The meaning of life is to consume?
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- Опубликовано: 21 окт 2024
- Join Luke Zaphir on a thought-provoking journey through Elden Ring's world as he explores the theme of consumption and its relationship to finding meaning. In this video, Luke takes a critical approach to the game's portrayal of consumption, examining its pitfalls and ethical implications. He delves into the character of the Three Fingers and the Frenzied Flame ending, questioning the game's assumption that indulging in consumption will ultimately lead to fulfillment. Through a deep analysis of the game's narrative and symbolism, Luke invites viewers to consider the true cost of consumption, and to reflect on the nature of desire and its relationship to the search for meaning. Don't miss this insightful and challenging examination of Elden Ring's exploration of consumption and its role in our lives.
#philosophy #eldenring #existentialism
Admittedly, I didn’t put together that Rykard and FF have the same ideology, and now I feel a bit foolish.
I would also like to point out, however, that the other gods follow this ideology of consumption as well.
Formless mother is easy, it’s literally using Miquella (the embodiment of life, this world’s Baldr) and consuming his blood to fuel its dynasty.
While the rot is less explicit, it’s constantly described as some form of life, either the blossom of a flower or writhing inside of you, like a tapeworm. It consumes life indiscriminately to form its own melded abominations. And notably, especially in Caelid, the monsters it forms are always feeding on corpses, just like Radahn.
Howling at the sky.
The outer gods are above all else, hedonisms. Blood, decay, and for the Dragonlord, preservation.
Anyways, can’t wait for best girl.
I do want to point out that I could be wrong. I connected Rykard to the Frenzied Flame but because of Elden Ring's deliberate obfuscation in its lore, I could be mistaken. Don't feel foolish :)
I think you're right about many of them being consumptive as well - it's just that the Three Fingers best fit this description. Or fit it more than the others. But great pick up.
Got the pleasure of meeting you irl at some philosophy camp my school was holding. You said your channel and honestly these videos are really cool I like seeing more dives into the philosophy and ideas behind games. Keep it up.
With any lucky my videos remain entertaining and maybe there can be more teaching at uni in a year or two IRL :)
The assertion that the frenzied flame is selfish is just plain wrong. Goldmask himself who is the most unbiased and knowledgeable about the Golden Order and by extension the world of The Lands Between itself knows that it is inherently flawed. It is directly stated by Hyetta when consumed by the FF that the Greater Will made a mistake when ordering the universe. Undoing a mistake that continues to cause literally immeasurable suffering, pain, and horror beyond death is the opposite of selfishness. Burning all reality away into primal elements to start over once again IS brutal, it will end everyone and everything good and evil alike; but it will also relieve the inescapable pain TLB is steeped in. There are other methods obviously: Goldmask, Ranni, ect. But all of the other endings preserve parts of the old world and by consequence the flaws that come with them. The FF ending is the ONLY one where none of the evils from the previous eras survive. Though entirely mad and singularly focused, the objective of the FF is nothing more than the subtraction of suffering others endure and while I only speak for myself I can't in good conscience call that selfish.
Attempting to draw comparisons between the FF and capitalism is entirely superficial, attempting to dig any deeper than surface level disregards much of the world's interconnected lore.
I gotta disagree. I think the FF justification to return all to One due to the presence of suffering is just that--a justification. I think even if we take the 3 fingers/Hyetta at their word, it still ignores and tramples on the desire for life to persist despite suffering. The game makes Melina the spokesperson for this point of view, which I'd go even further to say is the majority view of the residents of TLB. Everyone we meet has goals, ambitions and desires, even if misguided. None of those desires are compatible with the FF ending (perhaps save for Volcano Manor, and even then, at least Rykard would be the last being left alive). FF is the ultimate selfishness.
Not to beat a dead horse, but you can also look at the representative of the FF, Shabriri. For all their proclamations of chivalry and noble intentions (Mountain Top of Giants), he's ultimately manipulating you so that you'll embrace chaos. He lied about the Great Caravan and consequently inflicted immeasurable suffering on the merchants. And for what? To embrace his own view of what's preferable, at the cost of everyone else. I used to think the item descriptions were too harsh on Shabriri, especially when compared to the colonial crap and miscellaneous atrocities the Golden Order (and others) have pulled, but the more I think about his story, the more I start to appreciate why Shabriri is called "the most reviled man in all history."
I'm not sure about the vid's capitalism angle, but I did want to share my thoughts on the FF point.
Thanks for the sincere response - I appreciate the commentary, both in terms of the points of agreement and disagreement.