Funds support projects studying hope, optimism

An interdisciplinary collaboration between Cornell University and the University of Notre Dame has awarded nearly $2 million to 18 projects in five countries to examine the theoretical, empirical and practical dimensions of hope and optimism.

“We think we’ve found a fantastic group of interdisciplinary scholars and topics to explore,” said Andrew Chignell, associate professor of philosophy at Cornell’s Susan Linn Sage School of Philosophy and co-director of the Hope and Optimism Project.

The project, Hope and Optimism: Conceptual and Empirical Investigations, is funded through a grant from the John Templeton Foundation and additional money from Cornell and Notre Dame.

The initiative is bringing together philosophers, social scientists and theologians for residential and nonresidential fellowship programs, conferences, writing projects by the co-directors, and creative stage and screen competitions.

Read the entire article in the Cornell Chronicle.