@thesotiris 3 April 2026 more from that month

The Ultimate Goal of Philosophy: A tragicomical dead end or a gateway to freedom?

We are semi-conscious nodes in an abandoned, unmoderated simulation, running on hope and delusion. Unguided and misguided as we are, the quest for meaning bestows upon us comfort that perhaps there is meaning to be found — always just out of reach but never to be reached — when we deep down know there is none. **The curse of philosophy** Philosophy is a dead end. We know it. The paths of all philosophical pursuits end in **meaninglessness** and **cynicism**, with a delightful side-effect of **tragic comedy** (if you are brave enough to see it). Either that or we resort to total self-delusion — to numb ourselves to the pain. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/the-dead-end-of-philosophy https://sotiris.substack.com/p/peak-philosophy https://sotiris.substack.com/p/xanax-and-coffee The drive behind philosophy? Our instinctive fear of death, this biological programming, our natural imperative, which is not of our choosing. We philosophise to find morality, wisdom, meaning, all because we fear a meaningless life more than a meaningful death. But death we fear regardless, because there is no turning back after a life bereft of meaning comes to a close. Sadly, assigning meaning to our existence is not for us to assign. Any meaning we assign to our lives is arbitrary, deluded, and quite frankly, narcissistic. **The ‘why’** Our desperate need for purpose? Purpose would make the trauma of living meaningful and, therefore, somewhat bearable. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/trauma-is-suffering-without-meaning Because life is suffering: you’re either miserable and carry no fear of losing what you already don’t have, or you’re fortunate but constantly fear the ticking of the clock, each tick one step closer to the loss of all you have. Arguably, having nothing may be more comforting than having everything to lose. The quest for the ‘why’ is the philosopher’s ultimate goal. ‘Why’ then? If you were a demiurge of a simulation, and you thus created self-aware nodes to generate data with which you could enrich your depressing, lonely existence, you’d want to instill in them a safeguard to keep them from ending theirs — the fear of death. Without it, why would anyone tolerate slaving away meaninglessly just to gratify a cruel, indifferent “god” who obviously cares less about us? So we are programmed with self-worship and the fear of non-existence, and we stay alive even when we admit that life is suffering. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/the-simulation-question https://sotiris.substack.com/p/why-god-made-you https://sotiris.substack.com/p/holding-god-accountable When we value sleep as one of “life’s” greatest pleasures, how is it then that we fear non-existence — this ultimate deep sleep which no alarm or noisy neighbour can disturb? The fear of death is biological programming or instinct, not logic. Indeed, this reality appears to be a simulation running unmoderated, likely created by a demiurge who’s probably killed himself long ago. This explains the absurdity of existence. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/deducing-the-absurdity-of-reality https://sotiris.substack.com/p/putting-god-on-trial https://sotiris.substack.com/p/god-is-dead-and-we-have-killed-him Why did the creator abandon this simulation or kill himself? Because the data we produce aren’t enough to grant the demiurge any meaning either. The simulation has failed. Just like us, our demiurge sought to find meaning in realistic open-world video games — or at least distraction/escapism from the meaninglessness. There probably is no true meaning for him either, even in the parent reality. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/who-are-you-to-judge-my-god https://sotiris.substack.com/p/demiurgical-responsibility https://sotiris.substack.com/p/what-is-the-meaning-of-existence **Meaninglessness** No matter how much you philosophise or make up religious fairy tales, you deep down *know* that you don’t know, that you *can’t* know, and that you never *will* know. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/philosophy-is-skepticism-and-doubt https://sotiris.substack.com/p/the-greatest-trick-the-devil-ever But here’s what you find at **the dead end of philosophy**, this holy quest for meaning: You find that there *is* no meaning — in anything — and you are thus free from the fear of death. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/death-rationalization-and-a-meaning Despite the nihilistic nature of this realisation, you still cling to your morals and principles, because they define you as an individual — but not due to the carrot and stick of a foreskin-obsessed demon-god with a fetish for child sacrifice. This is why people still keep — and even expand — their moral principles even after outgrowing their religion. They never needed the threats of a demon-god to be moral, and they didn’t even know it. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/why-developed-societies-stop-having https://sotiris.substack.com/p/on-morality-part-1 https://sotiris.substack.com/p/the-false-self-tribulation-part-2 https://sotiris.substack.com/p/the-emptiness-of-abrahamic-religions https://sotiris.substack.com/p/defining-abrahamism https://sotiris.substack.com/p/true-blasphemy Still, though, holding on to your identity is still playing the simulation’s game, still bound by its dictates, like a program. Perhaps it is unrealistic to expect free will — any independence from our biological programming — before we fully expire. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/free-will-revisited **Freedom** Freedom from our programmed fear of death is the unexpected realisation at the end of philosophy. You thought you were going to find meaning, but instead you discovered meaninglessness, this bittersweet elixir that **frees you from the chains of a constant fear of death and loss**. Yes, you still fear the *moment* of dying, the pain — who wouldn’t? But the idea that one day you won’t exist isn’t painful anymore — it’s liberating. Fast-approaching birthdays don’t feel bad anymore. You kind of look forward to the completion of this video game. You’re free. **Meaninglessness is freedom**. Meaninglessness makes you free; free from fear, free from shame. Your life’s humiliations meant nothing, the same as your achievements, which you can’t take with you. Guilt? Meaninglessness can’t free you from guilt, because **your morals do not require meaning — they grant it, or at least a sense of it**. But death *can* free you from guilt. And you don’t fear death anymore. So… https://sotiris.substack.com/p/the-self-fulfilling-prophecy-of-shaming Lastly, **tragic comedy** is a reward from your side quest in parallel to philosophy, which is what gives you comfort until your end. https://sotiris.substack.com/p/why-you-write The one joy you fear losing is **hilarious cynicism, laughing in the face of tragedy**. **Arc** You set out to find meaning. You found that there is none, at least not for you. You become depressed. You become cynical. But then you shed your need for meaning, reject your need to be. You appreciate the **subtle comedy in the tragedy of existence**. You laugh maniacally at the “powerful” of this world, those deluding themselves that they’re building anything long-lasting. You are empowered by the humility of coming to terms with non-existence. You are free from life. You are free from death.