Overview

Nihilism is the philosophical view that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value. In ethics, moral nihilism is the view that nothing is morally right or wrong.

Core Idea

The core idea is the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless. “God is dead, and we have killed him” (Nietzsche).

Formal Definition

  • Moral Nihilism: The view that there are no moral facts. (Includes Error Theory and Expressivism).
  • Existential Nihilism: The view that life has no intrinsic meaning or value.

Intuition

  • The Universe: The universe is vast, cold, and indifferent. We are tiny specks on a rock. Nothing we do matters in the grand scheme.
  • Values: “Good” and “Evil” are just words we invented to control each other. They aren’t real.

Examples

  • Russian Nihilism: A 19th-century movement that rejected all authority (state, church, family).
  • Nietzsche: Often called a nihilist, but he actually warned against nihilism. He wanted us to create new values to replace the dead ones (the Übermensch).

Common Misconceptions

  • Misconception: Nihilists are depressed/suicidal.
    • Correction: “Optimistic Nihilism” argues that if nothing matters, we are free! We can create our own meaning without pressure.
  • Misconception: Nihilists are immoral criminals.
    • Correction: Many nihilists follow laws and are kind, simply because they prefer it or want to avoid jail, not because they believe in “Moral Truth.”
  • Existentialism: Accepts that the universe is meaningless but argues we must create our own meaning (Sartre, Camus).
  • Absurdism: The conflict between our search for meaning and the meaningless universe (Camus).
  • Anarchism: Often linked politically with nihilism.

Applications

  • Literature/Film: Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, Rick and Morty explore nihilist themes.
  • Psychology: Addressing the “crisis of meaning” in modern life.

Criticism and Limitations

  • Self-Refutation: If “nothing is true,” then is the statement “nothing is true” true?
  • Unlivability: It is very hard to live as a true nihilist. We naturally care about things and feel moral outrage.

Further Reading

  • Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
  • The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
  • Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev