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Novel theology 1: Nihilism

I like novels that occasionally explore deep life issues. Like this:

* * * * *

"None of this means anything, this..." Carmel looked around. "... this life. We're just a bunch of meat. When we think something, it's just chemicals. When we love something, it's more chemicals. When we die, all the chemicals go back in the ground, and that's it. There's nothing left. You don't go anywhere, except in the ground. No heaven, no hell, no God, no nothing. Just... nothing."

"That's pretty grim", Rinker said. She pointed a fork at Carmel. "I've seen people like you - philosophical nihilists. People who really believe all that... eventually, they can't stand it. Most of them commit suicide."

Carmel nodded. "I can see that. That's probably what I'll do, when I get older. If I live to get older."

"Why not do it now?" Rinker asked. "If nothing means anything, why wait?"
"No reason, except curiosity. I want to see how things come out. I mean, killing yourself is as meaningless as not killing yourself. Makes no difference if you do or you don't. So as long as you're not bored, as long as you're feeling good... why do it?"

"But you'd do it if you had to. Kill yourself."

"Hell, I might kill myself if I don't have to", Carmel said.

"Really?"

"Sure. For the same reason that I'm staying now. Curiosity. I can't be absolutely one-million percent sure that there's nothing on the other side; so as long as it's one-millionth of a percent possible, why not check?"

* * * * *

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Comments

Billy Atwell said…
I've found that most people who are nihilist are really just confused and angry. If you probe deeper, you usually find that they have no idea what they think and are skeptical to a point of paralysis.

The philosopher Blaise Paschal was a jack of all intellectual trades, but he had one very interesting point about skeptics...He said that some thing you know as a matter of "practical purposes."

To know something, you really shouldn't need total, absolute assurance. If so, even curiosity isn't a good reason not to kill yourself. If the reality of life is so grime and pathetic that suicide is a rationale move, you should probably not believe that theory, since, after all, why would reality be inherently self-destructive?
5 October 2009 at 01:42
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