Suffering as Schadenfreude:
An Introduction to Vicarious Pleasure
December 8, 2022
Apprentice Stephen
1
“To behold suffering gives pleasure,
but to cause another to suffer affords an even greater pleasure.”
Genealogy of Morals
but to cause another to suffer affords an even greater pleasure.”
Genealogy of Morals
Nietzsche continues: “this is a hard maxim, but none the less a fundamental maxim, old, powerful, and "human, all-too-human"; one…” As always, there is a sense of self satisfaction when one references one’s work.
As Master has opined, any interpretation of a statement of Nietzsche that does not touch upon Christianity is incomplete, whereas any adequate discussion must include ecclesiastical history and the alleged writings of the Church Fathers.
In the context of Christianity, the one who beholds suffering and receives pleasure can only be Satan reigning in Hell, as he is popularly understood. Since this is a widespread opinion, it must be corrected. As historically taught, Hell or Hades consists of two sections: Gehenna, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth that foreshadows the eternal punishment of Tartarus, and Sheol, where the dead are in a state of joyless awareness until the resurrection.
The conception of Hell having two different sections foreshadows the existence of humanity after the Final Judgment: those enduring punishments and those who are not suffering. As this depiction contradicts the general perception of Hell, it almost assured that it is the correct view.
Of a truth I [the Lord, v.42] say unto you [his disciples, v.1], that he [his lord, v.42] will make him [the faithful steward, v.42] ruler over all that he hath. Luke 12:44
The lord of that servant [the faithless servant, v.45] will come... and will cut him in sunder…
Luke 12:46
And that servant which knew his lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Luke 12:47
But he that knew not [his lord’s will, v.47] and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. Luke 12:48
The Master describes four servants.
The faithful servant receives a portion of his reward from the slothful servant.
The faithless servant cut in half in the Gospel of Luke corresponds to the faithless servant who suffers loss in the Gospel of Matthew [24:51].
The third servant knows the Lord’s will, but did not act accordingly and will suffer “many stripes”.
Finally, the fourth servant does not know the Lord’s will and will be beaten with “few stripes”.
The Gospel of Luke demonstrates that there are four possible outcomes: one reward and three punishments. The results in descending order of severity: being rewarded; being cut in half, which we understand as death; enduring a heavy beating, and experiencing a light beating. These four fates can be assigned to either Gehenna or Tartarus. The faithful servant who will be resurrected at the Master’s coming will wait in Gehenna until he is rewarded, while the faithless servant and the ignorant servant will suffer in Tartarus until the Day of Wrath. Finally, the fate of the severed servant can only be understood as death, where he ultimately neither suffers nor is he rewarded. Therefore, humanity will partake of eternal life and exist either among the blessed or among the damned and, for those not among the living, eternal death.
Our interpretation that a portion of mankind will experience eternal death is consistent with the protestant Bible and with the “Libera Me” of the Roman Church, which follows the funeral mass: Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna…” [“Free me, Lord, from eternal death...”] The consistency of our viewpoint is further demonstrated by the fact that just as eternal bliss is the opposite of eternal suffering, so eternal life is the opposite of eternal death.
As Master has opined, any interpretation of a statement of Nietzsche that does not touch upon Christianity is incomplete, whereas any adequate discussion must include ecclesiastical history and the alleged writings of the Church Fathers.
In the context of Christianity, the one who beholds suffering and receives pleasure can only be Satan reigning in Hell, as he is popularly understood. Since this is a widespread opinion, it must be corrected. As historically taught, Hell or Hades consists of two sections: Gehenna, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth that foreshadows the eternal punishment of Tartarus, and Sheol, where the dead are in a state of joyless awareness until the resurrection.
The conception of Hell having two different sections foreshadows the existence of humanity after the Final Judgment: those enduring punishments and those who are not suffering. As this depiction contradicts the general perception of Hell, it almost assured that it is the correct view.
Of a truth I [the Lord, v.42] say unto you [his disciples, v.1], that he [his lord, v.42] will make him [the faithful steward, v.42] ruler over all that he hath. Luke 12:44
The lord of that servant [the faithless servant, v.45] will come... and will cut him in sunder…
Luke 12:46
And that servant which knew his lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. Luke 12:47
But he that knew not [his lord’s will, v.47] and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. Luke 12:48
The Master describes four servants.
The faithful servant receives a portion of his reward from the slothful servant.
The faithless servant cut in half in the Gospel of Luke corresponds to the faithless servant who suffers loss in the Gospel of Matthew [24:51].
The third servant knows the Lord’s will, but did not act accordingly and will suffer “many stripes”.
Finally, the fourth servant does not know the Lord’s will and will be beaten with “few stripes”.
The Gospel of Luke demonstrates that there are four possible outcomes: one reward and three punishments. The results in descending order of severity: being rewarded; being cut in half, which we understand as death; enduring a heavy beating, and experiencing a light beating. These four fates can be assigned to either Gehenna or Tartarus. The faithful servant who will be resurrected at the Master’s coming will wait in Gehenna until he is rewarded, while the faithless servant and the ignorant servant will suffer in Tartarus until the Day of Wrath. Finally, the fate of the severed servant can only be understood as death, where he ultimately neither suffers nor is he rewarded. Therefore, humanity will partake of eternal life and exist either among the blessed or among the damned and, for those not among the living, eternal death.
Our interpretation that a portion of mankind will experience eternal death is consistent with the protestant Bible and with the “Libera Me” of the Roman Church, which follows the funeral mass: Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna…” [“Free me, Lord, from eternal death...”] The consistency of our viewpoint is further demonstrated by the fact that just as eternal bliss is the opposite of eternal suffering, so eternal life is the opposite of eternal death.
2
“We were brave enough; we spared neither ourselves nor others…”
The Antichrist
The Antichrist
In the King James Bible version, Strong’s Number H7854 is translated as “Satan” on 19 occurrences and “adversary” on 7 occurrences. Strong’s Number H7854 is derived from Strong’s Number H7853 which is translated as “adversary” (5 times) and “resist” (once).
The serpent in the Garden of Eden is oftentimes interpreted as being Satan. The reader must consider the likelihood that the shining Cherub who covers the Eternal’s throne has the ability to change his appearance into a talking serpent with legs [Ezekiel 28:14; Genesis 3:14]. The serpent in the garden accuses the Lord God of lying and, topically speaking, the serpent is acting as an accuser or playing the role of adversary. Yet, to declare that the serpent is Satan does a disservice to the narrative that, on the surface, is nonsensical. The notion that Satan is the serpent changes the focus of the story. The lesson no longer concerns critical thinking in novel situations and our first parent’s attempts at reasoning, but changes into a baseless story regarding the evil machinations of the satanic serpent who tempts Eve to eat a fruit.
Of course, Eve only knows of the Lord God’s prohibition of eating of the tree from Adam, that is, her “knowledge” consists only of a second hand story, which may or may not be true. The second hand story remains unresolved from Eve’s perspective, as no method exists to determine the veracity of events previous to one’s experiences. The serpent asks Eve a question – “Has God said….” -that she cannot answer. She cannot honestly or truthfully answer the question, as she does not know what God has said to Adam. She does not know, not because the communication was privileged, but that it occurred before she came into being. Furthermore, Eve cannot know that God exists or if God as lawgiver is a creation of Adam’s imagination. Furthermore, even if God exists, then Eve’s ignorance remains, as she cannot know if the prohibition is from God or if Adam fabricated the commandment.
As always, no evidence is required for the serpent, or anyone, to make accusations, yet, when confronted with statements that contradict our opinions, one will do well to reason and to question one’s premises and this sensible course applies to all ages, even those who are a few hours old. In conclusion to this part, the serpent correctly accuses the Lord God of lying, as Adam did not die on the day he ate of the fruit [Genesis 2:17]. The third chapter confirms the truthfulness of the two remaining statements of the serpent that, firstly, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and, secondly, they will be like God, knowing good and evil [Genesis 3:7,22].
The serpent in the Garden of Eden is oftentimes interpreted as being Satan. The reader must consider the likelihood that the shining Cherub who covers the Eternal’s throne has the ability to change his appearance into a talking serpent with legs [Ezekiel 28:14; Genesis 3:14]. The serpent in the garden accuses the Lord God of lying and, topically speaking, the serpent is acting as an accuser or playing the role of adversary. Yet, to declare that the serpent is Satan does a disservice to the narrative that, on the surface, is nonsensical. The notion that Satan is the serpent changes the focus of the story. The lesson no longer concerns critical thinking in novel situations and our first parent’s attempts at reasoning, but changes into a baseless story regarding the evil machinations of the satanic serpent who tempts Eve to eat a fruit.
Of course, Eve only knows of the Lord God’s prohibition of eating of the tree from Adam, that is, her “knowledge” consists only of a second hand story, which may or may not be true. The second hand story remains unresolved from Eve’s perspective, as no method exists to determine the veracity of events previous to one’s experiences. The serpent asks Eve a question – “Has God said….” -that she cannot answer. She cannot honestly or truthfully answer the question, as she does not know what God has said to Adam. She does not know, not because the communication was privileged, but that it occurred before she came into being. Furthermore, Eve cannot know that God exists or if God as lawgiver is a creation of Adam’s imagination. Furthermore, even if God exists, then Eve’s ignorance remains, as she cannot know if the prohibition is from God or if Adam fabricated the commandment.
As always, no evidence is required for the serpent, or anyone, to make accusations, yet, when confronted with statements that contradict our opinions, one will do well to reason and to question one’s premises and this sensible course applies to all ages, even those who are a few hours old. In conclusion to this part, the serpent correctly accuses the Lord God of lying, as Adam did not die on the day he ate of the fruit [Genesis 2:17]. The third chapter confirms the truthfulness of the two remaining statements of the serpent that, firstly, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and, secondly, they will be like God, knowing good and evil [Genesis 3:7,22].
3
"Qui s’excuse, s’accuse."
French Proverb
French Proverb
From the Bible itself and without reliance upon extra-biblical traditions, there is no indication that Satan reigns supreme in Hell or if he only observes the alleged tortures, the vicarious enjoyment of suffering personified. Of course, there is no Biblical passage that unambiguously states that Satan has ever been to Hell, while in the book of Job, he dutifully presents himself in the court of God before accusing Job [Job 1:6, 2:1]. Therefore, we remain ignorant if Satan has been to Hell, but we know that he has been in the court of God on two recorded occasions. It should not be surprising that Satan, the accuser, seems to have unrestricted access to the presence of God.
Psychological projection is a defense mechanism people subconsciously employ in order to cope with difficult feelings or emotions. Psychological projection involves projecting undesirable feelings or emotions onto someone else, rather than admitting to or dealing with the unwanted feelings. [Vide]
We are now in a position to appreciate the connectedness among Nietzsche’s quote at the introduction, the saying that “The Devil made me do it.”, and the image of Satan ruling in Hell.
Since people enjoy inflicting pain upon others, it was only a matter of time before the cause of this guilty pleasure was assigned to the Devil. It is Satan who influences, if not outright controls, individuals to engage in condemnable behavior. As weak willed and sinful people succumb to the wiles of the Devil, the influence of the infernal kingdom increases daily. The widespread acceptance of the view that the Devil is accountable for people’s actions is an example of conventional wisdom. It is thought that normal people, if left to their own devices and their inherently good nature, would never harm others and, if they did, they would not receive any pleasure or satisfaction from such a grievous fault. Yet, as these normal individuals do, in fact, experience perverse pleasures, they must rationalize that they are the rare exception and, over the course of time, will eventually understand themselves as wicked, evil, and sinful creatures deserving of punishment in the present world and the future world.
Evangelical Christians have no qualms with their theology that directs most of humanity to Hell to be in torments for all time, as they were either born before the Redeemer, lived without the possibility of knowing him, or refuse to accept the contradictory premises and unsatisfactory apologetics. Of course, if another religion taught that these selfsame Evangelical Christians were unbelievers then, as the maxim states, “There would be Hell to pay.” Furthermore, as it is only Evangelical Christians that are adamant for this interpretation of their Bible, it can be said that a certain psychological type is attracted to this marginalized theological viewpoint, that is, they envision that they are persecuted for claiming to be Christians when, in fact, their worldview and opinions are openly rejected by the not easily convinced listener. The rebuttal by Evangelicals for maintaining their view of the “Good News” is that this position is dogma and is a clear teaching of Scripture. It is closer to the truth to suggest that their corrupt minds relish the thought of others being punished for not accepting this contemptuous view of their Scripture as an article of faith which is activity promoted by inferior intellects. The obsession with inflicting punishment upon myriads of unknown peoples that disagree with “fundamental Christian” opinions indicates, and is the most compelling evidence, that Evangelical Christians live shallow and unfulfilled lives.
Being a wordsmith of the highest order, if Nietzsche wished to convey to the reader that the pleasure received must be directly from the tormentor, without an intermediary, then he would have written, for example, “but to directly cause another to suffer affords….” From this presumption of clarity, we conclude that there are two distinct causes of suffering, direct and indirect. To be the direct and immediate cause of the suffering of anthoer is beyond the resolve and endurance of most people; as fear and cowardice prevail, preventing the individual from acting as they would like. Therefore, most people are reluctantly satisfied to be the indirect cause of suffering and this generally occurs in social circumstances, but also transpires in voting booths and, as a consequence, is frequently found in legislation. Of course, to be the indirect cause of suffering of others increases the reliance upon plausible deniability by the perpetrator and shields him from possible retribution which would, without irony, bring pleasure to the individual initially afflicted.
The widespread belief that Satan both inflicts torments and experiences enjoyment when his demonic minions do likewise tells us nothing concerning either Christian theology or demonology, nevertheless, this accepted view remains instructional. Firstly, we note that Satan’s reach is not limited to his kingdom in the nether region, as he plies his trade in the land of the living and, secondly, although it seems unfair that Satan's ability to inflict pain includes both worlds, it must be remembered he has access to the celestial court about the spheres where he engages in his true calling and his one true love, that of accuser.
Psychological projection is a defense mechanism people subconsciously employ in order to cope with difficult feelings or emotions. Psychological projection involves projecting undesirable feelings or emotions onto someone else, rather than admitting to or dealing with the unwanted feelings. [Vide]
We are now in a position to appreciate the connectedness among Nietzsche’s quote at the introduction, the saying that “The Devil made me do it.”, and the image of Satan ruling in Hell.
Since people enjoy inflicting pain upon others, it was only a matter of time before the cause of this guilty pleasure was assigned to the Devil. It is Satan who influences, if not outright controls, individuals to engage in condemnable behavior. As weak willed and sinful people succumb to the wiles of the Devil, the influence of the infernal kingdom increases daily. The widespread acceptance of the view that the Devil is accountable for people’s actions is an example of conventional wisdom. It is thought that normal people, if left to their own devices and their inherently good nature, would never harm others and, if they did, they would not receive any pleasure or satisfaction from such a grievous fault. Yet, as these normal individuals do, in fact, experience perverse pleasures, they must rationalize that they are the rare exception and, over the course of time, will eventually understand themselves as wicked, evil, and sinful creatures deserving of punishment in the present world and the future world.
Evangelical Christians have no qualms with their theology that directs most of humanity to Hell to be in torments for all time, as they were either born before the Redeemer, lived without the possibility of knowing him, or refuse to accept the contradictory premises and unsatisfactory apologetics. Of course, if another religion taught that these selfsame Evangelical Christians were unbelievers then, as the maxim states, “There would be Hell to pay.” Furthermore, as it is only Evangelical Christians that are adamant for this interpretation of their Bible, it can be said that a certain psychological type is attracted to this marginalized theological viewpoint, that is, they envision that they are persecuted for claiming to be Christians when, in fact, their worldview and opinions are openly rejected by the not easily convinced listener. The rebuttal by Evangelicals for maintaining their view of the “Good News” is that this position is dogma and is a clear teaching of Scripture. It is closer to the truth to suggest that their corrupt minds relish the thought of others being punished for not accepting this contemptuous view of their Scripture as an article of faith which is activity promoted by inferior intellects. The obsession with inflicting punishment upon myriads of unknown peoples that disagree with “fundamental Christian” opinions indicates, and is the most compelling evidence, that Evangelical Christians live shallow and unfulfilled lives.
Being a wordsmith of the highest order, if Nietzsche wished to convey to the reader that the pleasure received must be directly from the tormentor, without an intermediary, then he would have written, for example, “but to directly cause another to suffer affords….” From this presumption of clarity, we conclude that there are two distinct causes of suffering, direct and indirect. To be the direct and immediate cause of the suffering of anthoer is beyond the resolve and endurance of most people; as fear and cowardice prevail, preventing the individual from acting as they would like. Therefore, most people are reluctantly satisfied to be the indirect cause of suffering and this generally occurs in social circumstances, but also transpires in voting booths and, as a consequence, is frequently found in legislation. Of course, to be the indirect cause of suffering of others increases the reliance upon plausible deniability by the perpetrator and shields him from possible retribution which would, without irony, bring pleasure to the individual initially afflicted.
The widespread belief that Satan both inflicts torments and experiences enjoyment when his demonic minions do likewise tells us nothing concerning either Christian theology or demonology, nevertheless, this accepted view remains instructional. Firstly, we note that Satan’s reach is not limited to his kingdom in the nether region, as he plies his trade in the land of the living and, secondly, although it seems unfair that Satan's ability to inflict pain includes both worlds, it must be remembered he has access to the celestial court about the spheres where he engages in his true calling and his one true love, that of accuser.