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| A depiction of the Camus model, from the Randall Schweller article, showing that purpose, in a godless universe, is a Sisyphean one; which is a general dumb atheism model as compared, e.g. to the Gates model. |
“Existence as it is, without meaning or aim, yet recurring inevitably without any finale of nothingness: "the eternal recurrence." This is the most extreme form of nihilism: the nothing (the "meaningless"), eternally!”— Friedrich Nietzsche (1887), WP:55, Jun 10; see also “eternal recurrence” clip from film When Nietzsche Wept (2007) (Ѻ)
“Neither the poetic nor the scientific imagination is put to much strain in the search after analogies with this process of going forth and, as it were, returning to the starting-point. It may be likened to the ascent and descent of a slung stone, or the course of an arrow along its trajectory. Or we may say that the living energy takes first an upward and then a downward road. Or it may seem preferable to compare the expansion of the germ into the full-grown plant, to the unfolding of a fan, or to the rolling forth and widening of a stream; and thus to arrive at the conception of 'development,' or 'evolution.' Here as elsewhere, names are 'noise and smoke'; the important point is to have a clear and adequate conception of the fact signified by a name. And, in this case, the fact is the Sisyphæan process, in the course of which, the living and growing plant passes from the relative simplicity and latent potentiality of the seed to the full epiphany of a highly differentiated type, thence to fall back to simplicity and potentiality.”
“Albert Camus begins his essay ‘The Myth of Sisyphus’ with these words: ‘There is only one really serious question, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering this fundamental question.’ It is a hunting question; in fact, as I followed atheism to its logical conclusion in my own life as I grew up, it became my question.”
“We are all akin to Sisyphus, who, according to Greek mythology, was condemned by the gods to repeat forever the same meaningless task of pushing a boulder up a mountain, only to see it roll down again.”
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| A depiction of the "Gates model", as physico-chemically correct upgrade to the Camus model of Sisyphean purpose. |
“This is something that atheist’s do quote a bit. It’s chaotic. And therefore, man imposes meaning and morality from his own knowledge and experience on it, to harness it and control it. That’s foundationally an atheistic presupposition. Because, if the universe isn’t the handywork of a good creator god, who has inherently endowed the creation with purpose, with that meaning, with that morality, or to recognize that with his revelation as the source of those things. His gracious condensation through his word. Right. If that’s not the case, then you have a chaotic universe, in which you have to impose meaning upon.”— Jeff Durbin (2019), “How to Answer the Fool (Atheist)” (0-0:42) (Ѻ), Apologia Studios, YouTube, Apr 1; shared to r/Atheism (Ѻ), Aug 3
