"The Last Messiah" is an essay by Norwegian philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe in which he presents his views on human existence and the problem of consciousness. Zapffe argues that the human condition is marked by an inherent sense of meaninglessness and purposelessness, which creates an existential despair. According to him, humans have evolved to be too intelligent for their own good, as they are able to perceive their own mortality and the meaningless nature of the universe. Zapffe presents the concept of the "last Messiah", a hypothetical figure who would arise to save humanity from this despair. The Messiah would accomplish this by either eliminating humanity's ability to perceive the world in its true meaningless form or by convincing humanity to willingly relinquish its consciousness. Zapffe argues that humans have developed various coping mechanisms, such as humor, religion, and culture, to deal with this despair. However, he contends that these mechanisms are ultimately futile in overcoming the problem of consciousness. Zapffe proposes that the only way to truly overcome the problem is through a complete rejection of consciousness and an embracing of a kind of "cosmic anesthesia." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.