{"id":19841,"date":"2023-06-30T13:58:15","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T20:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.plato-philosophy.org\/?post_type=teachertoolkit&p=19841"},"modified":"2025-10-06T15:13:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-06T22:13:23","slug":"hope-1-what-is-hope","status":"publish","type":"teachertoolkit","link":"https:\/\/plato-philosophy.org\/teachertoolkit\/hope-1-what-is-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope #1 – What is Hope?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This lesson plan can be read in conjunction with \u201cChapter 1. Hope\u201d (pp. 7-26) in the freely available teaching resource Coping: A Philosophical Guide<\/em><\/a> (Open Book Publishers, 2021) with discussion questions (pp. 121-2) and additional teaching materials (p. 119). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will investigate two standard features of hope, namely, that when we hope for something, we consider it to be possible but not certain, and that we desire it. We will raise some critical questions about these standard features. We will then ask whether something more is needed before we can be said to hope, namely, that we imagine how nice it would be if our hopes were to come true. And finally, we explore how hope differs from other related concepts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Possible but not Certain<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most philosophers agree that we only hope for things that we consider possible, yet not certain. Some guiding questions should get students to recognize this.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask: Are you hoping for the weekend? That sounds strange. You are looking forward to it but not hoping for it, because you are certain that the weekend will come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask: Are you hoping that I will dismiss class early? That would be nice, but don\u2019t hope for it. It just is not going to happen!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can then raise some critical questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask: Might we not hope for world peace, even though this is not a realistic possibility? So maybe we do hope for things that are impossible? Or maybe we are just hoping for progress<\/em> toward world peace, which is a realistic possibility?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask: Might we not hope against hope? Isn\u2019t this hoping for something that seems hopeless because it just seems impossible?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Desire<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philosophers unanimously agree that we only hope for things that we desire. Here are two critical questions for discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hoping for what we don\u2019t really, really want. <\/em>Here is a complication that students are likely to disagree over. Imagine this scenario. You are on a diet, and you want to avoid temptation. You don\u2019t want the ice-cream van to come by. If it does, you know that you will succumb to temptation. Now ask: Could you still hope for the ice-cream van to come by?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some will say no: You can only hope for what you really, really want \u2013 or, as philosophers say, what you want all things considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Others will say yes: Sometimes we can\u2019t help ourselves hoping for things that we don\u2019t really, really want. It\u2019s just that part of us wants these things, and that\u2019s the part that sets off our hopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shameful hopes. <\/em>Here is another line of discussion. Do you sometimes feel ashamed when you find yourself hoping for something? What is shameful about it? Might it be that you find yourself hoping for something that you don\u2019t really, really want, because you know better than that? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In connection with shameful hopes, one could assign this interesting op-ed \u201cPlease, Mother, Enough<\/a>\u201d in the New York Times<\/em> (May 19, 2014) by the Japanese author Minae Mizumura. This op-ed discusses expressing a wish for the death of an elderly parent whose care takes up a lot of your resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Imagining<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask students to consider some variant of the following scenario. You like Lana Del Rey\u2019s music. You would like to see her perform in a venue near you and you think it\u2019s possible that she will come. But the whole thing hardly crosses your mind. Are you hoping that Lana Del Rey will come?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students should come to realize that something more is needed for hoping than believing that Lana Del Rey might come and wanting her to come. This extra feature of hoping is that the prospect occupies your mind: You imagine, daydream, fantasize, fancy her coming, entertain the thought of her coming, etc.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another way to get at this is to start from a quote attributed to Aristotle: \u201cHope is a waking dream.\u201d How does a dream point to something other than just (i) considering possible, yet not certain, and (ii) desiring?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Related Concepts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Explore differences in meaning between hope and related concepts. How is hoping for something different from (i) wishing for something, (iii) looking forward to or anticipating something, (iii) praying for something? (iv) being optimistic that something will happen?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This lesson plan can be read in conjunction with \u201cChapter 1. Hope\u201d (pp. 7-26) in the freely available teaching resource Coping: A Philosophical Guide (Open Book Publishers, 2021) with discussion questions (pp. 121-2) and additional teaching materials (p. 119).  We will investigate two standard features of hope, namely, that when we hope for something, we … Hope #1 – What is Hope?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":19842,"template":"","toolkitcategory":[756,30],"gradelevel":[48,47],"topics":[616],"class_list":["post-19841","teachertoolkit","type-teachertoolkit","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","toolkitcategory-ethics","toolkitcategory-languages-literature","gradelevel-high-school-and-beyond","gradelevel-middle-school","topics-hope"],"yoast_head":"\nHope #1 - What is Hope? - PLATO - Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hope #1 - What is Hope? - PLATO - Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This lesson plan can be read in conjunction with \u201cChapter 1. 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