Dilogy of the Tragic


The Dilogy of the Tragic is a unified study of the tragic as a philosophical problem within the tradition of philosophical pessimism, enriched by a process-ontological approach. This synthesis renders the project the first systematic work in the field of processual pessimism. The inquiry is divided into two interconnected yet methodologically distinct parts: while the first volume examines the human dimension, the second transcends the human to unveil a cosmic pessimism.

The first book, The Experience of the Tragic, focuses on human suffering and the limits of rational understanding. Through a dialogue between two philosophers—Professors N. and P.—it analyzes the defense mechanisms of consciousness, as well as how social practices and intellectual traditions mask or structure the experience of the tragic. The author deliberately introduces two opposing viewpoints and leaves the problematic questions open.

The second book, Processual Pessimism. On the Nature of Cosmic Suffering and Human Nothingness, reorients the analysis from an anthropocentric to a process-ontological level. Reality is interpreted as an aggregate of processes conducive to entropy, and the tragic is revealed as an integral part of the Universe. The thesis of cosmic nihilism is debunked by cosmic pessimism, which lays bare the tragic fate of all things in the cosmos. "Everything in the Universe exists for but one purpose—to accelerate entropy toward the end of the Universe's life," states the author. From this conclusion stems the author's ethical position—sentiocentric antinatalism—which is also examined in detail from unexpected angles. The dilogy's culmination presents the author's definitive stance; the inquiry concludes by systematically answering the questions posed in the first part, shifting the discourse from describing human reactions to drawing conclusions about permissible interventions and responsibility. The conclusion of the book addresses questions of promortalism and EFILism. The finale of the dilogy assumes the character of ultimate speculative reflection, calling into question the very foundation of all suffering and awareness: "If consciousness does not exist, then what does, and is there anything at all?"

The dilogy traverses a path from the phenomenology of human pain—through the ontology of cosmic suffering—to ethical conclusions and a metaphysical impasse, offering a rigorously consistent and unsettlingly holistic view on the place of life and reason within the destructive processuality of being.

The Dilogy of the Tragic:
The Experience of the Tragic
Vladislav Pedder, 2025

The Experience of the Tragic — the first part of the dilogy The Tragic. This foundational work investigates the core tragedy of the human condition through a rigorous re-examination of Norwegian philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe’s ideas. It achieves this by introducing two pivotal concepts: discriminating experience as an ontological foundation of reality, and liminal acceptance as a mode of coexisting with the existential boundaries of reason. Which path offers a more authentic way to be: the sharp clarity of discrimination or the transformative peace of acceptance at the limit?

ISBN: 978-5-0067-4550-6 (Digital version in English)

ISBN: 978-5-9216-2481-8 (The printed version, Totenburg)

Read the introductory section

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

"Existential fears are a cultural construct that appears when the mind has the time and opportunity to engage in self—reflection. But if this is the case, then existential horror itself is not something fundamental, but only one of the possible interpretations of existence created by man."
"Reaching its extreme limit, this logic turns into a kind of nihilistic paradox: if any meaningful existence is just a defense against the horror of being, then even awareness of the absurd and its radical acceptance is also a form of protection. To accept the absurd is to give structure to chaos, to tame it and thereby avoid a clash with its true, unbridled nature."
"It is precisely in this inextricable connection of experience with death and suffering that the true tragedy lies: our life turns out not to be a celebration of existence, but a funeral procession in which every cell and every organism enters into a dialogue with death, only to support the next wave of experiences."
A review of the book "The Tragic Experience" and an interview for DARKER magazine. No. 8 August 2025
Paper version

Опыт трагического (The Experience of the Tragic)

ISBN: 978-5-9216-2481-8
Release date: September 2, 2025
Publishing house "Totenburg"
322 pp.
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