Dr. Faustus

Markus Gabriel's New Realism philosophy has a feature that he describes in his TED talk on YouTube: The concept of an existing World gets rid of the infinity of things and facts. The fear of infinity makes us reason in many worldviews, whether scientific (catchword: world formula) or religious (catchword: death is not the end), etc. 

In particular, because there is no overall structure, the idea must be corrected that everything is connected and interacting. However, some things are connected, such that man/woman introduces worldviews to simplify things. None of these worldviews work; they simply express our fear of infinity. As mentioned before, we are alone, but as free autonomous human beings, we have the privilege of exploring infinite possibilities.

Following Gabriel's argument that the World does not exist, he elaborated on the meaning of life in an interview: Life's purpose is not all-embracing. It develops out of the attitude of each individual who happens to be part of a community. Men (Women) do not live and work alone, so, commonly, people abandon their freedom and their egos in the interest of groups, communities, or religions. 

Such an attitude that, Gabriel calls personal nihilism, will frequently lead to crises in life or faith. Typical examples are firm believers developing doubts and atheists catching themselves, thinking there may be something behind their existence.

In all these arguments, I recognize Goethe's Faust, who states at the summit of his personal crisis:

Habe nun, ach! Philosophie, Juristerei und Medizin, Und leider auch Theologie Durchaus studiert, mit heißem Bemühn. Da steh ich nun, ich armer Tor! Und bin so klug als wie zuvor;

I've studied now Philosophy And Jurisprudence, Medicine, And even, alas! Theology All through and through with ardor keen! Here now I stand, poor fool, and see I'm just as wise as I formerly was.

We see a desperate Faust who wants to break out and regain his autonomy, his infinite possibilities of exploring even for the prize of "pacting" with the devil. In fact, Mephistopheles gifts Faust all freedom of action. Getting Gretchen pregnant is only one of Faust's deadly sins. 

Therefore in the Christian tradition, the saga of the historical? Faust ends in a catastrophe in the nearby townlet of Staufen as we read on the wall of the restaurant and hotel Zum Löwen, "Anno 1539 ist im Leuen zu Staufen Doctor Faustus so ein wunderlicher Nigromanta gewesen, elendiglich gestorben und es geht die Sage der obersten Teufel einer, der Maphist stopilis den er in seinen Lebenszeiten nur seinen Schwager genannt, habe ihm, nachdem der Pact von 24 Jahren abgelaufen, das Genick abgebrochen und seine arme Seele der ewigen Verdammnis überantwortet (Anno 1539, in The Lion at Staufen Doctor Faustus who had been such a whimsical necromancer died miserably, and according to the legend one of the supreme devils Maphist stopilis - whom he called in his lifetimes only his brother-in-law, broke his neck after the pact of 24 years expired and surrendered his poor soul to eternal damnation)."

Breaking Dr. Faustus' neck. Wall painting on The Lion at Staufen

This end sharply contrasts the hero's destiny in Goethe's Faust. In part II of the drama, near the end, a choir of angels announces, "Wer immer strebend sich bemüht, Den können wir erlösen (Whoever strives with all his might, That man we can redeem)." 

Goethe's conclusion is comforting that a free autonomous human being using his (her) infinite possibilities to explore until his end is redeemed.

You will find this basic idea of "using your talents" in the New Testament in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30): 

For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one, he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey ... When the Lord came back from his trip, the two servants with the five and the two talents had gained on them. Then he, who had received the one talent, came and said, "Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours." But his Lord answered and said to him, "You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I would have received back my own with interest" ... And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

It is interesting to read that Jesus even accepts the help of bankers to gain with money transactions that - regarding current interest rates - is hardly possible these days.

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