The first impasse, a drop of darkness: Influence of gnostic teachings on Emil Cioran's antinatalistic thought

Abstract

In this paper we have shown that there are numerous Gnostic elements in the works of Emil Cioran, which have become closely interwoven with his worldview over the years. We have also shown that almost every aspect of Gnostic philosophy is present in his fragments, interpreted and elaborated in its own unique way, including the idea of a Creator, an evil demiurge responsible for the creation of this world and the universe, the idea that matter itself is evil, implying that life itself, formed from this matter, is also evil. We have found, however, that of all material things, Cioran considered man to be the worst of all creations, who should no longer reproduce in order to put an end to the suffering known by the mere fact of existence. Cioran's anti-natalist thinking is certainly a product of his preoccupation with Gnosticism and the Romanian Gnostic traditions, especially the Bogumil and Cathar heritage. By dealing with Cioran's antinatalism, we have brought his own work and antinatalist thought to the Serbian academic world, where it was previously completely unknown. We have also managed to connect Cioran's thoughts with those of the French moralists, Buddhism, Marquis de Sade, Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche.

Keywords

• emil cioran
• philosophy
• theology
• literature
• gnosticism
• christianity
• antinatalism