ENTROPY AND ONTOCHRONY

From a cosmic angle, everything is leading towards eventual decay and death. This is ironic, because from an experiential angle, life has never been better on earth. Our human civilization is thriving. But let’s face it: alongside the progressive evolution in thought, scientific knowledge and the quality of life in the world lurks the shadow of decay. A reaping sickle seems to be the very wand by which the symphonies of industrialization and technological advances are conducted by a gold-embroidered Thanatos. For instance, as the world enjoys the benefits of petroleum fuel in almost every facet of life-made-easier, there simultaneously transpires a culpable torture of our ozone comrade, whose death – though slowly incurred by us its murderer – means the eventual death of all earthly existents. The list could go on..

The second law of thermodynamics states that the equilibrium that the universe enjoys today will eventually collapse, and chaos will become the new order. Alongside the ticking arrow of time is an increase in entropy, leading to infinite chaos.

This is science’s calculated prediction.

A similar view, but from a different academic perspective, comes from Martin Heidegger. Like every existential philosopher, Heidegger’s concern was the meaning of existence – human existence in particular. For Heidegger, the essence of existence is precariousness because it is inseparable from its ultimate possibility, and which Dasein (being-in-the-world) is most afraid: the inevitability of death. In short, as the Roman Catholic theologian Karl Rahner discerned, Heidegger’s definition of human existence is ontochronistic, that is, that being essentially means being-towards-death. As in Greek tragedy, death is our inescapable god-determined fate. The depressing implication of this is that ultimately, the meaning of all being is nihil absolutum, “absolute nothingness.” Death is human existence’s most imminent possibility, or because it can happen anytime, it is therefore not primarily a futurity, but a lingering present-iability.

This is philosophy’s intellectual speculation.

So..

From the outlook that both physical science and existential philosophy provides, the only fitting implication for human life is carpe diem, quam minimam credula postero, “seize the day, putting little trust as possible in the future.” The problem, however, is that without transcendent moral categories from which to ground the seizing of the moment, Horace’s aphorism could easily be interpreted to justify narcissism and hedonism, which in turn further deepen nihilism.

I am absolute thrilled that I did not become primarily a scientist or a philosopher. I am a Christian. My outlook of life is different. It is more hopeful. My being-in-existence is not a being-towards-death, but a being-towards-perfection. Hallelujah!