Misanthropy, from the Greek misein, "to hate", with anthropos, "human" [1], is a general hatred, distrust, depression, or forlornness when considering mankind, either as an individual or, more frequently, en masse. Webster insists it should be opposed with philanthropy, which would seem to make sense — what with philanthropy coming from the Greek word philein, "to love" — but it would be overly simplistic to say that they are opposed, or that one has obviously more merit than the other.
Misanthropy
"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Gal 5:14)
Thou shalt love! Christianity, would you believe it? A religion of love, immersed in love, steeped in love until the tea has gone bitter and cold, and even then it still loves the taste of love. It is the ghost of a God that must love, for He is all-loving. And the most curious thing about this verse that has bothered me since I was a child: How can one be commanded to love? Recall the word used here, for Greek had many words for love: agape — not philia, which is better discussed elsewhere.
There is more to Christianity than this, so much more that the entire Western tradition is weighted by it. But for the moment let us imagine a harmless Christianity knowing naught but this one commandment. Jesus had it more right than Paul in that there are two commandments here:
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Mt 22:37-39, emphasis added)
So one Thou shalt love! becomes two, these two different forms of love conflated into the "Thou shalt love!" of Paul. An all-encompassing love for God is paired to a love for humanity. Misanthropy is so dangerous to Christianity because misanthropes, in contrast to murderers, adulterers, and every other species of sinner — save the blasphemer — attack this fundamental commandment. The blasphemer alone is worse than the misanthrope, for the misanthrope is a blasphemer only by implication: in hating and cursing mankind, he curses God by extension. It is no accident that Paul conflates the two central commandments of Christianity, for one entails the other.
Contempt
"Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!" —
The type of misanthropy that Christianity continually struggles against does not exist but in the dreams of psychopaths and serial murderers. It takes a psychopath to hate being human. Misanthropy has been falsely enlarged so that it may be easier to strike against. Love! Hate! Love...! And to feel love for someone with the heart feels better than to hate them.
Far more common among even the people of the Book is a certain cautious misanthropy, described here by Kant:
"There is, however, a misanthropy (most improperly so called), the tendency towards which is to be found with advancing years in many right minded men, that, as far as good will goes, is no doubt, philanthropic enough, but as the result of long and sad experience, is widely removed from delight in mankind." [2]
Let us call this kind of misanthropy (since this term has been so hammered by religion) contempt. The mis- of misanthropy does not apply here, as there is no hatred of mankind to support its use. This misanthropy of mine is the same distaste for humanity that is felt most closely when the tragedy of the commons is present at hand. It is the shift in thought that happened when we went from leaving our doors unlocked to taking care to check everything is closed before leaving the home. The merit of contempt is a resistance to being betrayed by humanity and by the stranger. But even contempt cannot prevent being betrayed by the mass of mankind and its customs. I won't be forced to love them, they who call me an enemy, sight unseen.
Can you really love someone you haven't met? Can you really hate them? The unknown stranger that is our individual instance of mankind, placed in every role that doesn't have a name, can neither be met with love or hatred; it can only be met with contempt. There is no time to command the loving of it. Every encounter with the unknown stranger is brief, or else it becomes known. But no matter how many times one feels Him, the most foreign of foreigners is still God, as He is always "gone fishing", or maybe blowing along in the wind....
- http://www.etymonline.com/, truly, a one-stop-shop for your etymological needs.
- Immanuel Kant. Critique of Judgment, § 29
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