As the Robots take over the world in Karel Čapek’s R.U.R, so the Absolute, that is, the God of Spinoza, the God imminent in all of nature, escapes and explodes from entrapment in gross material form by means of a newfangled invention, the Karburator, to take over the minds of all the humans on the face of the earth.
Where will this God-infused human experience lead? As a way of answering this question, below are a number of the novel’s philosophical moments. And please keep in mind Karel Čapek’s stance of acceptance and pluralism, a recognition that each person has their own version of the truth, however slight that truth might be, and no one person possesses, however air-tight their logic might appear, access to the whole truth.
The owner of a kid’s merry-go-round, a man by the name of Jan Binder, is overtaken by the effects of the Kaburator and founds his own mystical sect. I have a strong sense the author was thinking of another Jan, Czech mystic Jan Hus who rebelled against the Church one hundred years prior to Martin Luther and was subsequently burned at the stake for heresy.
There’s also a Mr. Rejeck, whose beliefs and revelations echo 14th century Flemish mystic Jan van Ruusbroec. All in all, Karel Čapek doesn’t overlook many opportunities to portray the dire consequences of people and society lacking a grounding in mutual respect and tolerance.
All varieties of religious phenomenon bursts out: illumination, miracles, levitations, and above all, religious faith. As history has proven, especially during those times of strong religious belief such as the Protestant Reformation in Europe during the 16th century, bloodshed is all too common. But, since this novel takes place in the 20th century, religious belief is linked in subtle and not so subtle ways to Fascism and Communism. At one point, one of the main characters refers to “mystical Communism.”
In one chapter, a scholar links the Karburator’s influence to various religious phenomenon throughout history: animism, shamanism, the 16th century Anabaptists, superstition, witchcraft, occultism, mysticism and necromancy, the medieval Flagellants, the Crusaders and Millenarians. Thus, devastating violence is inevitable since it is one thing to have your own religious experience but when you try to force your beliefs on others – watch out! Put another way, if everybody is certain they have exclusive access to the absolute truth . . . well, is it any wonder this Karel Čapek features world-wide war.
This short sci fi novel is a lively read and one I highly recommend.
Czech author Karel Čapek, 1890 - 1938
“Everyone has the best of feelings towards mankind in general, but not towards the individual man. We'll kill men, but we want to save mankind. And that isn't right, your Reverence. The world will be an evil place as long as people don't believe in other people.”
― Karel Čapek, The Absolute at Large
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