---
product_id: 254950680
title: "W. W. Norton & Company The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious"
brand: "paul watzlawick"
price: "$43.26"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 5
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/254950680-w-w-norton-and-company-the-situation-is-hopeless-not
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# W. W. Norton & Company The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious

**Brand:** paul watzlawick
**Price:** $43.26
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** W. W. Norton & Company The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious by paul watzlawick
- **How much does it cost?** $43.26 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/254950680-w-w-norton-and-company-the-situation-is-hopeless-not)

## Best For

- paul watzlawick enthusiasts

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- Trusted paul watzlawick brand quality
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## Description

W. W. Norton & Company The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious

## Images

![W. W. Norton & Company The Situation Is Hopeless But Not Serious - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/610qalnBmgL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
    Gutes aus Kärnten
  
  

*by T***M on Reviewed in Germany on 28 April 2024*

Trotzdem ja zu ... sagen.Dieses Buch, gut übersetzt egal in welcher Sprache sollte in der Hausbibliothek sein. Dann muss es der Leser oder die Leserin nur noch verstehen....

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Profoundly amazing
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in Canada on 8 October 2018*

I might read it several times.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A great classic, loaded with wisdom
  

*by R***U on Reviewed in the United States on 18 October 2014*

This author wrote a series of titles with a similar shred world view regarding peoples inhumanity to themselves, let alone each other.  In the "Situation is Hopeless But Not Serious," Paul Watzlawick illustrates the unavoidable truth of life adaptive challenges being inevitable (hopelessly human), and contrasts such futility with a view, shared by Nietzsche, that "to live-is to suffer," or Buddhism's Noble Truth that with living comes, also requires suffering, or simple "To live is to suffer," therefore lacks a serious rating, so Not Serious, per say.  The iconic avatar in performing arts, are a matched pair of masks, one designed showing a laughing, wide smilie.  The smiling mask, hangs parallel to a dower, saddened expression, dramatizing tragedy.  Comics regularly remark as to life's agony being the stuff humor is derived.  In deed, our existential and ontological circumstances suggest The Situation is Hopeless but not Serious, making this little book a memorable gem and highly recommended.When Paul Watzlawick was addressing in 1983, core twenty-first century meta-concepts without the science informing his thinking was his intended target.  His grapes of psycholinguistics, strategic verbal maneuvers for interpersonal positioning, & pragmatic flexibility of language had a great insight, Watzlawick attempts to impart with this delightful title. The final paragraph of his chapter one illustrates this point perfectly.  In summing up his thesis; "However, the true genius manages to go to the ultimate extreme & with heroic determination rejects even what he himself considers the best decision, that is, the voice of his own reason. Thus the smack not only bites its own tail but actually devours itself, & a state of unhappiness is created that is beyond comparison.  Of course, for the less gifted readers this state of misery remains a sublime if unattainable goal."From the multitude of papers, essays, commentary, & books Paul Watzlawick has published, this title "Situation is Hopeless But Not Serious," ranks among his finest.

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*Product available on Desertcart United States of America*
*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-03-17*