"Unthinker! You know nothing of man! For years you have insisted that the strong bow to the weak! But such capitulation is based upon a contradictory hypothesis! Being is the conversation between oneself and oneself! Strength then is the synthesis of this conversation! Strength in the absence of being is not power but illusion! What you see, what you've seen for years is an internal debate! Which to you manifested as silence! For you cannot hear what you cannot know! But the debate has ended and the true meaning of being can be revealed! It is the responsibility of the responsible man to recognize the failures in the unthinker! To not allow that void to divide the person that should be not put asunder! Today and now that responsibility belongs to me!"
Unthinker is a fictional character who serves as the antagonist of The Citizen and the Unthinker.
Character
The Unthinker represents the antithesis of critical self-reflection, embodying unthinking tyranny and ideological rigidity. The Citizen, in contrast, represents thoughtful engagement and moral integrity, setting the stage for a philosophical battle rooted in Hannah Arendt's theories on the nature of thought and personal responsibility. Wil Myerson conceived the Unthinker to explore Arendt's idea of the "two-in-one," the internal dialogue essential to genuine thinking. The Citizen and the Unthinker are two parts of the self, perpetually debating and reflecting the internal process of understanding and integrating experiences. Myerson drew inspiration for the Unthinker from his neighbor, Carl Thompson, who had long tormented him, making the character's defeat a cathartic reflection of Myerson's personal victory.
Biography
In The Citizen and the Unthinker, the Unthinker challenges the Citizen's ideals and actions at every turn, forcing both the protagonist and the readers to confront difficult philosophical and moral questions. This ongoing conflict represents the internal struggle necessary for genuine thought and moral integrity. The Unthinker confronts the Citizen with a rhetoric of strength and dominance, dismissing the Citizen's ideals of acceptance and democracy as weaknesses. The Citizen counters by emphasizing the importance of internal strength and the conversation within oneself as the essence of true power and understanding.
The battle between the two is not just physical but deeply philosophical. The Unthinker's arguments reveal his rigid, unreflective nature, while the Citizen's responses highlight the importance of self-reflection and moral responsibility. The Citizen asserts that strength without internal dialogue and understanding is meaningless, illustrating Wil Myerson’s alignment with Hannah Arendt's views on the substance of thinking. The comic would culminate in a decisive moment where the Citizen declares responsibility for the failures of the Unthinker, embodying the philosophical stance that true leadership and integrity come from the willingness to engage in difficult self-reflection and to act upon those insights.[1]
Relationships
Enemies
- Citizen - Archenemy
Trivia
- The Unthinker resembles a wolf or a werewolf dressed in a militaristic uniform. His feral, snarling face with sharp teeth and animalistic features highlights his menacing and aggressive nature. The uniform, which includes a helmet marked "14B," and his overall appearance evoke imagery associated with authoritarian regimes, reinforcing his role as an embodiment of brute force, unthinking aggression, and tyrannical control. This combination of animalistic and militaristic elements visually underscores his opposition to the Citizen’s principles of thoughtful engagement and democratic values.
References
- ↑ Rorschach #2