Not to be confused with the movements known as Cosmism.
Cosmicism is the literary philosophy developed and used by the American writer H. P. Lovecraft
in his weird fiction. Lovecraft was a writer of philosophically intense horror stories
that involve occult phenomena like astral possession and alien miscegenation, and the
themes of his fiction over time contributed to the development of this philosophy.
Principles of cosmicism The philosophy of cosmicism states that there
is no recognizable divine presence, such as a god, in the universe, and that humans are
particularly insignificant in the larger scheme of intergalactic existence, and perhaps are
just a small species projecting their own mental idolatries onto the vast cosmos, ever
susceptible to being wiped from existence at any moment. This also suggested that the
majority of undiscerning humanity are creatures with the same significance as insects and
plants, who, in their small, visionless and unimportant nature, do not recognize a much
greater struggle between greater forces. Perhaps the most prominent theme in cosmicism
is the utter insignificance of humanity. Lovecraft believed that "the human race will disappear.
Other races will appear and disappear in turn. The sky will become icy and void, pierced
by the feeble light of half-dead stars. Which will also disappear. Everything will disappear.
And what human beings do is just as free of sense as the free motion of elementary particles.
Good, evil, morality, feelings? Pure 'Victorian fictions'. Only egotism exists." Cosmicism
shares many characteristics with nihilism, though one important difference is that cosmicism
tends to emphasize the inconsequentiality of humanity and its doings, rather than summarily
rejecting the possible existence of some higher purpose. For example, in Lovecraft's Cthulhu
stories, it is not so much the absence of meaning that causes terror for the protagonists
as it is their discovery that they have absolutely no power to effect any change in the vast,
indifferent, and ultimately incomprehensible universe that surrounds them. Whatever meaning
or purpose may or may not be invested in the actions of the cosmic beings in Lovecraft's
stories is completely inaccessible to the human characters, in the way an amoeba is
completely unequipped to grasp the concepts that drive human behavior.
Lovecraft's cosmicism was a result of his complete disdain for all things religious,
his feeling of humanity's existential helplessness in the face of what he called the "infinite
spaces" opened up by scientific thought, and his belief that humanity was fundamentally
at the mercy of the vastness and emptiness of the cosmos. In his fictional works, these
ideas are often explored humorously, through fantastic dreamlike narratives, or through
his well-known Cthulhu Mythos. Common themes related to cosmicism in Lovecraft's fiction
are the insignificance of humanity in the universe and the search for knowledge ending
in disaster. "Cosmic indifference"
Though cosmicism appears deeply pessimistic, H.P. Lovecraft thought of himself as neither
a pessimist nor an optimist but rather an "indifferentist," a theme expressed in his
fiction. In Lovecraft's work, human beings are often subject to powerful beings and other
cosmic forces, but these forces are not so much malevolent as they are indifferent toward
humanity. This indifference is an important theme in cosmicism. The noted Lovecraft scholar
S. T. Joshi points out that "Lovecraft constantly engaged in genial debates on religion with
several colleagues, notably the pious writer and teacher Maurice W. Moe. Lovecraft made
no bones about being a strong and antireligious atheist; he considered religion not merely
false but dangerous to social and political progress." As such, Lovecraft's cosmicism
is not religious at all, but rather a version of his mechanistic materialism." Lovecraft
thus embraced a philosophy of cosmic indifferentism. He believed in a meaningless, mechanical,
and uncaring universe that human beings, with their naturally limited faculties, could never
fully understand. His viewpoint made no allowance for religious beliefs which could not be supported
scientifically. The incomprehensible, cosmic forces of his tales have as little regard
for humanity as humans have for insects. Though personally irreligious, Lovecraft used
various "gods" in his stories, particularly the Cthulhu related tales, to expound cosmicism.
However, Lovecraft never conceived of them as supernatural; they are merely extraterrestrials
who understand and obey a set of natural laws, which to the limited human understanding seem
magical. These beings—though dangerous to humankind—are neither good nor evil, and
human notions of morality have no meaning for these beings. Indeed, they exist in cosmic
realms beyond human understanding. As a symbol, they represent the kind of universe that Lovecraft
believed in, a universe in which humanity is an insignificant blot, fated to come and
go, its appearance unnoticed and its passing unmourned.
See also Apathetic Agnosticism
Existential nihilism Existentialism
Fatalism Nihilism
Pessimism Notes
References Joshi, S. T.. "Introduction". The Annotated
H. P. Lovecraft. New York, NY: Dell. ISBN 0-440-50660-3. Houellebecq, Michel. H. P. Lovecraft: Against
the World, Against Life. Brooklyn, NY: McSweeny. ISBN 1-932416-18-8.
Fossemò, Sandro D.. Cosmic Terror from Poe to Lovecraft. Italy.