Girardian Isekai Part 8: Transcendence

The Foolishness of SBF is not Betting on Doubling the World, but Believing there is any real world analogy to Doubling the World

The thing with Reinheit fears most is the idea of transcendence. This is true for both the literal and Girardian interpretations of transcendence. The literal interpretation is atheism – Reinheit fears the idea of anything sacred. This is shown at the climax of his arc.

“Let me tell you once again. No one has ever reached the 'end' of the scenarios."

"…"

"This world is eternal hell.”

Reinheit is not unjustified in his cynicism. This is a real challenge to the protagonists of the story. It’s unknown to the characters and the reader whether there’s an ‘end’ in sight until hundreds of chapters later. Dokja leads his party to overcome this conflict through a return to two worlds mythology. He appeals both to the hope of a new world and their sense of justice from their previous human world.

The metaphorical interpretation is that the antichrist fears a two worlds mythology. For his cynical accusations to ring true, there must be unanimous rejection of new values – of a new world. Reinheit must both erase the history and obscure the future of their world to justify his actions.

Tears flowed from Reinheit's eyes. "I, I really…"

"I know."

Reinheit slowly closed his eyes at the short answer.

Yoo Joonghyuk spoke once again. "Everybody knows."

Of course they knew. Reinheit burst out laughing when he saw the life that he lived was so easily seen. "Strange. Why… do I feel like you actually understand…”

The greatest fear of the present-day antichrist is a technology that reveals a two-worlds mythology. It is a technology that makes it plain to see for all ordinary people that there are multiple regimes and ways of life. As Balaji Srinivasan writes, “Those who complain about filter bubbles are actually complaining that there is more than one.”

The present narrative of the antichrist can be expressed through the philosophical commandment of indefinite optimism: the pursuit of the philosophical life can now only be done through the mechanical recombination of bits.