On the Nature of Hope: The Best of Our Dreams or the Worst of Our Nightmares?

Hope occupies a central place in our lives although its nature is far from clear. It appears that hope is a good companion, one we love to be with, but is it also a trustworthy guide for living? In this short article the author attempts to explain a common hope: the hope against all the odds. It is found, for example, in the hoped-for recovery among cancer patients despite the meager medical evidence of this possibility. The author shows that the optimism at the root of this phenomenon has a basis in reality.