The End of the World · Chapter
Some Time explained
This chapter explores the modern belief that the end of the world is far off, examining the five main foundations of this optimism: sheer optimism of the privileged, faith in human destiny, new theories of time, probabilistic assessment of
What happens
This chapter explores the modern belief that the end of the world is far off, examining the five main foundations of this optimism: sheer optimism of the privileged, faith in human destiny, new theories of time, probabilistic assessment of doomsday scenarios, and the vast timescales of cosmic and geological history. It contrasts this distant, scientific view with older apocalyptic signs and the psychological effects of postponement.
Themes in this chapter
Optimism vs. Pessimism
The chapter dissects the modern optimism that the end is far off, linking it to social privilege and contrasting it with the darker view of the world's victims.
Time and Eternity
Explores how new theories of time (Weyl, Bergson, Einstein) have pushed back the boundaries of time and increased the world's perceived respite.
Eschatology and Prophecy
Examines both traditional apocalyptic signs (Elijah, Enoch, Rome's fall) and modern scientific predictions of the end, weighing their likelihood and timing.
Science vs. Religion
Contrasts the authority of astronomers and physicists with older religious prophecy, noting the shifting prestige between scientific and spiritual explanations.
Characters to notice
- Elijah
Mentioned as one of the two men who have lived but not died, whose reappearance would be a sign of the end.
- Enoch
Mentioned as the other man who did not die, father of Methuselah, whose return would signal the end.
- Marcus Aurelius
Referenced in a Roman belief that when his statue turns golden again, the sun will turn black.
- Chronos
Mentioned in the context of new theories of time and as a figure whose scythe is swerved by modern physicists.
- Ussher
Referenced for his brief chronology of the world's age, contrasted with modern vast estimates.
- Paracelsus
Mentioned for his insight that all stones are philosopher's stones, in the context of radioactive decay.
Key passages
“Distance lends enchantment. The Delectable Mountains are ahead. We shall become supermen, then gods. There is time for anything, everything.”
The far-off end makes the future seem appealing; we believe we have unlimited time to evolve into superhumans or gods.
Highlights the optimistic illusion created by a distant doomsday.
“Time for everything means time for nothing. Dwell careless. Eat, drink and be merry. You’ve till the year one billion ere you die.”
Believing there is time for everything leads to inaction and hedonism, since the end is billions of years away.
Critique of the complacency bred by a far-off eschaton.
“When fear rises self-love rises with it, and Love goes under. In hearts stripped naked by terror, the beast will hack through and triumph forth.”
Fear amplifies selfishness and suppresses love, causing people to turn brutal as they face death.
Describes the moral regression that fear of the end would trigger.
“Long life for the world is predicted by a small and special class who find its life worth prolonging.”
The prediction of a distant end comes from a privileged minority who benefit from the world's continuation.
Critique of the social bias behind optimistic eschatology.
“With Millerists and Millenarists one wrong is all wrong; with geologists a million years out is no error; with astronomers a hundred million margin is sheer finicky precision.”
Unlike precise biblical prophecy, modern science allows for vast margins of error, making its predictions harder to disprove.
Contrasts the rigidity of older prophecy with the flexibility of scientific timelines.
