Nihilistic Nonsense Refuted

This is my first post on this blog. I wish to thank CBD for giving  me the opportunity to post regularly on this blog. The invitation was given some time ago, I’m just sorry I haven’t taken the opportunity until now.

Mrs. Muse and I have been watching the TV series Fargo, which is kind-of, sort-of loosely based on the movie of the same name. Season 1 was quite good, but Season 2 seemed to lose its way a bit. I thought the story got kind of lost in the excessive violence and the characters weren’t as compelling, but I’m hoping Season 3 will be better.

But I did like this one particular scene, from late in the season. It’s a great demonstration how bad philosophy can be defeated by good old-fashioned common sense.

The scene:

BETSY, who is fighting a losing battle against breast cancer, is in bed after collapsing from a drug reaction the night before, and lying next to her is her sleeping daughter, while her babysitter, teenaged  NOREEN looks on.

NOREEN:     So – is it – do you feel it?

BETSY:        Feel what?

NOREEN:     My aunt lost her bosom to cancer — said it felt like somebody took a hot poker and put it through her heart.

BETSY:        No. Not like that. Not yet. You know how sometimes you get a peach from the bowl, and one side is ripe and yellow, and the other is black and moldy? That’s the only way I can think to describe it.

NOREEN:     Camus says knowing we’re going to die makes life absurd.

BETSY:        Well, I don’t know why that is – but I’m guessing he doesn’t have a 6-year-old girl.

NOREEN:     He’s French.

BETSY:        Ugh, I don’t care if he’s from Mars, nobody with any sense would say something that foolish.

(NOREEN looks abashed)

BETSY:        We’re put on this earth to do a job, and each of us gets the time we get to do it. And when this life is over, and you stand in front of the Lord, well, you try telling Him it was all some Frenchman’s joke.

3 comments to “Nihilistic Nonsense Refuted”
  1. I like it! I think her response was just as good if she’d stopped at, “…but I’m guessing he doesn’t have a 6 year old girl.”

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