Is "angst" a problem that philosophy faces and has to remedy?

Is philosophical pessimism also a 'problem' that philosophy must deal with? — Posty McPostface

No more than happiness, contentment, and optimism. Everything is pfodder for philosophy.

What can philosophy do about these attitudes? — Posty McPostface

Encourage people who have those attitudes to deal with it, if it is a problem for them.

I suppose philosophy could tell people who express unhappiness at great length to just shut up about it, we are tired of hearing all the bellyaching about how bad the world is, and want to get back to the burning issue of bipolarity in Witts'is'face.

Philosophy might be a response to angst.

I can imagine a happy society were no one was interested in philosophy. Indeed philosophy seems to have a bad reputation for being associated with despair and people say things like it is to deep and serious.


But it does seem that philosophy could concern itself with any field as a tool for reason without emotional ramifications. But at the same time it does seem to lead away from certainty and to anxiety producing uncertainty.

I can't imagine genuine philosophy that suddenly made you feel better about life.
Maybe if a philosopher proved the soul and an afterlife existed or proved that we could improve society?

Apparently Camus said "The only serious question in life is whether to kill yourself or not." I can sympathise with this. It is a case of finding something meaningful to live for and working out whether life is worth it. If your philosophy makes you continue living then maybe it has resolved that problem?

I am also sympathetic towards Sartre's quip "Hell is other people"

Is "angst" a problem that philosophy faces and has to remedy? — Posty McPostface

If the angst has a rational basis, philosophy can deal with it. Usually it has a neurochemical basis that is more likely to yield to cognitive therapy and/or pharmaceutical treatment.

If the angst has a rational basis, philosophy can deal with it. — Dfpolis

Agreed, therefore, either it is rational to profess angst or irrational to profess angst. If it is the former, then it's philosophy's task to deal with it. If the latter, then yes, pharmaceutical and neurochemical balances must be checked by a professional.