Abstract
This paper examines how Emil Cioran (1911-1995) conceived of God in his nihilistic thought. Cioran, who was exiled from Romania to France and wrote aphorisms and essays in French, had certain ecstatic experiences which he regarded as religious. His ecstasies were, however, followed with melancholic affects, which discouraged his faith in God. Although Cioran continued to write about God on many occasions in his works and wished all his life to have faith, he was not able to avoid depression and felt emptiness in the world and being itself. Thus, he not only lamented his personal loss of God, but also expressed anger and hate for God himself. From a psychological point of view, it may be said that his concept of God was imbued by these depressive and negative feelings towards the divine. This paper analyzes the relationship of nothingness and God in Cioran's thought by examining his discourse concerning nothingness. That is, the question of how Cioran felt about God is addressed. The paper then proceeds to shed light on his view of God, which does not lie within the dualist framework of faith/non-faith and theism/atheism.
