The Circular Ruins by Jorge Luis Borges

“The Circular Ruins” by Jorge Luis Borges

“Green is derived from blue and green will become more brilliant than blue”

Chinese Proverb

The Chinese have a proverb about the evolution of humanity, and in particular, the nature of intellectual relationships. Although the color green is composed from the color blue, it often shines with a more brilliant luster than its predecessor does. This is a metaphor for the pupil and teacher. The pupil learns knowledge from his teacher, but will outgrow his teacher and eventually surpass him in wisdom. I believe this accurately describes the progress of human knowledge throughout time. In fact, it is quite obvious how technology and science have improved as time goes on. There are dramatic changes even in the last decade as people take the discoveries of their predecessors and expand on those principles. Jorge Luis Borges’ short story, “The Circular Ruins,” also illustrates this idea of the descendents being superior to the ancestors. However, Borges additionally uses a creation story and the theme of recursiveness, which suggest that there is no single perfect being that created all, but that there are numerous beings that create, with each successive one becoming more powerful. This also implies that, contrary to Judeo-Christian belief, the perfect being is waiting to be created in the end and is not the creator in the beginning.

“The Circular Ruins” can be interpreted in several ways, but the basic plot revolves around a man trying to create another being in his dreams. This creator, referred to as a “magician” in the story, is a god in that he creates a likeness of himself and gives it life. The magician’s desire to create this perfect son is a strong parallel to the Judeo-C...

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... worshiped as gods. But in this succession of creators, we have an infinite line, so perhaps there will never be an end, and there never was a beginning, suggesting that there is no perfection or standard to uphold in the universe.

Borges makes a point in establishing the recursiveness of creation in his story; my comparison to the repeated creation of more creators is solely an interpretation of the text. It is, however, interesting how the idea of the superior descendant is observable in the real world. By applying this to the idea of the infinite line of creation, the result is an idea that is in disagreement with worldly beliefs, but yet at the same time in agreement with the worldly observations. Moreover, the implications arising from the infinite line point to a somewhat disturbing, but very Nietzschean universe void of an absolute truth and perfection.