Religion & Spirituality

Philosophical Suicide, and Benefits of Insecurity in Certainty

Artwork "Reimagined Happiness" by Emerson Barrett, Philosopher.
Artwork "Reimagined Happiness" by Emerson Barrett, Philosopher.

Without sounding too formal, I’ll attempt to start by defining what I mean by Philosophical Suicide when I mention it, which has to start by defining the difference between belief and faith. To believe in something is to discard any opposing idea and firmly shun a disagreement, for that is your belief, and you believe it is right. However, faith is completely different. Faith is of the essence of scientific honesty that you do not pretend to know what you do not know, and the essence of scientific method that you do not employ hypothesis which cannot be tested. I’ll elaborate further later on. This said, philosophical suicide is the opposite, to think you do know what you do not know. This is seen in every religion, for it is impossible for man to live without myth.


Philosophical suicide starts by somebody simply thinking that they do know what the answer is, such as all religions do. When people claim to know that god exists, that they believe in him, they are committing a form of philosophical suicide. And these suicides come from the mere comfort that it brings to pretend you know. These myths give the individual a sense of meaning by making him a part of a vast social effort, in which he loses something of his own emptiness and loneliness. Though, the very violence of these religions betrays the anxiety beneath them - for they are but men huddling together and shouting to give themselves courage in the dark. Currently, the best modern apologists for religion overlook this, and instead do not prove that God exists, but proves, at most, that believing in God is useful.


Though we can not prove that God does not exist, the burden of proof lays with those who propose the idea. This only further reveals to us that the shutting down any possibilities of other futures besides ones containing God, is philosophical suicide. Human beings are decidedly meant to be thinkers, as seen in the difference between us and other animals. By denying any thought outside of merely a belief in believing, disingenuous belief, you commit part of a suicide, killing the part of yourself that is naturally inclined to ponder these things.


The idea that religious people carry of “Most atheists and agnostics are neurotic, whereas most simple Catholics are happy and at peace with themselves. Therefore the views of the former are false, and of the latter are true.” may seem to make sense to you people who came up with it, until you apply it to essentially any other idea in this vast world. It is as if you are saying “You say there is a fire in the basement. You are upset about it. Because you are upset, there is obviously no fire.” This does not imply a false philosophy. It implies the discovery of facts to which he does not know how to adapt himself. Which is yet another proof that man cannot live without myth (better shown by the myth of God’s existence) but it does not mean the myth is truth. It simply means that it is easier to believe in the myth and not be weighed down by the heavy subject matter of life without a deeper meaning.


Essentially, there is wisdom in the future of mankind, of yourself, being insecure and uncertain. Only when you discard the idea of your belief being truth, and instead decide on simply facing things with a point of view that does not pretend to know what it doesn’t know, will you be free of committing philosophical suicide, and killing yourself in that process. Think compulsively, do not limit anything to one set meaning.

Philosophical Suicide, and Benefits of Insecurity in Certainty
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