The Emptiness of the Machine: Nihilism and other abysses

by André Cancian

The exploration of the underground, of the taboo, of the humanity that we prefer to hide from The Emptiness of the Machine investigates some of the most uncomfortable topics brought to light by the emptiness of existence. Nothingness, absurdity, loneliness, suffering, suicide, hypocrisy are some of the main topics addressed throughout the work. We know how far we can go with our modern knowledge — it remains to finally employ it.

SUMMARY
PREFACE

ESSAYS
ON THE EMPTINESS OF EXISTENCE
NIHILISM
APPENDIX

ON REALITY AND KNOWLEDGE
RELATIVISM
FRIVOLITY
TRUTH
UNTRUTH

ON LIFE IN SOCIETY
SELFISHNESS
HYPOCRISY
MORALITY

ON THE HUMAN CONDITION
SUFFERING
PESSIMISM
SOLITUDE
BOREDOM

ON THE USELESSNESS OF EXISTING
SUICIDE
HAPPINESS
REPRODUCTION


:: REVIEWS
A thrilling plunge into the abyss of our existence.
— André Mestrinier

I would like to congratulate the author on the brilliance with which he has written the book.
The language used is easy to understand, which makes the book accessible to all those who are willing to know and face the cold reality that surrounds us.
It was my first contact with Nihilism and I think it couldn't have been more enlightening. With direct comments, without beating around the bush, the author presents us with a sensible way of looking at the world, without illusions.
I recommend it to everyone.
— Alexandre Kohls

One of the best books I've ever read! Certainly a milestone in my reflective path - a profound milestone in my life! The work is impressively clear and sensible. Always concerned to limit himself to affirming only what the facts allow us to affirm, overflowing with lucid and useful analogies (in the style of Dawkins, with Nietzschean ardor), Master Cancian leads us down a path on which it is almost always impossible to disagree. I was very impressed by the similarity between my reflections and Cancian's; proof that if we stick rationally to the facts (whoever they are, wherever they are), we will almost always reach the same conclusions. But, I must admit, the author has had the courage to go much further than I have been able to... so far! And I feel grateful to fate for having made it possible for me to read such a magnificent work as "The Emptiness of the Machine"!
— Hades Climene

I gave it five stars because the book is incredibly logical and rational. The author writes in a completely amoral way, deviating from all the prejudices of human subjectivity, making the reader reach an absurdly lucid view of existence and worldly things (and that can be a problem).
Like the author, I have no religion, I don't believe in gods or any other metaphysical belief, and that in itself is reason enough to lose sight of the meaning of life. However, even though I already have this mentality, I was extremely distressed by the avalanche of reality that this book unloaded on me. I thought about giving it 3 or 4 stars precisely for this reason, but it would be mediocrity to blame the author for telling the truth, because, as Lacan "Everyone reaches the truth they are able to bear".
In all honesty, I wouldn't recommend reading this book to people who are going through depression or something similar (like me).

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 4, 2024

About the author

André Cancian is 41 years old and lives in Catanduva, SP, Brazil. Graduated in languages by IMES-FAFICA, he works as a writer, translator, and coder.

He created, in mid-1999, the portals http://ateus.net and http://niilismo.net, and is still responsible for the selection, revision and publication of the materials of both sites. He contributes sporadically with texts of his own, but generally the focus is on translating texts of authors with pertinent themes.

He is the author of the books Atheism & Freedom, The Emptiness of the Machine and Atheism & Nihilism, written with inspiration in the material published at the ateus.net site.

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André Cancian tem 41 anos e mora em Catanduva, SP. Formado em letras pela IMES-FAFICA, trabalha como escritor, tradutor e programador.

Criou, em meados de 1999, os portais http://ateus.net e http://niilismo.net, e mantém-se até hoje responsável pela seleção, revisão e publicação dos materiais de ambos os sites. Contribui esporadicamente com textos de autoria própria, mas em geral colabora traduzindo textos de autores com temáticas pertinentes.

É autor dos livros Ateísmo & Liberdade, O Vazio da Máquina e Ateísmo & Niilismo, escritos com inspiração no material publicado no site ateus.net.