Nikolay Bierdiajew as an inspiration for philosophical thinking about the hell

Abstract

In the discussion concerning the understanding of what hell is, the opinion of the Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev is very important. He is strongly opposed to the attempts to rationalize the problem saying that, sooner or later, they breed fear and anxiety. Hell is pure subjectivity, the inability to go beyond the circle of our spirit’s constant torment. Therefore, hell is not related to objectivity. Rather, it is a total confinement, a state of helplessness. It is being imprisoned in time, which has no end, a dream, from which it is impossible to wake up. Thus, it is not the result of God’s decision, a punishment for committed sins. On the contrary, it is the result of choice, being in favor of your own loneliness. Ultimately, it will remain only a creation of our rationalization. Therefore, we must have hope (which perhaps will be false) that hell does not exist.