Homo malus. Zło jako zasada świata w myśli Emila Ciorana

Abstract

The article, referring to Emil Cioran’s thought, focuses on the philosophical analysis of the phenomenon of evil and the role it plays in human life. According to Cioran, a man does not incline to good, but as a slave of own individuality, wants to affirm his existence, thus human relationships are a chain of envy, hatred, resentment and revenge. Despite the fact that life in society founded on these feelings is unbearable, a man deliberately chooses the way of being based on them, as they are the only ones which add strength, drive his actions and the whole history. This, in turn, leads Cioran to the conclusion that only evil has substance and really exists, and its ubiquity and the role of the principle of movement indicate that the world could not be created by a good god, but an evil demiurge. Imperfection of a demiurge led him to create the world, which took over all his qualities. This is the bungled world, where everything gets destroyed, and in which everybody must cope with his destructibleness and passing on his own.