The Choice to Become God

This thread follows the movement from lack and desire toward the impossible project of becoming a self-grounding absolute.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Lack as Existence

Lack as Existence The For-Itself's Structure The for-itself exists as a lack, not as a complete entity that later discovers something missing. Its being is directed toward a totality it is not. Desire Desire makes this lack concrete by seeking satisfaction while remaining an open project.

The Self as Goal

The Self as Goal Missing Coincidence What the for-itself lacks is itself as an in-itself: a stable self that would coincide with consciousness without losing transparency. Impossible Project The desired self is the meaning of human transcendence, yet the two modes of being remain incompatible.

Freedom and Value

Freedom and Value Unfounded Foundation Freedom sustains values, yet freedom itself has no external justification. It is responsible for the claims it takes seriously. Ethical Weight The desire for an absolute value is also a desire to escape this groundlessness.

The Divine Ideal

The Divine Ideal Absolute Being God names the imagined being that is both self-identical like the in-itself and self-conscious like the for-itself. Human Projection The divine ideal expresses the for-itself's impossible wish to found itself and remain fully conscious at once.

The Useless Passion

The Useless Passion Perpetual Failure Human beings pursue a totality they cannot become. Every achieved possibility opens a new lack and restarts the pursuit. Final Claim The project of becoming God gives human life its structure but cannot provide a successful destination.

Part Two, Chapter One, Section III

Part Two, Chapter One, Section III, discussion of the lacked

Part Two, Chapter One, Section III, discussion of value

Part Two, Chapter One, Section III, discussion of God

Part Four, Chapter Two, conclusion