The Philosophy of Monsters (Or, How to Cope with Reality)

(Directory on Fear: https://www.philosocom.com/post/on-fear-and-the-right-to-resist-it)

(Philosocom's Directory on Evil)

(Directory on Perception)

Intelligence itself is not scary when you understand what it is. -- Mr. Nathan Lasher

(Background music)

Introduction

I am disappointed.

My attempt to define what a "monster" is by examining dictionaries and media has failed to satisfy. It failed because I realized a disturbing truth: There is no universal definition.

This lack of distinct boundaries indicates that anything and anyone is capable of being a monster. It is not about biology; it is about capacity. As long as an entity can terrify, disturb, or be regarded as inhumane, it qualifies.

The Human Monster: Evil In Humanity

It is a mistake to view monsters solely as fictional abominations. Reality provides the most chilling examples.

Consider Adolf Hitler. Most of the world agrees he was a monster, given the industrial-scale horror he unleashed. Yet, the disturbing reality is that he was also a human. He was a vegetarian. He liked animals. He cared for his family. In person, he could appear polite.

I do not praise him. I use him to illustrate a terrifying point: Monsters are subjective. To the demographics he targeted, he was the devil. To his followers, or to animal rights activists of the time, he possessed "human" virtues. The capacity for monstrous acts does not exclude the capacity for personal kindness. That duality, and the fact it doesn't contradict itself like a paradox, is what makes the human monster so dangerous.

The Context of Fear: From Teddy Bears to Predators

Monsters exist in the wild just as they do in history.

A bear is often depicted as a cute, cuddly entity in our culture (Winnie the Pooh, Teddy Bears). We have sanitized the predator. But find that same bear in the wilderness when it is hungry, and the "cute" symbol vanishes, replaced by a monster capable of eating you alive.

Context dictates the monster.

• In the Zoo: It is entertainment.

  
  

• In the Wild: It is a threat.

  
  

This conditioning starts young. As children, we fear the monster under the bed or the shadow in the closet. I recall being terrified of shadowy figures in my own apartment, convinced they were waiting to assassinate me. The threat wasn't real, but the concept was enough to generate genuine terror.

The Myth of the Hero

To cope with these fears, humanity invented the Hero Archetype—the brave warrior who defeats the beast. Modern superhero movies are just recycled versions of these ancient myths.

However, this is a dangerous fantasy. The myth of the brave hero is a fallacious coping mechanism because, in the real world, you cannot defeat every monster. We do not possess the power to punch every problem into submission.

The Passive Monster: The Greedy Worm

It is a mistake to assume all monsters are aggressive. Some monsters are terrifying simply because they exist without perceived purpose; their existence defies reason, which makes them monsters because they are disturbing.

In the game Silent Hill 4, there is a creature called the Greedy Worm.

• It is a giant worm that hangs inside walls.

  
  

• It does not attack you.

  
  

• It is invincible; you cannot kill it.

  
  

• It has no known reason to exist.

  
  

You can read the lore, but even the information is vague. It just is. This creature represents a specific type of horror: The Horror of the Unknown. It is a monster not because it hurts you, but because its mere presence violates your understanding of reality. It disturbs you simply by occupying space.

Cockroaches function similarly in the real world. They are generally harmless to your immediate health, yet their presence induces panic. They are "monsters" of disgust, not danger.

Therefore, monsters are not only subjective, but are a matter of perception.

The Beautiful Monster

Yet, monsters are not always ugly. The Vampire archetype—popularized in the Goth and Emo subcultures of the 2000s—presents a monster that is elegant, cultured, and beautiful.

If not for their thirst for blood, they would be the ideal aristocrats. They represent the monster that seduces rather than repels. They prove that "monstrous" is an internal trait (the need to consume life), not necessarily an external one.

Vampires as an example, goes to show how anyone can be a monster, as long as there is an internal drive for it. Monsters like Hitler can walk amongst us; some, like Vampires, can be beautiful.

It just goes to show how there is no universal definition of a monster, and how subjective the trait of monstrosity is.

Conclusion: Enduring the Undefeatable

What is the purpose of monsters? Monsters represent everything we fear, everything that disturbs our peaceful order, and everything that feels "eerie." Ideologies like Nazism are abstract monsters; the Greedy Worm is a surreal monster.

However, since the "Hero Myth" is false—since we cannot kill every monster—we are left with a more realistic choice.

We must acknowledge that reality is not ideal. It is flawed. It is scary. And that is okay.

Maybe the wisest choice is not to fight the invincible worm, but to learn to live in the same house with it. Or, alternatively, to build your own strength—your own Fortress—so that even if the monsters are real, they no longer have the power to disturb your peace.

Since monsters are a subjective and context-specific cases, much of the threat they pose is dependent on our perception of them, and our ability to surpass our fear of them.