Quote by Albert Camus
The reasoning is classic in its clarity. If God does not exist, Kirilov is god. If God does not exist, Kirilov must kill himself. Kirilov must therefore kill himself to become god. That logic is absurd, but it is what is needed.
Summary
This quote, attributed to the character Kirilov from Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "The Possessed," highlights a paradoxical belief. Kirilov argues that if God does not exist, he himself becomes god. In order to achieve this god-like status, he believes he must kill himself. The quote emphasizes the absurdity of Kirilov's reasoning, suggesting that it is a desperate attempt to reconcile the absence of a higher power with a need for personal meaning and divine purpose. Dostoevsky explores complex philosophical and existential themes through this character's extreme conclusions.
By Albert Camus
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