The Absolute at Large

In Karel Čapek’s prescient 1922 satire, the year is 1943, and a revolutionary “atomic engine” promises to solve humanity's energy crisis by converting matter directly into energy with astonishing efficiency. But this technological marvel harbors an unforeseen byproduct: pure, unadulterated divinity. As these engines proliferate, so too does a surplus of the divine, unleashing a chaotic spiritual awakening that upends society, capitalism, and the very fabric of human belief. Čapek masterfully tracks the escalating absurdity as humanity grapples with an excess of the sacred, leading to both profound enlightenment and ludicrous holy wars.