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Political nihilism is the position holding no political goals whatsoever, except for the complete destruction of all existing political institutions—along with the principles, values, and social institutions that uphold them. [109]
Nov 23, 2024 · nihilism, (from Latin nihil, “nothing”), originally a philosophy of moral and epistemological skepticism that arose in 19th-century Russia during the early years of the reign of Tsar Alexander II. The term was famously used by Friedrich Nietzsche to describe the disintegration of traditional morality in Western society.
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\"Nihilism\" comes from the Latin nihil, or nothing, which means not anything, that which does not exist. It appears in the verb \"annihilate,\" meaning to bring to nothing, to destroy completely. Early in the nineteenth century, Friedrich Jacobi used the word to negatively characterize transcendental idealism. It only became popularized, however, ...
In Russia, nihilism became identified with a loosely organized revolutionary movement (C.1860-1917) that rejected the authority of the state, church, and family. In his early writing, anarchist leader Mikhael Bakunin (1814-1876) composed the notorious entreaty still identified with nihilism: \"Let us put our trust in the eternal spirit which destro...
The earliest philosophical positions associated with what could be characterized as a nihilistic outlook are those of the Skeptics. Because they denied the possibility of certainty, Skeptics could denounce traditional truths as unjustifiable opinions. When Demosthenes (c.371-322 BC), for example, observes that \"What he wished to believe, that is w...
The caustic strength of nihilism is absolute, Nietzsche argues, and under its withering scrutiny \"the highest values devalue themselves. The aim is lacking, and 'Why' finds no answer\" (Will to Power). Inevitably, nihilism will expose all cherished beliefs and sacrosanct truths as symptoms of a defective Western mythos. This collapse of meaning, r...
In The Dark Side: Thoughts on the Futility of Life (1994), Alan Pratt demonstrates that existential nihilism, in one form or another, has been a part of the Western intellectual tradition from the beginning. The Skeptic Empedocles' observation that \"the life of mortals is so mean a thing as to be virtually un-life,\" for instance, embodies the sam...
In the twentieth century, it's the atheistic existentialist movement, popularized in France in the 1940s and 50s, that is responsible for the currency of existential nihilism in the popular consciousness. Jean-Paul Sartre's (1905-1980) defining preposition for the movement, \"existence precedes essence,\" rules out any ground or foundation for esta...
By the late 20th century, \"nihilism\" had assumed two different castes. In one form, \"nihilist\" is used to characterize the postmodern person, a dehumanized conformist, alienated, indifferent, and baffled, directing psychological energy into hedonistic narcissism or into a deep ressentiment that often explodes in violence. This perspective is de...
In contrast to the efforts to overcome nihilism noted above is the uniquely postmodern response associated with the current antifoundationalists. The philosophical, ethical, and intellectual crisis of nihilism that has tormented modern philosophers for over a century has given way to mild annoyance or, more interestingly, an upbeat acceptance of me...
French philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard characterizes postmodernism as an \"incredulity toward metanarratives,\" those all-embracing foundations that we have relied on to make sense of the world. This extreme skepticism has undermined intellectual and moral hierarchies and made \"truth\" claims, transcendental or transcultural, problematic. Postmo...
In The Banalization of Nihilism (1992) Karen Carr discusses the antifoundationalist response to nihilism. Although it still inflames a paralyzing relativism and subverts critical tools, \"cheerful nihilism\" carries the day, she notes, distinguished by an easy-going acceptance of meaninglessness. Such a development, Carr concludes, is alarming. If ...
It has been over a century now since Nietzsche explored nihilism and its implications for civilization. As he predicted, nihilism's impact on the culture and values of the 20th century has been pervasive, its apocalyptic tenor spawning a mood of gloom and a good deal of anxiety, anger, and terror. Interestingly, Nietzsche himself, a radical skeptic...
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- Existential Nihilism. Existential Nihilism bears some similarities with the 19th and 20th century school of Existentialism, but the two are still markedly distinct from one another.
- Cosmic Nihilism. Cosmic Nihilism is one of the more extreme theories of Nihilism. Its leaders look out into the wider universe, arguing that the cosmos is so vast and unintelligible that it acts as evidence of our minute insignificance.
- Ethical Nihilism. Get the latest articles delivered to your inbox. Sign up to our Free Weekly Newsletter. In contrast with the two theories of Nihilism discussed above, Ethical Nihilists focused specifically on the questions around morality.
- Epistemological Nihilism. If Epistemology is the philosophy of knowledge, Epistemological Nihilists were concerned with what knowledge was. They argued that knowledge is a false construct based on another person’s point of view, rather than unquestionable fact.
Jul 7, 2023 · Political Nihilism . Political nihilism is a form of nihilism that argues that in order for future improvements, all present social, political and religious institutions need to be destroyed. They believe that these systems are so corrupt that there is no hope of reformation.
Oct 20, 2022 · Nihilism is a philosophy that rejects values and the valuation society places on people, objects, and life, and instead states that everything is meaningless.
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Sep 19, 2014 · More specifically, the concept of nihilism has emphasized the connection between authority and interpretative competence, political sovereignty, and a hermeneutic knack. My article attempts to introduce both the history of the concept and its current theoretical implications.
