Philipp Mainlander [top]

Furthermore, Mainländer’s emphasis on the alleviation of suffering and the critique of procreation anticipates later schools of thought, particularly antinatalism. Modern thinkers who argue that coming into existence is always a harm owe a debt to Mainländer’s systematic dismantling of the value of life.

It is here that Mainländer’s philosophy borders on the nihilistic and the ethical dilemma of suicide. While Mainländer did not explicitly advocate for immediate suicide as a moral duty for all, he viewed life as a definite evil. He argued that the only true redemption lies in the cessation of individual consciousness. He praised asceticism and chastity, as these practices prevent the propagation of life, thereby reducing the total amount of suffering in the world. To bring a child into the world, for Mainländer, is to commit a metaphysical crime, forcing a new vessel to endure the torment of the Will. philipp mainlander

The story revolves around a fictional philosophical device that Mainländer hinted at but never built: (from Nous - mind, and Scope - to look). While Mainländer did not explicitly advocate for immediate

is the "putrefying corpse" of God, slowly decomposing from a state of high energy (being) toward total stillness (non-being). To bring a child into the world, for