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Why is there so much thought put towards the end of the world? There are many ancient religious stories and many modern disaster movies alike that talk about a cataclysm that ends life on earth, and maybe even the universe itself. The most recent entry in this genre is Don't Look Up which is generating a lot of buzz. But really there are so many stories about the end of the world it would be too much to list them.
Why do people fixate on the end of the world so much? What is psychologically gratifying about this topic?
Scientifically we can estimate when the sun will supernova and consume the earth. We can also estimate when the starlight phase of the universe will end, the end of life everywhere. There's a lot that could happen between now and then, which leaves room for some creative storytelling.
I remember an article in Aeon magazine about a theory that western eschatology really became a thing when a certain king decided to not reset the calendar when he assumed power. Before that the calendar would be reset with every new king, so that keeping time would be "in the fourth year of so-and-so's reign". This new king however decided to keep the old calendar, a practice that continued after that king's death. Conceptually this spread the notion of infinite time. However beginnings seemingly always have endings, so people began to dream up stories about the end of time.
That's one theory about when apocalyptic thinking started. There are lots of questions about why apocalyptic thinking is a topic of fascination for so many people.
It begins with the human comprehension of our own mortality. The rest is projection of that to the world and the universe.
That is, as you said, the start of it.
What I find more fascinating is the universalizing of one's death. It's like, if I can't last forever, nothing can last forever. Which is strictly true but is kind of screwed up when people seem to want to hasten or yearn for the end of the world.
That's a selfish response. It's like solipsism run amok.
OP, I think the answer is simple. Doom and cataclysm were used by the early church to scare people into behaving themselves. That's why it tends to come from the religious side of society. The idea is, that you never know when your life may be cut short, so you should dedicate whatever time you have (there's no way to know that) to earning your way into Heaven.
Well, for one, it's interesting and fascinating to think about our mortality and survival. From the POV of the storyteller, it presents a conflict in which a narrative can be strung around and characters can be attached to. At the root of every good story is a conflict. I think it provides a vehicle to discuss humanity and morality; i.e. what it means to be a decent human being and what it means to not be. Depending on the storyteller's own biases, it may also serve as an opportunity to trigger mindfulness about a subject such as the dangers surrounding the spread of misinformation (Don't Look Up) or climate change (The Day After Tomorrow).
OP, I think the answer is simple. Doom and cataclysm were used by the early church to scare people into behaving themselves. That's why it tends to come from the religious side of society. The idea is, that you never know when your life may be cut short, so you should dedicate whatever time you have (there's no way to know that) to earning your way into Heaven.
The article I linked predates the start of apocalyptic writing in the west before Christianity. The Book of Daniel, etc. In any case, I don't think this is just a meme that gained traction and continues to have mindshare. I think it speaks to a very base urge we have as individuals. I'm sure people have thought about the end of the world for a very long time, it's just that the scope of "the world" was more limited. Your village gets massacred is the end of your world for example. Indeed, a lot of the apocalyptic stories we get now are post-Christian and environmental in nature, like Don't Look Up.
Well, for one, it's interesting and fascinating to think about our mortality and survival. From the POV of the storyteller, it presents a conflict in which a narrative can be strung around and characters can be attached to. At the root of every good story is a conflict. I think it provides a vehicle to discuss humanity and morality; i.e. what it means to be a decent human being and what it means to not be. Depending on the storyteller's own biases, it may also serve as an opportunity to trigger mindfulness about a subject such as the dangers surrounding the spread of misinformation (Don't Look Up) or climate change (The Day After Tomorrow).
Morality plays a big part in the stories, for sure. But let's just keep in mind that the actual end of the world has nothing to do with our behavior.
Ending the world because of bad behavior seems overkill. Why do we yearn for such a disproportionate response?
Morality plays a big part in the stories, for sure. But let's just keep in mind that the actual end of the world has nothing to do with our behavior.
Ending the world because of bad behavior seems overkill. Why do we yearn for such a disproportionate response?
Well, for one, I didn't say these disproportionate outcomes had to do with our behavior. There could be other reasons the world ends, such as a super volcanic explosion that wipes off several continents and the ash dust creates noxious gases. I did, however, say that when conflict is presented, people often take sides, which draws into question their morality. Some people in these stories are altruistic, while others are extremely selfish. I suppose, depending on the psychological state of the individual reading or viewing the story, their definitions of good and evil will vary. While many will view the altruistic characters as good, some may certainly view the selfish characters as doing the right thing for their own survival.
With that said, I disagree with your assertion that the end of the world has nothing to do with our behavior. We can certainly do a lot of things to our planet that can lead to the demise of its resources and usefulness to survive.
The eternal dread of the end of things. No matter who we are and our status in life the specter of the universal Grim Reaper following behind us in the shadows is a reality no one can avoid.
Why is there so much thought put towards the end of the world? There are many ancient religious stories and many modern disaster movies alike that talk about a cataclysm that ends life on earth, and maybe even the universe itself. The most recent entry in this genre is Don't Look Up which is generating a lot of buzz. But really there are so many stories about the end of the world it would be too much to list them.
Why do people fixate on the end of the world so much? What is psychologically gratifying about this topic?
Scientifically we can estimate when the sun will supernova and consume the earth. We can also estimate when the starlight phase of the universe will end, the end of life everywhere. There's a lot that could happen between now and then, which leaves room for some creative storytelling.
I remember an article in Aeon magazine about a theory that western eschatology really became a thing when a certain king decided to not reset the calendar when he assumed power. Before that the calendar would be reset with every new king, so that keeping time would be "in the fourth year of so-and-so's reign". This new king however decided to keep the old calendar, a practice that continued after that king's death. Conceptually this spread the notion of infinite time. However beginnings seemingly always have endings, so people began to dream up stories about the end of time.
That's one theory about when apocalyptic thinking started. There are lots of questions about why apocalyptic thinking is a topic of fascination for so many people.
No, sorry. The end of the world -- the Apocalypse -- has been foretold in the Bible and has been a major part of the Judeo-Christian beliefs. The idea did not originate with "a certain king." The mechanics of how this will happen differ among the various religions and of different branches of those religions, but in general it is agreed that a cataclysmic event will happen that will bring the world as we know it to a totally different plane. Nobody knows the exact details, of course. What to do about it, how to prepare, is again different among the religions, but repentance and doing good deeds are typically suggested.
This religious perspective is different from that of the "preppers," who expect to witness "the end of the world as we know it." The preppers posit that some unknowable peril will lead to a breakdown of the society, and every person would have to survive on their own. It's not difficult to imagine what those perils would be: A deadly virus (incomparably worse than Covid), an EMP that throws us back into the stone age, a meteor strike, a nuclear war, etc., etc. These survivalists live and breathe "the end of the world as we know it" on a practical level, but they also seek some justification for their actions in the religious traditions.
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