panglossianism means naive or unreasonable optimism. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 89 out of 100.
Why “panglossianism” is a great word
PANGLOSSIANISM — [Noun] A doctrine of naive or unreasonable optimism, especially the dogmatic belief that this is the best of all possible worlds and all events are ultimately for the best. From Panglossian (derived from Dr. Pangloss, an incurably optimistic character in Voltaire's 1759 satire 'Candide') + the suffix -ism (denoting a system, principle, or doctrine). Unlike optimism (which can be a grounded, hopeful perspective) or realism (which accepts situations as they are), Panglossianism is a willful, evidence-resistant cheerfulness. It is the smile fixed as the ship founders, the gratitude for a single potato in a blighted field, the meticulous justification for staying in a burning house—a philosophy not of hope, but of perceptual surrender, a testament to the mind's terrifying power to curate its own evidence.
Etymology
From Panglossian + -ism.
noun
- Naive or unreasonable optimism.