Review of 'The Conspiracy against the Human Race' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
In the words of John Lydon, "Ever feel like you've been cheated?" Horror writer Thomas Ligotti certainly does.
In this essay, Ligotti passionately argues that sentient life is "MALIGNANTLY USELESS" (emphasis his). Among the animal kingdom we are in a unique position to comprehend our suffering and mortality, but rather than join hands and together voluntarily march into extinction, we are self-deluding prisoners and simultaneously jailers who punish those who call attention to the grimness of existence. We're all inmates, but an extra helping of woe to those who point out the bars.
Much of the text draws heavily from the work of Norwegian philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe, who also argued that humanity's over-developed awareness of the human condition was a source of suffering and existential angst. Rather than succumb to despair, humans cope by excluding negativity from their thoughts, seeking distraction, anchoring themselves in something larger (e.g., a family, …
In the words of John Lydon, "Ever feel like you've been cheated?" Horror writer Thomas Ligotti certainly does.
In this essay, Ligotti passionately argues that sentient life is "MALIGNANTLY USELESS" (emphasis his). Among the animal kingdom we are in a unique position to comprehend our suffering and mortality, but rather than join hands and together voluntarily march into extinction, we are self-deluding prisoners and simultaneously jailers who punish those who call attention to the grimness of existence. We're all inmates, but an extra helping of woe to those who point out the bars.
Much of the text draws heavily from the work of Norwegian philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe, who also argued that humanity's over-developed awareness of the human condition was a source of suffering and existential angst. Rather than succumb to despair, humans cope by excluding negativity from their thoughts, seeking distraction, anchoring themselves in something larger (e.g., a family, a religion, a nation), or channeling their feelings into creative outlets. The defining trait of humanity is consciouness and self-awareness, but that comprehension leads to despair and attempts to become less aware (and therefore less human).
Ligotti illustrates Zapffe's premise with numerous examples from life and art (the cosmic horror of H. P. Lovecraft is given special attention), all the while raging about the absurdity and cruelty of it all. This book shares a similar topic and conclusions (non-existence is less harmful than our current state, and voluntary human extinction is worthy of consideration) with [b:Better Never to Have Been: The Harm of Coming into Existence|660518|Better Never to Have Been The Harm of Coming into Existence|David Benatar|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348531771s/660518.jpg|646592], but the vehemence with which Ligotti argues his points sets the two books apart.
This is a passionate book about a bleak topic. The readers drawn to it likely already agree with the conclusions, and those who uncomfortably dismiss it out of hand can likely be shown to be relying on Zapffe's coping mechanisms.
