Frieren Beyond Journey’s End is one of the leading contenders to become the anime of the season. While a simple tale of an Elf understanding her relations and connections to the world and her peers, it has a very unique take on executing it. It also includes countless philosophical stances, and one of them is Voltaire’s understanding of God.
In this article, I will be breaking down how Voltaire’s stance on God has played a significant role in shaping the foundations of certain characters and the world in itself. If you like how we break down the world of anime and explore its intricacies, be sure to subscribe to Spiel Anime’s Newsletter, where we cover more of such topics twice a week!
What did Voltaire think of God?
Voltaire was an 18th century French Philosopher who proposed the following statement, “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him.” What he meant by this is not that we humans must rise up to the position and become God, but instead that if the figure of God is absent, we must create a figure or an icon that one could look up to as God.
- The idea is that in the possibility that God surely does not exist, we must create a figure that would resemble God in which we could put our faith, despite the understanding that this figure could not commit to the miracles that we ascribe to Him.
- A figure of God mandates that one must be good to himself and to others to receive the favor of His Holiness, to know that such a figure does not exist or is absent in his position, will unravel chaos in human civilizations.
There would be no order, for humans are good only for the fact that there is retribution after death that awaits them, and what they have done in their life is directly proportionate to what they receive after the end. With no such system in place, there would also be no authority to keep checks on us, and we would be just wild creatures left unruled.
This is why Voltaire asserts that there is a need for a figure of God, one in which we put our faith, one that would reward us for our deeds, one that allows us to have hope for the future, and one that makes us good.
How is this prevalent in Frieren Beyond Journey’s End?
References to Voltaire’s philosophy have been prevalent throughout the show in many shapes and forms, but are primarily seen in two characters. This becomes clear and evident with the recent Episode 11 when we are introduced to Kraft the Monk and are shown a little memory of Heiter the Priest.
The philosophy is asserted in a different way, one that aligns with the universe of the story.
- What both Kraft and Heiter believe in is that if there is no one who would be there to praise and witness what you do, you would have no desire to be good. As such, the Creation Goddess is what acts as a figure that keeps others in check.
- Both of them believed that if one is left alone then one would gradually lose all meaning in one’s action. For such an individual, there would be no merit in doing good and no merit in doing bad.
- Such a life was a nightmare for them and would be for anyone who is experiencing it. This is why they started believing in God, because that alone gives them meaning and gives them a reason to be good.
This is seen in Frieren as well, a different form of the philosophy. She believes that there is a Heaven where she would be able to meet Himmel again. That is the meaning of her journey and that alone gives her strength to persevere and continue. This is similar to Kraft’s and Heiter’s idea of God and is in line with what Voltaire imagined when he thought of God.
What Voltaire truly meant has been brilliantly portrayed in the show with how elegantly it was executed in different ideals. The figure of God is a placeholder, for certain individuals it works, and for certain they need something different. But everyone requires something that would witness them and reward them. Quoting Kraft and Heiter,
“If you don’t believe in the Goddess, then I will praise you instead”
Conclusion
The show has a lot many nuances from different philosophical schools, some rather extreme than others. As more episodes come out, we’ll be able to experience more of its immaculate expression of these varied perspectives of life. In this manner, the show has become another one of the intellectual masterpieces within the anime community.