Lord of the Rings and Philosophy @ Concordia University Wisconsin

[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by davem

Clearly the 'debt' is owed to oneself. I was using the word in the colloquial sense of 'redeeming oneself'.

So Morgoth owes himself redemption? Can he just order it up? I'm really not trying to be facetious, but what you are saying makes no sense. How can Morgoth repay to himself a debt he has made to himself? What debt is this? He has become evil, and therefore owes himself a debt of not-evil? And pays himself by what means? I'm trying to identify some strand of logic in all this.

Its Universalist. I don't see any evidence in the texts that universal 'redemption' is impossible. One can retake tests. Where there's life, there's hope. The soul of each single one of us is sent that the universe may be complete, as Plotinus said.

I'm aware of the philosophical background of what you are saying. I'm asking you to defend it based on what Tolkien has written.