Hellish Philosophy

Share

For an unrelated reason, I reread the Screwtape Letters Tuesday and came across the phrase "whole philosophy of hell". I believe that this hellish philosophy, as manifest in our mortal realm, is the foundational element for almost all human suffering. In other words, we use the philosophy of hell in a vain attempt to establish utopia, and it makes us miserable.

Here is the relevant quotation from my copy of the Screwtape Letters on p 70:

The whole philosophy of hell: My good is my good, and your good is yours. What one gains another loses. If it expands, it does so by thrusting other objects aside or absorbing them. To be means to be in competition.

Our politicians, our pastors, and sometimes our parents have this misbegotten notion that life is a null-sum game. They might have this because I know I teach my students that matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed, but that is in total for the entire universe. I also teach them that the amount of gold on earth increases every year because gold is made by stars, and so even now during the heat wave, a small sum of gold and platinum atoms is landing on the surface of the earth, propelled here from Sol, our sun.

Almost every intervention and government program begins with this notion. Ronald Reagan said that "We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion that the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one!" There is no notion of invention, unless people want to patent something and earn a profit, and there is no notion of increase. They actually believe in a world, truth be told, full of an ever-decreasing amount of resources! Think about it! They would have you believe that without their intervention, we will eventually use up all the stuff that makes life matter. This they do to destroy your freedom.

Unfortunately, the somnambulent public is party to their charade. Many people do not want freedom because it means they have to work. Checks are sufficient to provide comfort and give them food, cell phones, their cars, and their plasma TV. It doesn't hurt to be poor in America anymore. Additionally, as opposed to yesteryear, there is no stigma against people who are not working; in fact, the stigma goes out to people who live within their means and save for a rainy day! Many people expect and demand that those who have oil in their lamps by their wisdom give to the rest of the foolish virgins!

Everyone in this hellish world believes he is right all the time. He does not care about whether there is evidence to the contrary. They secretly go about all their investigations on the preconceived notion that they are right and bend facts to fit theories and throw out exculpitory evidence. They cannot be taught; they are convinced they are right. I cannot imagine how awful it must be to always be right. I try to keep in mind that I might be wrong. If heaven is full of the kind of people who think only evil of me, then I'd rather be in hell; I think I'd be more comfortable where people at least admit they are in hell.