Last week I watched The Avengers: Infinity War again after 5 years and it sparked me why Thanos could be right.

Thanos, also known as The Mad Titan, is a character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe who is known for his quest to acquire the Infinity Stones, intending to use their limitless power for what he believes to be a noble purpose. His motivation stems from his experience on his home planet, Titan, where he witnessed the devastation caused by overpopulation. He proposed a drastic solution: the random elimination of half the population, without prejudice, to ensure the survival of the planet as a whole. His proposal was rejected, and he was labeled a madman. However, his predictions came true when Titan eventually perished due to a lack of resources.

Firmly believing that the universe was facing the same fate as Titan, Thanos embarked on a mission to prevent this outcome. He saw himself as a force of balance, bringing death and destruction from planet to planet to control population growth. His methods were ruthless, often resulting in the annihilation of entire races. He also raised children from the species he decimated, training them to be deadly assassins and warriors.

Thanos’ ultimate goal was to acquire the Infinity Stones, six objects of immense power scattered throughout the universe. He believed that by harnessing their power, he could achieve his mission of balancing the universe by wiping out half of all life with a snap of his fingers. He saw this as a necessary sacrifice for the greater good, a way to ensure the survival of the universe.

Despite his brutal methods and the widespread destruction he caused, Thanos believed he was right. He saw himself as the only one willing to make the hard choices necessary to save the universe from the same fate that befell Titan. His conviction was so strong that he was willing to sacrifice everything, including his adopted daughter Gamora, whom he genuinely loved, to achieve his goal.

In the end, Thanos succeeded in his mission, snapping his fingers and wiping out half of all life in the universe. He retired to a peaceful, serene world, believing he had brought salvation to the universe. Despite the horrific cost, Thanos believed he was right, viewing his actions as a necessary evil to prevent a greater catastrophe.

However, it’s important to note that while Thanos’ concerns about overpopulation and resource scarcity are valid, his solution is fundamentally flawed. His actions are based on a Malthusian view of population growth, which assumes that resources increase linearly while populations grow exponentially, leading to inevitable scarcity. However, this view has been largely debunked by economists and demographers, who point out that technological advancements and other factors can increase resource availability. Moreover, Thanos’ method of population control is ethically indefensible, involving mass murder on an unimaginable scale. His belief that he alone can decide the fate of the universe is a dangerous form of hubris, reflecting a totalitarian mindset that denies individuals their right to life and self-determination.

From a psychological perspective, Thanos’ actions can be seen as a manifestation of utilitarianism, a theory in normative ethics that suggests the best action is the one that maximizes utility, or the greatest good for the greatest number. Thanos believes that by eliminating half of all life, he is preventing a greater catastrophe of resource depletion and societal collapse, thus maximizing the overall happiness and survival of the universe.

Thanos also exhibits traits of altruism, as he genuinely believes his actions, however horrific, are for the benefit of others. He is willing to bear the burden of being the villain for what he perceives as the greater good.

My more thoughts on this

Thanos assumed a god-like role, claiming that his actions are acts of mercy. A God has the power to generate infinite resources and create life. Thanos, despite his immense power, does not possess this ability. He can manipulate and destroy life with the snap of his fingers, but he cannot create it. His power is essentially destructive, not creative. While Thanos aims to address resource scarcity by reducing life, a true God could create more resources instead. This limitation in Thanos’s approach shows that despite his power and claims, he doesn’t truly embody a god-like role. This is what makes me wonder if God even exists.

If God is all powerful, all knowing, and all good, why does he allow suffering to exist? Hindus will say Karma and Maya but those are very weak arguments. Many people around the world either do not believe in God or believe in different gods. If God exists and wants us to know Him, why isn’t his existence more obvious? Now Science provides explanations for phenomena that were once attributed to God.

and then there is something called omnipotence paradox 🤦‍♂️. It explores the question of whether the notion of an all-powerful entity is logically consistent. There are several variations of the paradox, but one of the most common is the paradox of the stone: “Can an omnipotent being create a stone so heavy that it cannot lift it?” If the being can create such a heavy stone, then it seems that it can cease to be omnipotent, because it cannot lift the stone it created. On the other hand, if it cannot create the stone, then it seems it was not omnipotent to begin with, because there is something it cannot do (i.e., create the heavy stone).

If our current actions are influenced by past lives, what influenced our actions in the first life? This leads to an infinite regression problem, where the original source of good or bad Karma is unclear. If our lives are determined by our past actions, this raises questions about free will. Are we truly free to make choices, or are our lives predetermined by our past Karma? 🤔

tbc…