Table of Contents
What is the point of nihilism?
Though nihilism can lead some people into despondency, it can also function as a path to personal fulfillment. As a start, “nihilism” is commonly defined as “the belief that life is meaningless.” A fuller definition would further add that nihilism is the belief that life has no objective meaning.
Who believed in nihilism?
philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche
Nihilism is often associated with the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who provided a detailed diagnosis of nihilism as a widespread phenomenon of Western culture. Though the notion appears frequently throughout Nietzsche’s work, he uses the term in a variety of ways, with different meanings and connotations.
Who started nihilism?
Friedrich Nietzsche
Nihilism has existed in one form or another for hundreds of years, but is usually associated with Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th century German philosopher (and pessimist of choice for high school kids with undercuts) who proposed that existence is meaningless, moral codes worthless, and God is dead.
Is nihilism a response to existential despair?
By the end of the century, existential despair as a response to nihilism gave way to an attitude of indifference, often associated with antifoundationalism. It has been over a century now since Nietzsche explored nihilism and its implications for civilization.
What is moral nihilism in philosophy?
I n moral philosophy, nihilism is seen as the denial that morality exists. As Donald A Crosby argues in The Specter of the Absurd (1988), moral nihilism can be seen as a consequence of epistemological nihilism.
Does knowledge exist in nihilism?
Consequently, for the passive nihilist, knowledge exists, but it exists on the basis of faith. Nihilism is therefore not only to be found in the person who rejects knowledge claims for lacking an indubitable foundation.
Is extreme skepticism nihilism?
Extreme skepticism, then, is linked to epistemological nihilism which denies the possibility of knowledge and truth; this form of nihilism is currently identified with postmodern antifoundationalism. Nihilism, in fact, can be understood in several different ways.