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As far as the first point, I often tend to lean toward thinking this is a condition of intellectuals, and specifically a certain kind of intellectual who likes the idea of living in a world completely enclosed by some sort of totalizing idea where every element from top to bottom is explained and contained in unity – which is, of course, not the world we live in anymore! I think that’s the appeal of both traditional Catholicism and orthodox Marxism, at least for intellectuals.

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I agree! And it's fine to be haunted by life's meaninglessness and unknowability. Just feel like that's really a third-order problem in my life, right after, "What's for dinner?" and "Do I have time to take a nap?"

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Thank you for featuring my review in your notes! Your notes are some of my favorite on Substack. And I agree there's some similarities between Bartleby and On the Edge of Reason, though On the Edge of Reason, despite all its bitterness and rage, is more of an affirmation in the face of the absurd, whereas Bartleby is almost pure nihilism.

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