience. 'I'he norion oi
experience jtseli is anbiguous. On the one hiurd, there is ln established anC
catalogued experience in he nanre of wliich .judgnents are pronouuced b1 ri:
pronoul "one". On tlle ofier hlnd. there is an experience in the nraking which
is only possible precisely wirel all the other kirr,l of experience has been set on
one side, even if finally and afier having been duly desiccated, it is given a place
in Lhe herbarium of uuiversal wisdorn. lt is quite evident that hope is intimatelv
bou[d up wit]r experielrce in dre secold sensc aud perhaps it tlght be clailued
that hope is its spring. hi the name ol acLepred exoerience people claim to trace
some kind of circle of Popilious lound us: "there is no way ouf' -- that is the
fonnula to rvhich he experrs ol established expericuce fly. But posiulated at th.
vefy basis ol hope is tilc noovalidity ol suclr ass!'rtions, the trufi that le ntor.
the real is real the less does ii lend itsell'to a calculaticln o1'pr.rssibilities on t\c
basis of acceptd expr'ricirce. Ilopc quitc sirnply does not take any heed of thi!
sun1 total. It night be said drat in a sense hope is not inrerested in the hurv: an;
this fact shows how tundlmelltally un{ecllnical ir is, frr t:chnicl:l rlri:ught, 1,,
dclinition, [cvcr scpiLrates lllc co siduritiioil o1 .t!ds atld lrfans. AIl clld dcrc:
not exist lbr the lcchricialt. il lle dr)cs llot scc illtl)ft)xintittcly l(\v lo irchicvc ir
'l-his, ltorvevct, is rurt titrc lill tltc lr\,!.lrlol of llrc discovclel wlur slrys. " lltcr:
rl]usl be a way" ard rvho adds: 'l iurr going lo lird it." Hi: who hopes sars
simply: "lt must be feurd." ln hoping. I do llol crea{e in the strict sense of Lh;

l,1r
word, but I appeal to the existc[ce of ii c('rtaitr crcati"'c power ir the world, of
rather to tire acfttal tcsources at dle disposal 0i lliis crettlive power' Where, on
the other hand, nry spitit has becn its i{ \\ere tarnishtd by a catalogued
experience, I refuse to apPeal to this creative Powcr, i deny its exisknce; all
ourside me, ard perhips rviLhitl ttic dso (if I arn logicll)' appears tc lne as
sunple
rePetitioll.
(43) We iravt arriVed thcrl al tl)e lirPorlanl cotlclusioll lhal \\ tut ts
specific in ltope is losl siSht of if tie alternpt is urade to
judge and condemn il
fionr tlie point of view of csJnbligbld,q{pqiejlse lt rnisundcrshnds lhe teac[rng
of sucir experience with insolent ingenuity, tirough :t is aotulliy definite enough
The t.uth is much more thar hopc is cngaged Lrt the rvcaving of expericirce Do^'
in prosess, or in other words, in an adveu"ure norv gcing forward. This does ltot
run counter to aD aulherlic empiricism but to a certailt dogmatism which, ivhile
claimng to be experience. iundanlcntally nlisuliderstands iLs nature' just as a cuil
oi the scientific may sland in thc wal of living science in ils creati\(
oevelopmc!rt.
(44) Il is nol diflcult to sce that hope thus understoodinvolves a
fundamental relrtionship of consciousness to time which we must now try io
analyze,
(45) If weaccept the perspective of established experience, we are led to
suppose that tirne will brilg nothing new beytlnd an illustralion or an added
confirmation, actualiy supertluous, of tlie pronouncements ellSraved o!r the tables
of universal wisdom or nerely of common setse. It is as n'tuch as to say thal we
are here in a world where tirne no longer p!!!!!, or, tvtrich comes to the same
thing, whcre t;me rnerelJ- passes without bringiog anything, enPly of any
material which could serve to esublish a new tmL\ or bspite a new being How
can we help remembering here the in4tressiorl, rightly termed hopeless, which
every chiid and adolesceut has receivcd wllen his elders prollounce one or olher
of those axioms which claim to express truths \\hich are irdisputable and duly
esrablished. Such axicrns seen to strike out of existence all the dreams, all the
confused aspirations of him who ot having had his otvn experience refuses to
accept a so-called p|oof rvith rvhich he is in no rvay associated. We actually
have grou;rds for wondering by what strange oplical illusion the axiotn which
appears as hopeless aod discriuragiug to hil}l \"'hJ is supposed to be instructed b!
ir, causes such vanity a rl selt:satistjrct ion il tlrose ivho give it out. 'I'he reason
is sureiy to be fbuld in the sense of superiuritl' uhiclt. riglttll or wtongly, fills
tiose people uho inu3irrc rhaL tlrl represcnt urircrsal wisdom t.rfoungstcr
whose wild prcsumptioll ngeds ro be mortified as nruch as possible. We see Lhe
turragonisln bctween thc older alld youngel as ar) antagorism belween stineonc
who is trying to fcel his *'ay iri litt as rve fcci our way alonl a road, aJ}d who
cnJy has a fiickering light ro guide hinr, and soneone rvlo claims to be al thc
othcr sidc ol Lhis sarllc liic (arr,l ol ltis ()u'lt lilc as wclll attd tr) [)c:Lblc to givc
out, tiom some absttlct sPot, lruths acqLlired at a grcat pricc lt goes withoLtl
saying dnt dris conllict is at Lltc ltearL oi wlnL is ollen called ahe problern oI the
generations and fiat no lruly logical or rational solutlon catr be found ibr it,
because the alEgonists are oo diifcretli levcls iti iime, because lhey have no real
co{nmunicatio 1 with caclt othcr. attcl ttcilltct ol tlrcttt discusses ri'ilh thc otiler. bui
rvitlt a certain idca, a cc|taitl cidoloil ol tilc o"hcr'
(,16) All ther pfcplres t!s t() r!((urrrz(r ihirt Jcsn0ir ir in a,.lrtlLin senst
the consciousness ol titne as closcd, ilrore cxa0lly still, of tituc as a prisurr ---
while hope appears as picrcinS through tin-rc; evcrvthing llappens as fiough tin'Ie.
instead of hedging consciousttess rourld, illlowed something to pass throuSh it. lt
was from ftis point of viaw lh.rl I l)!cviously drcw alletrLion to lhc p[opllctic
character of hope. Ol course orlc ctturol say LliaL hope sees rvlut is goitig tr-r
happen; but it affimrs as if jt sari. One might sa), ihat it draws its audlorit), tiom
a hidden visiou of which ir is alio$,ed to t^ke account \\/idrout enjoying it.
(47) We night say agairl dral ii tinte is in its essence a separation aod as
it were a perpetual splitting up of the self in relation lo itself, hope on fie
conllary aims at reunion, at recollection, at reconciliation: in that way, and in
that way alonc, it rnigltt hc citllcd it tcnroty ol thc lirlufc.
(48) Olle cilonot, hcwc\cr, disguisc tllc impatieirce, onc uright say the
uneasiness, rlilich such glinlpscs givc risc to in spirits dorninaled by an anrictl
for truth: "ls fiere to be nothing in this explanations, " it may be asked, "Which
enablc: us to discem if hope is anything but an illusion, if it is in any possible
degree a iight thown upon a certain subsoil ol things? And yet is nol this. whin
we come down to tire filal analysis, the oniy questior which mattersl"
(49) To reply to such a challenge, it will be well, I fiink, to introduce the
ideal of a certain irtlrlrar condition which we cannot hope to transcnd by
tlought, for reflcction shows that in tryilg to rise above il we make it unreal and
impoverish it. The unpardonable nistake of a certain rationalism has consisted
precisely in sacrificirg tie human as such, without anything to take its place, to
ceruin !!LeiS, whose reguiative valuc we certainly should not tlink of
questioning, but which lose itll thcir nrc.rni|lg if we attenpt to rnake of thern a
world existing by itself 'the hunarr as such" will be counted as nothing bur dross
ard rubbish. This general rernalk scerns to rne likely to throw liSht on the
debate, which arises beirveen tiose who wixrt to save hope inld'-hosc whJ on Lhe
eontrary seek to banish it to dre rvorid of mirages.
(50) The term "condition" is one which needs very careful defitition.
Perh.aps we should see in the human condition a lertaiir vital ard spirirual order
which we carx]ot violatc without exposing ourselves to the loss nor ouly of our
equilibrium, but even our integrity. As, however, the term condition may also
be raken sornetirnes i| a slighrll diflcreur sc0sc wirich is very lrearlv that (}1'

341
nature, \r. r..og11,irc tl)i1t il is rt clilractcristic of lnan's coodition in the
itu. l
secolid sensc tllrt he ts ablc lo lilll sho't ol his rondition
io Ule flrst sense 'fhe
conditiof,-orC.r plics a ioirtt rvolkirtg wltich i: always precartous between our
i
nalure unl a'-,:icquilerl ',r i.dotu. ilitlsed in out lill -- a wisdotn actllally
i nQ
u'a1 bour,ii ia ba c\plicillv corl\ciout ol ilscll Aglin we must tll'course bc
carclul not rc.irntuse Lllis rvisdorlr \\'itll lllc (loglll-ltic ctripiricistu ol rvirich l have
alrerdy loinier.l oLrl tlre slefilizing elltcl. Pefhaps the lluman condition is
cheractciire.i not otriv h1 rhc rirks ulticll go wilh it and wiricll aliel all afe
bout\i
uF, \ritI life ilself, evcr in its hurrlrlcst li)rrlls. but xlso.
ard lilr rllorc deeply' by
tire nccessiry lo accept rltesc risk: iilld lr) reiilse to believc that it would be
possible -- aml, il rlc ci)ine 10.l iinal analS'sis' clen an advantage -- Lo sutcced
in,.nrouin1: tlteu. l-rpcricnic lcllch.s lls. iis il rllilltct ol l:ict, tllal \!e call llc\'e!
refuse lo |i|ke risks cxccpt il'l ;lppearillicc. or rather the rcfusal itself conceals
zr

risk whicll is the most su|ior:s of all. in tltat it is even possible tbr us finally to
colderrn ourselt,es in tiris wit! l() losc the bcst of the very thillg which by our
avoidance we had irlte dcd to sateguafd.
(51) Bul it Inust ile noticed fiat the atlituds of drose who in the name ol
reason take up tieir posi{ion against hope is in all points cornparable with that 01
tire people who clairn tc avoid risks. In hoth t:ases what they want to avoid is
disappoiolmelrt, tsut perhaps it is of he natule of disappcintment that we have no
right to anticipate it, as rve u4reti we bccorTlc prroccupicd about its prevention
Perhaps, on the other hirod, we have not sufticiently noticed that all
disappoinhent appeilrs to hinr *no ttudetgoes il as a sort of breach ol
coofidence on the part of---wirottt. or rvhltl TIte feply usually remains ulcertair),
but in evry case we tcnd to personil] dle experierlce whicli has failed to fulfill
ouf expectations. t eotltrted on sr4ir I tirilg ltappetring: lt did nol haPpen: I seerrl
to nysell to be il crcditor illcillS an itisolvellt debtor: rviry/ lt scellls dral ln
countilg on I have given sornething. or I consider that I have 8ivn something.
ofmyown: literaliy lhave gilen cr'edit -:litd the evenl orthe nystcrious source
of the event has failcd ir its obligation to\'/ards Ine. Disappointnleot will lhen
leave the soul ail the inore il in its deplhs it has had the presurnption, or given
way 'r'r L\e temptation, of sonlehow chaining reality do|u in advance as one
binds a debtor with the agreenlctl'. olle tbrces upor hiln. But wc have never
ceased to irlsist that dris claim. this presurnption, is definitely foreiSo to hope
which never stipulates de carrling out ol a ceruin coltract (lvhich is, suangeiy
ellough, always one-sided contract). I'erhaps it is simply that hope sho|s [he
origilality and, I must aCd, l]r; supre[.. tligi.ity, c1'iever claining anydrin3 :r
insistilg upon its rights. And it is pennissible to considcr tlie atralogous siluatioo
of a bcing wllo is rrwrritil]g l itill or {ivouf lf(Jl!r rIu)lirct l)cinA hul o0ly ort tllr'
. grouods ol his libc|lrliL1. arui tllrt lrc is Jl! litsl i(l prolcst litt Lllc lilvour llc rs
asking is a grace, that is o say tire cxact .rppositc of obligation.

314
 (52) llere tllc rclation-.ilip $irich lhc $,ords 'hopc iu" express, appears irr
its originality, aod, lsl\)ul(l ldil, iu its pcflcctiou. II scerns ls though ir
phiiosophy which revoh,es round the conractuai idea is likely to rnisuldefstarC
the value oi the reiationship. I should irorvevcr add drat here, as everylyhere t'f,.
that matt:r, a certain slipping o[ degradaliorl incvitabiy tends to come about. "T,.
hope in" becomes "to expecr from", then "to have due to me", that is to sa'
"to counr or" and finally " ro claim" or " ro dcrrand" . The perpetually rccurrin!
difficullies which a philosopily of hope cncounlcr.s and tbr the most part duc llr
dle facr that we have a rendency ro subsrirure fi)r air initial rela(ionship. rvhich is
botli purc and nlyslcn()rrr. :,ul)suqu.ul rclrtiorrslrips no doul)t trure irrtclligiblc.
but at the satrre tin]c uorc and nlofe dciicicrll as regards L]reir onlologic:rl
co[!elrt.
(53) Furt|cimore. it rnrrst bc o\\ned tltat tlic e\'{tuiion of lneltalities
rr,hich rvc obsene ar0,rrrd us ",,ccnts lo 1(Jllo\,! lll0 santc slope, drc salrc lrne ci
degradatioD. h4en in g!'jteral seellr less.illd Iess capable of "hopilg in"; it is
ildeed difficuir to inierprct as itope rhe idolarry which itrmense, fascinated
nasses show for lcaders rvho hlve prcviotrsly, b;, ccaselcss propaganda.
succeeded in paralyzing not only any cfitical spirit ln dteir minions. but all true
sense of values. Ali that we can sliy is rllat this idolatrous attachrnent is rhc'
Dliserablc substitute, I should be read), to say the toxic succedaneun, of thc hope
for which those sante rnuliitudes uo doubr still have a rrostalgic longitrg in the
depdrs of their hcarls, even i1' drey show thcmselves actually incapable ol
exercising it. To be quite tair it rtrust. howelcr, be nofed thal denocracl.
cor)sidered not in prirlciplcs but it) its aclual achielellents, has helperi in the nrosr
baleful rniurnet to encourage claining in all irs aspccts, dre dernanding of rights--
-ard indeed to bring a mercenary spirit into all hun:an relationships. I mean bi.
this fiat the democratic atnosphere tends ro exclude more and more the idea of
disinterested service boln of t'iCeliry, and a belief in dre intrinsic value of such
senrice. Each individual ciaims tiom the start to enioy the same consideralion
ald tie same advantages as his neighbor: and in tact, his self-respect tends to
resolve itself into an attitude which is not only det'e sive but ever clairning rights
fiom o$ers. Thus he considers it beneatir his dignity to do nnything whatever for
rothng. fhe ?bsrract idea of a cerrain jusrice is here oddly connected with the
anxiety not to be duped, not ro allow anorher persol to take advannge of liis
simplicity or his good nature. Bur in r,\is perspeclive how car rhe spirit of
mistrust- lnistrust noi only ol othcrs, but ol lilc i(sell--.I|ot tcnd to ntake thc
hurnan soul less and less ir possible drvclling plucc tirr hopc, l;r ;ndced ibr.j,yi
We seem here to Louch rirc metaphvsical roots of a denaturalizatiotr rvhich secrns
altitost as rough it wcre cocxtcnsive wilh a certlin type of civilization. It may he
said in passing tlrar the ver), lacr rhal i ccrtajn beliel iu progress, tar tio[r
arresl,ilg l.his evolutiou. has, ou thc contrtr),, helped to precipitate it. sutlces t.r

:i45
siro\\' how tar such a belief is opposcd to true hope ilr spitc of
tile lact ti]at ir lls
far disunt origin it nay ha,,'e been a conlusedly rationalized derivative of
it'
(54) We shouki not, horvever, hidc ft crnt curselves th3t all i-hcse
considerations rvould not yet be cnouSh to convilce dtose wlio, under
tlte
ial'luence of a stoicisrn or a nlore or less dislofted fonn of the
philosophy of
Spinoza, persist irt refusing b allow thal hopc has aily netaphysical valu''
"Do
you not", thy say, "lrerely lrrive at lhe very insigi'iii':iu-'L conclusion' tirr
*iri.h i, i, realiy supertlltous til Ltsc such conlPlicaicd afgunreilts, llliit ilrrpe is h
tendency wllich corlstilLlles tllc illllcr sl)iing ol ll!llllatl cnlcfllfls0s 1){)citllri'
tt ls
calculated lo slimuliitc usel!ll]' lliosc \\'ho cttglge wholeitcarleiilt irl therrll"
l'his
is as rnuch ts Io sal,r {llir{ in lhc lilsl lcsoft lrcPc is olll} ii sttbjuttii'c tclldcncy, lllill
by iLscli it woulil nevcl bc able tr-r Lllfow rlly light upori Lhe ilttier ttlcauing oi
things, and brirtgs with it no guarantee tlrtrt il will te realjzed.
(55) Bul it musl be repiie(i tirat it is precisely such an opposition as we
have ltele iruagilcd thxt wc havc 10 fcptrdiiitc or lrattscend. Ccrtaittly, thtrc is no
question of del))'in.g lhet tllis opposition ltas a rueattittg rvitcre au enterprise with
some material aim is uuder considcratiotl: ihe truilding of a port, or a pyramid;
tlic ltollorving out ol r tulltiel, of tllc dalllltliltg ol ;l rivcr' Just becllusc lt ls
simpiy a iiuestion of producing cert',iin material rcsults, Lire rner disp0sition ot
dre agent--or it would be betler lo say thc instrument'--can afll should be
regarded as a coltingent fact in relation lo the resu]ts to be produced This in
reelity seems as hou8il it could wcll be arrived at by pititess rnastefs driving a
multitude of terrorizcd slaves witlt rvlrips. But lel us relnetnber thal such fesulls
do not ilr reality involvc imy gcnuitte cteation, any love of thc dring urealed.
Now it is preciseiy where such love exisls, drat we ciil spcak of hope, this love
taking shape in a reality which withoul it would not be what it is. Whett this has
come about it is un{rue lo claim dtat hopc is Inercly a sub.jective slir}ulanll it is,
on the contrary, a vitll aspecl of the very process by which al act of cfeation is
accomplished.
(56) 'Bur", they will say again, "the hope we are discussing ircre is
surely strangely differcnt tionl that which was prcviously defined as a response
to a siruarion which entailed captivity?" It nray be taken thal.. in spile 0l
appearances, this djffereDce conceals a fundanenlal iderlity. Do nol Iet us fbrgel
that, as a nratter of tllct. (lle Sencrill condition ol tuan, even whett his lifir appeafs
to be quite lornul, is always that ol a captive, by reason of drc enslaveinenl ol
all kinds which he i-r calied upon ro eodufe, if onJy rn account of the body, and
more deep)y still because of the night which shrouds his beginning and his end.
We car be cerlain (hat lrl creative aclivity, whatcvcr it ma) be is bound up vrith
thjs condirion, in dre double meanitrg rvhich wc have gilcn to thc rvord, and tlll{
it is in reality the orj.v meiurs givcn us of causing lighr Lo shinc fortir irr our
prism. h may be asked wirether tfiis is not to make ol creatiol a divcrsion as

.r,16
Pascai \\,ould have undcrslood it
I do Ilot dliltk so really, tir the notioo of Pascal
involves tlre idea of rirc utrel solirudc oitile crerrture stnigglirrg with tltc agony
olhis desLirry, whefer,s ,!e irave scctn and '.!c niusl reiurn to it again, thaL hopc is
alu,ays associatei rvil r a cornnturtitrt, tto ttraltet ltow irtterior it may bc. 'Ihis is
actuailv so lrue drat one lvondcrs il despair artd solitude are lrol at bcitom
necessa iy iderrtical.
(57) Frorn tlris point ol licw rrre csscll.iai problem lo which we are
seeking to fi d dre solrrrion \\'ould bc whctlrcr solitude is (he last word, whether
nran is really condenrlcd (r livc nnd to tlic abue, and rvhether it is onlv tJrrouglr
the eliect of a ri.irl illusion tli:it lld rllnugds t conccal liorrr hinrsclf the facl lhfl(
sLrch is irrclecd llrs lirLc. lt is ttot possiblu l() sil ill jud-qerttcul rnl lirc clse ol lr()l)u
withou( at the same time tryirrg tlrr: casc of love.
(58) lt is curious to noli|c Lhrt a pu|clv objectivc philosopliy, in rhc nanrc
0f which it is clairned to denounoc dle rlriragc of hopc, is so neAr as ro beconre
identified rvitr dre rad;cal subjeciiviry oi a Prousr, tbr whonr love is a mis-
krowing and resolvcs i$cll i to othirrg but illLrsious 0l pcrspective. There is
every reason to ftink dlat it is by ote ard dre slrne actior dut it is possible to
l'ree oLrrselves from thcsc trro philosophics rvltich are only opposed outwardly,
that is to say in fie iornula giveu to then, but which agree in their negarile
aims. For he rest, Proust h'rnself puts us on dle u,ay of truths to which he
becomes more and nrore blind as his work develops and as he comes to proposc
to liimself an irnage of life which is at dre same tirne nrore systenlatic arld
impoverished. The subjectivc conccption of love, with the jusriticarion it conltrs
upon despair (since onl) the pure artist possesses dre key of salvatior, appears all
the more unimpeachable as dre being becones increasingiy the prisoner of an
obsession of which the otler being is less the objecl than Lhe excuse, since he
evades the grasp not only of intuition bur of all knowiedge rvorthy of dle name. I
sce I being so rn'rch thc lcss {lri rlore I irnl obscssed hy hirn, for rny obsessirrn
teDds Lo substitutu itsell lirI hirrr. ll llrusl lr!r nddcd tllat l.his obscssi0n itscll
becomes all 0re more tyrannical dlc mofc I clairtr to possess h'm, to nlooopolize
hior, lirc nlolc obstinatcly I sct rr1- rrrind to blcak all LItc bords which unirc hirl
to other bsirgs, in dle hope of lraking hirn tonlly mine. l'his is the illusion of
Amolphe, and it is lo be wondercd rvherher N{olierc did not foreskll and surpass
Proust. One of nvc things nlusr irappen. Irace with this determinalion ru
mcnopolize hin, the odrer person eil\er nlakes his escape by tliSlrt or l)11g, or
else he loses his orrn nr;turc lrrd trccornes a noncltity. In cither cusc it follows
inexolably lhat. bcciiuse lovc has thus tailed in its nission and beconte
perycrled, il collsunl lllLes its 0wrt loss.
(59) But is to be asked $ltether a logical proccss of the same khd
though far less clearly and easily discemable, is not rvorking i6elf out wherever.
the fundamental relarionship uniting the human soul and fte mysterious reality
lvhi!ll sulrourrds alld rt tllc s:lllrc tillrc conlrorrls it bccotnes pervcttcd. Ilii:
reJationship, when grasped ilr its truth, is e perticipatioti. This rleans that we do
not only becomc guilty of an uslrrpatioo but thai, itt spite of all appearances, wc
l)ec()tnc sttiurgcr's l() (nrisclvcs. tr slr llr its \\'e lrcJt lllc tcality ;rs sorrlclltirrg
uhich can be woll and placed at irur r'isposrl. We might say again that this
reality drus referreJ acd cnslaved to scllislt ends losscs its true naturc also. a
becomes a sharrr and all idol. But shams xnd idols al$,ays appear, (o those who
\ ie\4 t|ern with cnougl) pctlcl fll i(ri. its |ll il!'st(xlcs, Dlilt k iog thc (lad to dcs|i, ir.
(60) I'eLhaps \re carlut lccl autltorizcd to lbfr)rulate a icw generrll
piopositions which rvili surn up ('l lhc ()hscrva(ions we l, vc bccn abl!'t(
'Dorjt
make in tlre course ol our all ioo r irldiu.c jout'lrcy.
(61) In face ofll)e particular trirl, wl)atcver it rnay be, wlrich conticnrs
D1e atrd rvhich ]nust alrvays be lrut a specirncn of the 1r i3i of hul]raoity in gcneral.
I shali always bc exposed to the tenptxrion of shutting the door which enclose:
roe within myself and at the sarnc tiule cncloses me !\,ithin time, as though the
furur'e, drained of its substarrce ard its niystcrl, rvere no longcr to be alything
but a place of pure repetition, as 'hough some uDspecifiable disordere{i
mechanism were to go on working ceasclessly, undirected by auy intelligenr
motivization. But a fuure thus devitalized, no longer being a future fbr me or
anybody else, would be rather a prospect ofvaciurcy.
(62) A systemaiized empiricism, crrstallized into impersonal ard
pemranent formulae, would confcr upon what is in truth only a movement of the
soul, a retractioo, an inward dislolalty, the thcoretical (and fallacious)
justincation which such a st;p need in ordcr to cstablish itsell h iB own eyes.
(63) ASainst this co bination of this cornbinalion of temptations there is
ody olle remed)', and it has two aspecrs: it is rhe remedy of cosrmunioD. the
rcmedy of hope. If ir is true rlllt urall's tIial is infiuire in its varieties a.nd can
assume (he imrumerable fbrms urrder whiclr we know privation, exile. or
captiviry, it is no less certain that by a symmehical but inverted process, each
one of us can rise by his own special padr liom the humble forms of conxnuniJn
which is bolh rnore intirnate irnd nrore abundrnt, of which hope can be equall\
regarded as tlrc lirrcsbadowing or thc outcorle.
(64) "lhopc in thcc for us";such is perhaps the rnost adcquate and th!
most elaborate expressicn of the act which tltc vcrb " to hopc" suggests in a w:,\
which is still confused ald arnbiguous. "ln dlic - tbr us": between Lltis "tirou-
arld Ulis 'us" rvhiclr cnlt,tlr!'nlosl pcrsistull rcflcction cau finally discover in rI:
act of hope, wh t is rlrc viral lirrkl Musl \vc l)ot rapl_v tl)iit " l'hou" is in sont
way *le guarantee ot tlrq Ltnisf r,'llish holdf ,is togedlcr, myscll m nryself. or tic
one to lhe othcr, or thesc l)cirrgs t0 tlrosc othcr bcirrgs? More thalr ;t guaraotcc
whiOh secures or confiflns tiot)l oulsidc a union which aiready cxists, it is the
yery cement rvhich binds the wholc irto onc. if this is tlre case, to desDair c.,i

j1!
r]rJ'self, or ro,lelpaif ol us. jt is csscnri3lll, to despair of the.fhou. Avowedly, il
I
is ccnceivable thal tlleie is sorDc diilicult), in adrnitling that form with myself a
real coarmunity, u lDi it is, irowever, o[ly )r] tl:is condition tlet I have rn]
acti,,'e share as a certe. of inrclligence, of lo\.; and of creation, fhis absolrrte
Tirou iu rvhoni I rmrst hope but rvhorlr I alst have alrvays the possibility of
denying, not only in theory but in practice, is ar the hearL of rie city which fron,
wiiirin nyseli ard rvhicir, as experience has given uagic ploof, retains Lhe porvr:r
of rcducilg itself to ashes. ir must be added thar this cit), is uor a monad and drat
it caLmot establjsh itself as a rjis(iDcr and isolared ceDter, rvithout working lor ils
own destructicli, but tliat. on lli. corllrilry, it draws lhc elctnelts oi irs life fiorn
u'hat is brought to it along canals, oiicu verl'badly rnarkcd our, fiom iiietdil'
cities, or rvhicir, howerer'. ir olten scrrccly kuorvs the n2ulle of Lhe situario . lt is
also to a c(nlsaiousmess oi tilesc Ieciprctcitics, ol {itis rnysterious and incessanr
l
circulation. that I operl ury sotrl rvhcrr I hopc propiretic consciouslcss, as wc
have siiid, but \ague alld i| dangcr oi l)ccorning oblite!ated to the exrent Lhat ir
seeks to pass olf as second sigirt. ll dris is so. it r[ust be said rhat t{] hopc, as we
have already hintcd, is to live in hope it]steacl oi ?.nxiously concer)trating ouf
attent.rn on the poor little courrters spread our ilr tioDt of us wNch we feverishll'
reckoo up and over agair without lcspirc, tontretrted by the fear of being foiled
or ruhed. The more ile allow olrrselves to be dte servirts of Having, the morc
we shali !et ourseives thll a pley to tlti guawiug auxiety wtrich Ilaving ini,olves,
dre urore we shall tend to lose nor only the aprirude of hope, but eve , I should
sa),, the vcry belief, indistinct as ir rnay be, of its possible reality. In dris scrrse ir
is no doubt ljde that, strictl)' spcaking, only rhose beings whc are entirely fiee
frorn dte shackles ol ownrrship, in all its li;rurs ale abte to knuw the divinc
light-heartedness ol lifc in hope. But, as tar as we can judge, this liberation, this
exemplion, nust remain the privilege o^ a very small nurnber of chosen souls.
The vasr majolity of lneir are, as 1ar as rve can see,.destined, to rernain entangled
in rhe exricable meshes of Having, and ihere are actually rhe gravest reasons for
Uir*ing that it is on this conditioo, burdensorne as it may be. that humaniry is
able to discharge, well or badly as ftc case may bc, the tasks, often so thaokless
ard obscure, wtrich have been assigne{l to it. A final condemtradon of Ilar,iog
would amount belsically to the rashes! repudiation of finile eristence by a finite
m:u himself. Such crtuid not be u[e[ed widrour an excessive hurrrility which
would look so much likc rhc rnost ilo.dinate and b]aspherncus pride as to be
confused rvi0r it. What, horvever, rve might perhaps darc to sa-y- is thar ii.
horvever feebl5,, we relrain lenerrared h,,hol9, it c"" only be through the crrrr..
and opnings which alc ro be foLritd in rlrc annour of Having which covers us:
the annour ol our possessions, oltr atiain|tculs, our cxperielcc ald our ljrruc..
perhaps even more lhan our vices. 'l hus, and only thus can fte brearhing .f :::
soul be nuintained, bur under conditions, alas, of irregular arric,n :. -

r.9
dangcrous un.irt!int\ olierr orr thc incLcasc slr tllnt it is always ill dallScr ot
being blocked like fie Iungs or rhe boweli.
(65) Bur iri cxpressittg ourselres thus. are we not led to Dlake l)ope
appear roo nruch as a oatural tecult):' To go still deeper, whrt position should v"e
adopt or iire question irs to uhethcr it dcpcuds (Lpoll us or whethcr, on fre
contrary, it is ei$er the tiuit of a0 irlnate disposition, or a pure grace, and in tire
final zural)'sis the result of supefrlluriil help? I rviil nkc citre here not lo vcnlure
upon thc titeological grtiLttrd. Irt {lrr r..qion ol philosophic relleclitJrl, hcrwclcr, il
seell1s as though it is cqually tfuc. arld collsequelllly cquaily lalse, to sai' that
hope depends or does rlcL depend uporl ne.
(66) Tire meartiug of tllis qlrestion does indeed becomc t'nore obscurc
when it bears upon that which is llrost inriilrittely inyself. Docs it depend upor'
me whether I an in love o| ivheder I posses a ceriain creative faculty? Ceruir y
not, but lrecisely because it does nut depend upon Drc to be or lrot lo be such as
I am. Let us adrnit. on'.lie contrary, rvithout troiibling about the philosophical
controversies on the frcc rvill rr4iich wc rre nol concerled, that it depcnds upoo
me wireCrer I take a certaiu siep. or urake a sertain jourley, visit, gesure, elc,,
which myone else iu nry place could equally well do. We are then led to the
parldoxicll corclusi(nr lllrl whlt dcpcrrds rtprttt ntc is llrc vu)' tlring whiclr clocs
not lbr.In part of ore, wllicil rernains in a serse exterior (or i ditletcnl) to lrc. Il
must, however, be added that a gili, whatcvcr il mhy bc, is never purely and
slnply relsl]ed by a subject who has uothing to do but make a place tbr it in
himself. The truth is much rather that the gili is a call which wc have to Inake
response; it is as though a harvcsr of possibilities lnd to be gathered fiom us,
aJnonS which we had to choose, or more exactly, it is as drough we had lo
actualize tlose which accorded best with the urgency interiorly felt which is, in
realiq:., only mediadon between us and ourselves.
(6?) It is fionr tJris geueral observation that we must start if we would
recognize that ir is both rue iind talse ro say thar it depends on us wherhrer we
hope or not. At &e root of hope drere is something which is literally offered to
us: but we can refuse love. Moreover, we cao no doubt doing hope, just as we
can hope just as we can derty or degrade our love. Botl here and lierc the role
0f Kairos seems to be to gilc our libcrty an opporlunity of exercisilg and
spreading as it could uever do if it wcre leti to itself---a hypoLhesis which is
probably contradictory, alty\{l}
(68) We see liorn this why it is legitimate to corisider hope as a virtue;
the truth is Urat all virtue is lhe particularizatiol oi a certain interiol force, and
that to live io hope is to obtairl frorlr oneself that one shoLrld remain faithful in
&e hour of darkness 10 that which il its oligiu was perhaps only ar inspiration,
an exaltation, a transport. But there is no doubt that this lailhfulncss cannot bc
put into practice except by viftue ol a co opcrrlioll, rvhose prirrciplc will always

lirl
renrair.:'-..i.::. '::..:iil ihe goodv'/ill which is atter all the only positlve
contib!1.r. -: ..hi,:: ri.' :rre cltpltirlc itlld cJI(:lio prolllptings whose ceoter
remairii ia. a:-j r:r f.a!h. in tllose iealnls where vaiues are divinc gilts.
15! P::irrps. if rve rvoL:ld elucidate the nalure oi hope trlore cornplelely.
at leaii. .,s i.: i' sr.t;l', clucidatio0 is possible, rve sltould llow tackle directly the
quesrion ci'Jrc reiationship connecring hope \',,ith our reasons lbr hoping lt lnay
be bcsr :o sriii thc pfoblem in ils tnosl cxlrcDle lbrm: calr ol]e hope \\'hcn tlle
rL'asors loi c..idg ate insuftlcienl or cvcll colnpletelr lackitlgl
itl L-.t us Lrotice llrst of all that this questiorl rnust incvitabl-r- be asked
by air)fne who tfeats ltope as an cxterlul phellonl.non and wonders under $tal
corldiricils it ca]l appear. I will call sucll a man the observer in \illlt is lo titlow-
rll) tlellcctiou sixrtl sllorvs us. ltort'c"et- thllt lilirlking ill lllcsLi tcfltls {)l
hope is the vcry wa), 10 stille il.
(71) First of all, dre meanirg ol {he word eiut is alnbiSuous.
4 Can it in lact ltappcn tliat aryone hopes without ally rcasous lbr hoping?
Or on $e other haltd..-
! ls it permissible to hope whcre the rcasons are irsutliciellt or Iacking?
(73) LeL us lolice lirst that in botlt cases rve admit implicitly drat Ll)e
proposition "there is no reason, or at icasi llo suificienl reason, for hope", has
:one meiuii0g. We must not, Irower cr, be takell in by words; rve czulooL speak
of the non existerce or the existencc of such reasons as of the non existeoce of
existence of sornediing rvhich could ibror part oi anl'one's experiettce. Herc
"there is'' or "lhere is not" is ueccssarily rciated lo a dcfinitc subject. Wc |llean
that iI dre eyes of X tltere is or there is not good eoough reasol fol hope. But itt
the starenrent of ou[ problelrl what subject is irnplied'l Lt us con-sider in
parlicular question (4). Do we mean "Cao ii in lacl lBppen thai someone hopes
under co&ditions rvhich, tot |ne who atn asking !.lte quesliorl, altbrd no grounds
for hope?" or "uMer conditiotts rvhich fbr rhe subjecl himself aibrd to ground
for it?"
(?4) We inust obviously answer tlie tirsi questiol in the afiirrnative: it is
quite clear that $re other can keep otl ltoping rvhere the observer considefs that
reasoru tbr hope do nol exist, that is to say rvherc they are i visible to him
'l'his
flrst quesrion then is lnsignilicanL alJ idle.
(75) Has the second a more precise meRrlins'l Can anyone, in tact, hope
wh,-'re he himself adniB thaL the reasons are insufficienL or iacking'i But, if he
tlul,v r:cognizes in all siocerity that these reasolrs are non-existett cr insufficient,
he hi,lls:lf adrnits rhat he does feall)' hope (uirless, oi course, Ile l s succuntbed
rn lrLrra .-:r.. r h\ erirl np ro s('ure i[terlocutor rvhat he does not belicve in his
o\\n i::.::. - .: :i,lr l clrsc is orrlsidc otlr hyl)olllc\is). Nlofcovcl. !lle usc .)l lllc
\\'c.c :-;:--...r. iniplies a contludictiou, lbr it dte subject hopcs t1 would surcly

151
 sea:- -'i:r,! rrc suff-i!icnt tbr hirn, r', harcver the obsener
mi:. -: ai
: , -.-.:. j: quesrion which the subject is supposed ro ask
. :-:-.:-.:.,r case to ar[wer in dre negaiive, does not afise fof
- :, ..,irli in some deeree flom his hope. Acrually, ir comes
: : :i. sfrings from a caiculating faculty of te reason
.-... \firate nrcal|s i]t its disposll. procecds ti) carry out a
- r :h:Lnces. Witho[r an),doubt it may happen that, or
- ,. lf l{)f rr !i -itt)la spitcc ol liIre lo lhose celculillions ()f
rt ih. sublect is cnglrgcd io x discussioti rritlr sorneorre
: : i:raei lt is none the lcss tl.ue, howcver, dtat hope and th9
il) distinct and evc|vtltirg will be losr il
-:..::.] hope we are crtering preciselt' upon tiis ver) process ot'
, :rruration which at tile bo[om nteans a caiculation ol
. ..., as
- thoush
Lhuugh to hooe uerc to arsue
lropc \\ere ilt a (cflaijt,\
argue itl cerrai w:!vlvy ,nd
ana
alrd a(
as
:a possibility of enquiring into tile validity of lhe arguneirts
. ::,.:: ihis poilit of view, the answer to dre ques[ion is obvious. It is
: :..::-. tliat it can be legirimate ro hope without sufficienr reasons for
j , - ..: nilsl repeAt orlce Dorc that here thc meaning of lhe tvord hope has
- -r :.::.1)' distorted.
It seems as trough we shall thus be led to an uuerly negativc
: :., -::.]1 and that we sliall have to deny that de \\'ords 'reasons fo| hoping''
i::., :i..., iueanirrg whatsoever. ll so. in this lnatter we shall liave ro subscribe to
::: .::::r,Jnalisrn or |irdical fidcislr. I]ut laccd with thc t:lcts ol experience, sucir n
:::.! tDpears nothing short of absurd.
i78) Take for instance, a nlorhcr \\'ho persists in hoping thar she wili see
jr-f :oll agairr alfiough his death hls beeu certifled h the lllosl detlnite lnanner
b: \r, rlnesses who found his body, buried it, erc. Is not rire obsener justifred lr
sar ing dut there are no rasons tbr hopirrg that this son is still alivel
(79) However subtle and irritating in cerrain respecrs tbe distinction I arn
Bcirg to irtroduce here may appear, perhaps wc should reply to ft objection i|
dte followilg way: lu so far as the hope of the mother is explessed as an
obj ective judgenenr, " It is poss ible thar John will come back" , we have [re riglu
to say: "No, objectively speaking, the retum ntust be considered as impossible.,'
But at th root of the ntolher's objec(ive judgenrent, which, as such, calnot be
accepted, she ha: within her a loving thought which repudiates or ranscends the
facts, and it seems as though there was something absurd or even scandalous in
disputing her right to hope, rhar is to say to lovc, against all hope, l\.lore exacuy,
what is absurd is the very idea of a righr rvhich we can recognize or dispute.

liz
 (80) \\ c are noi at tlr!' cod ol our dilliculties, however. Colnmon sense
will retort that it is not peimissiblc to identily hope and love here "Whatevcr
may be tlle lovc wbich I feel tor a cerhin individual, it cannot be adnitted rhat in
virrue of this love, I can assurlc tllc right to cxceed Ihe linlits of loEic." It ls a
mere sophism lo say, "i cannot bear tlte idca that he will not :clte back,
{liercfore. it is Dossihlc lh:ll ltc N'ill . l}tl{ llclc ilgitill. hopc is cons dcrcd lrtrnt
outside ar)d entcred irl a rcgislcr \\'ltc.ri it rlocs ttcl bclollS. Wlut llolc gircs us is
dle sinple atlirmntion, "\'oir arc coming back". And this "you are rollrirlS
back" is beyond tltc relch ofobicctirc criticisrll. Such criticisrn coukl only deltl
rvith k legitimately il it were translated into lhe langttagc of provision cr of a
jLrdgement bascd on probabilitics.
(81) It canror be denicd that each ol us is exposed to the tenrptation ul
crrrying oul such a substitution on our own accoull|. We have already seen hou'
hope loses its true nlrure bi' tlrc lact thnt it lcrlds l0 off!r ilself ibr thc
approbation of the sub-iect hinr:eli ald Also oi othir peopie. h this wa) it loses
its essential elasticir). but it o[l-! loses it becausc it denies its own nature and dtis
denial is a tali.
(82) This, \vhich at tirst appcars very paradoxical, seerlls to me ro bc
elucidated if wc keep in mind lhc tirudamental dislinction between hope and
desire, and ii we recall the observations rvhich werc nade lunher back. Wc
might say that hope only escapcs lrorn ii prrticular rlictaphysical ruling o
condition that it ransceuds desire--drat is to say, that it does nol. rcrnain centered
upon dre subject hirrueif. Once again $,e ale led to draw atteniion to lle
irdissoluble conncctiou rvirich dius togedrcr hopc and love. The more egoistical
love is, tlre more dre alluringly prophetic declarations it inspires should be
regarded with caudon as likely to be literally conradicted by experience; on the
otier hand, thc nearer it approaches Lo true charity, the nore the mealing of its
declarations is inflictcd and rends to bccorne tull of an unconditional quality
wltich is the very sign of a presclce.'lhis prescrtcc is incarnaled in thc "us" tbl
whorn " hope in Thee", that is to say in a comrnunion of which l proclain the
indestructibility. N0 doubr, as always, clitical drought will immediately take up
its position againsl this ilsscrtion. lt will involve thc evidence of experien,:e, a.nd
of dre specucle of endless risiblc destruction which it presenls to us. But dtis
evidence itself can only be challenged in the narne of a certitude which we hai:
aheady seen is not based on establislled cxpcrience-ihe certitudc dlat all su!:.
argumen$ are onJy true in a very fleeting sense, and that tlle incessalt chang.:
to which critical pessinrism claims to give so rrLreil impo,ri rce, can iur,flh j.:
only au0rentic realil)'. l-his asseniou is preciscly what we discover wher ...
reach the intelligible core of hope; what charactcrizes it is the very momer.: :
which it challenees thc cvidcnce upon which men clain to challenSe it itJeli '.,
must add that this conception ol hope is both symbolized and suppo(cd :. .
 \
I

experierlces of rcltewal, Iot considurcd in thcir philosopltical or even physical

processes, but in the inlinitc ccho which tltcy ittlakctt in those who arc callcd
upon eitler to live Cxo'igh drerl directly, or to shai'e symPalhetically in the
blessings the, bring. So what we said above the relit{jonshiP which hope
establishes betweell the soul aud time is eiucidated aod cotnpleted. l\tight \a'e llcl
say that hope always irnplies ti!' sup,:f-logical cont)ection betwcclr a riturn
bs!]!s) arld sornethi|g contpletely nc\v (Kainott ti)'l lttlowin8 tiom this rt i5 to
be wondered whelh!'. prcse.vntion or rcs()r' lion, ott tlis onc h:urd. ilii,l
revolution or reriewal. or) the othef, ,r.e not the lwo movemerts, the t\\'o
abstractly dissociarcd lispccts ol 0|c and tlie siunc unity, uhi(h dwclls io lx)pc
alld is bcyond tJre reach ol' all our iaculiies of rcas.ning of (:Dticel,{ual
fcrnulation, This aspiration (-an be approxiniately expressed !o thc sinplc bul
couradictory words: alb!.fgrg-!t! dl!1llgllt-SllgttgUld]-bfuLe. l lerc rve
undoubtedly come once again upon thc thenlc of liberalion, for it is never a
simplc retrn'n to dle !a1!u4ua. a siurple return to our being; it is tlrat and nruch
more, and even tlle cooirary of tltat: an undreamed-of promotion, il
riinsfiS!ration.
(83) Perhaps al-tcr these considerations we might at last attcmpt to Bile
t}le definition which we rvould not alioq' oursclves to place at rhe bcgiming ol'
our analysis: we might say rhat hope is essenti:tl)y the availabilitv of a soul which
has eirtered intimatell enough into the experience of communion to accompiish
in the teeth of will and knowledge drc transcefldent aot- -dre act of establishing
the vital regeirerarion ol which tltis cxperien:c af-ford both rhe pledge and &e
firsG fruits.

li l'curh.
Jan!rr!. I9.12

.154