Book Review: Concerning Intellectual Suicide In the Human Race

Reviewed by Chelsey Tucker | Content Warnings: suicide

A mind-bending exploration of intellect, belief, and the commonalities of the human condition

Tommaso is an unhappy twenty-two-year-old man who feels stuck in a life that he describes as a stillicidium: “the continuous, insistent and monotonous repetition of an act, a fact, an attitude and so on, that causes annoyance, boredom, or disturbance.” He feels that his parents are to blame because they decided to procreate without considering the possibility of their child’s existence being hellish. In his desperation to address his unhappiness, he goes to the Factory of Happiness, which everyone refers to as the Institute.

The Institute is where people can seek out assistance to end their suffering efficiently and legally. There are rules that the Institute must abide by that were created by the G107 initiative which consists of a three-pillar system for elevating humanity close to eternity, infinity, and omnipotence. One of those rules revolves around not allowing the choice to be made out of impulse and that the customer must be definite in their decision. When Tommaso visits the Institute for the first time he is nervous and unsure of how everything works, which seems to irritate the workers. Soon he is identified as a problem due to his indecisiveness.

The leaders of the Institute are referred to as the great council and consists of five members: “the old man” as President, Diego as Head of the Production Service, Professor Helvetico as Head of the Reception and Prevention Service, Doctor Chan as Head of the Support Service, and Doctor O’Curia as Head of Accounting. All the ideologies of the council seem to differ and cause long discussions about how the business is running. The President is only concerned with business matters and people like Tommaso who come back multiple times without making the final decision, costing the company money. Doctor O’Curia as a Catholic attempts to excuse herself from the sins of her associates and workplace, claiming accounting shares no blame. It is Diego who seems to let personal interaction shape his views rather than statistics and scriptures.

Concerning Intellectual Suicide in The Human Race explores the human condition through a lens that is not far from the reality we live in. The Institute’s existence is a utopian answer for allowing those who are suffering to end that suffering or as Fantini puts it “the Prevention of the Attachment to Life.”  This piece of fiction brings forth the intellectual contradictions that are peddled within society through religion and cliches. Ultimately, the experience of the human condition is by default full of paradox—to be human is to suffer and alleviate, experience happiness, sadness, and all the other emotions.

Fantini does an excellent job illustrating the thoughts of existentialism and other heavy-hitting topics. Concerning Intellectual Suicide in The Human Race should only be recommended for mature audiences due to topics of suicide. But it is a great read for those looking to push the boundaries of their beliefs and perspectives by exploring what it means to commit intellectual suicide.

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