Introduction

Abstract

Abstract The literature on hope in philosophy is extensive. After a brief foray into some temporal aspects of hope, the introduction offers a selective review of work on hope from the history of philosophy with an eye to highlighting those theories that have influenced contemporary accounts. Following that, it turns to a brief review of work on hope in the pragmatist tradition. Finally, it traces the main lines of contemporary debates about hope in analytic philosophy. The backbone of these debates is the “standard” account, offered by J. P. Day, according to which a desire for an end and the belief that it is probable are both necessary and sufficient for hope. Most contemporary philosophers argue that the standard account is necessary, but not sufficient for hope, and add sufficiency conditions. These lively discussions are in full force, and promise to continue.