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Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that life is meaningless, that Moral nihilism, and that knowledge is impossible. These views span various branches of philosophy, including ethics, value theory, epistemology, and metaphysics. Nihilism is often characterized as a broad cultural phenomenon or historical movement that pervades modernity in the Western world.
Existential nihilism asserts that life is inherently meaningless and lacks a higher purpose. By suggesting that all individual and societal achievements are ultimately pointless, it can lead to Apathy, lack of motivation, and existential crises. In response, some philosophers propose detachment from worldly concerns while others seek to discover or create values. Moral nihilism, a related view, denies the objective existence of morality, arguing that moral evaluations and practices rest on misguided assumptions without any substantial link to external reality.
In the field of epistemology, Relativism versions of nihilism assert that knowledge, truth, or meaning are relative to the Perspectivism of specific individuals or cultural contexts, implying that there is no independent framework to assess which opinion is ultimately correct. Skeptical interpretations go further by denying the existence of knowledge or truth altogether. In metaphysics, one form of nihilism states that the world could have been empty, meaning that it is a contingent fact that there is something rather than nothing. Mereological nihilism asserts that there are only simple objects, like elementary particles, but no composite objects, like tables. Cosmological nihilism is the view that reality is unintelligible and indifferent to human understanding. Other nihilist positions include political, semantic, logical, and therapeutic nihilism.
Some aspects of nihilism have their roots in ancient philosophy in the form of challenges to established beliefs, values, and practices. However, nihilism is primarily associated with modernity, evolving in the 18th and 19th centuries, particularly in Germany and Russia through the works of Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi and Ivan Turgenev. It took center stage in the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche, who understood nihilism as a pervasive cultural trend in which people lose the values and ideals guiding their lives as a result of secularization. In the 20th century, nihilist themes were explored by Dadaism, existentialism, and postmodern philosophy.
In addition to philosophical theories, nihilism can also refer to a broader cultural phenomenon or historical movement. In this context, it is primarily associated with modernity in the Western world, characterized by deep skepticism towards established norms and values alongside indifference, despair, and a lack of purpose. Outside the academic discourse, the term nihilism is used in a looser sense in everyday language to describe negative, destructive, or antisocial attitudes, expressing that someone fails to care about a particular issue. For instance, conservatives may be labeled as nihilistic for not valuing progress, while progressives may be described as such for disregarding established norms.
Nihilism is closely associated with other terms expressing negative attitudes toward the world, like pessimism, absurdism, existentialism, cynicism, and apathy. Although the meanings of these terms overlap, they have distinct connotations and do not necessarily imply one another. Pessimism contrasts with optimism as a negative outlook focusing on bad outcomes and characterized by hopelessness. A key difference to nihilism, according to one interpretation, is that pessimists see the world as inherently bad, whereas nihilists deny that it has any positive or negative meaning. Absurdism argues that the world is not just meaningless, as existential nihilism asserts, but also absurd. It examines the absurdity arising from the paradoxical attempt to find meaning in an inherently meaningless universe. Existentialism is a philosophical tradition that includes aspects of absurdism while exploring the human condition through themes like anxiety, death, freedom, and authenticity. Cynicism is a distrustful attitude toward the motives of other people or society in general. Apathy is a mental state in which a person does not care about things, characterized by indifference and a lack of desires and emotions.
The word nihilism is a combination of the Latin term nihil, meaning , and the suffix -ism, indicating an ideology. Its literal meaning is or , reflected in terms like annihilate and nihility. The word emerged in 18th-century Germany, first as a literary term and later as a philosophical notion, which Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi conceptualized to criticize philosophical thought that rejects meaning or existence. Its first recorded use in English dates to the 1810s. The term became popular in 19th-century Russia through Ivan Turgenev's novel Fathers and Sons and the Russian nihilist movement. Interest in it increased more broadly in the 20th century in response to Friedrich Nietzsche's works while its meaning expanded to cover a wider range of philosophical and cultural phenomena.
Existential nihilism has diverse practical implications since people usually act with a purpose in mind, sometimes with the explicit goal of making their lives meaningful. As a result, the belief that there is no higher meaning or purpose can bring about Apathy, a lack of motivation, and anxiety. In extreme cases, this can result in depression and despair or trigger an existential crisis. Some philosophers, such as Martin Heidegger (1889–1976), highlight the connection to boredom, arguing that the lack of engagement and goals experienced in this mood makes life appear pointless.
Various possible reactions to existential nihilism have been proposed. Inspired by Indian philosophy, Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) suggested a pessimistic and ascetic response, advocating detachment from the world by Renunciation desires and stopping to affirm life. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) proposed using the disruptive force of nihilism to re-interpret or re-evaluate all established ideals and values in an attempt to overcome nihilism and replace it with an affirmative attitude toward life. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) suggested that people can create their own values through the free choices they make, despite the cosmic lack of meaning. After considering the possibility of committing suicide, Albert Camus (1913–1960) argued instead for a defiant attitude in which individuals rebel against meaninglessness. Other responses include a destructive attitude aiming to violently tear down political authorities and social institutions, attempts to undermine nihilism by identifying genuine sources of meaning, and a passive resignation or quiet acceptance.
Various arguments for and against existential nihilism are discussed in the academic discourse. Arguments from a cosmological perspective assert that human existence is a minor and insignificant aspect of the universe as a whole, which is indifferent to human concerns and aspirations. This outlook aligns with an atheistic view, stating that, without a God, there is no source of higher values that transcend the natural world. Another viewpoint highlights the pervasiveness of senseless suffering and violence while emphasizing the fleeting nature of happiness. Some theorists link this view to human mortality, suggesting that the inevitability of death renders all human accomplishments transient and ultimately futile. A different perspective from biology argues that life is driven by blind natural selection on a large scale and the satisfaction of innate on an individual scale, neither of which aims at a higher purpose. Subjectivists, by contrast, focus on the subjective nature of all value experiences, asserting that they lack any objective ground.
Opponents of existential nihilism have responded with counterarguments to these statements. For example, some reject the pessimistic outlook that life is primarily characterized by suffering, violence, and death, claiming instead that these negative phenomena are counterbalanced by positive phenomena such as happiness and love. Many non-nihilistic theories of the meaning of life are examined in the academic discourse. Supernaturalistic views focus on God or the soul as sources of meaning. Naturalistic views, by contrast, assert that subjective or objective values are inherent in the physical world. They include the discussion of fields where humans actively find meaning, such as exercising freedom, committing oneself to a cause, pursuing altruism, and engaging in positive social relationships.
One motivation for denying the existence of morality rests on the idea that moral properties are odd compared to other properties, like shape and size. This view is sometimes combined with the claim that scientific inquiry does not reveal objective moral facts or that humans lack a source of moral knowledge. A related argument for moral nihilism focuses on the conventional aspects of moral evaluations and the difficulties in resolving moral disagreements. Another line of thought emphasizes the origin of morality, viewing it as a mere product of natural selection without a deeper metaphysical foundation.
Moral realism have raised various objections to moral nihilism. Naturalists argue that moral facts belong to the natural world and can be empirically observed. Non-naturalists assert that moral phenomena are different from natural phenomena, but are real nonetheless. Another perspective highlights the deep gap between moral nihilism and the fields of common sense and moral experience. Some viewpoints emphasize the negative practical consequences of abandoning moral beliefs or assert that moral nihilism is incoherent because it rests on a misunderstanding of moral language.
The term moral nihilism is sometimes used with a different meaning. In one sense, it is the same as moral subjectivism, arguing that moral evaluations are purely subjective and lack rational objective justification. As a result, moral judgments are seen as Expressivism, which vary between individuals, making moral disagreements rationally unresolvable. In another sense, moral nihilism refers to ethical egoism, the theory that morality is determined by self-interest. This view denies that the well-being of others has moral implications unless it has external consequences for one's own well-being.
A related form of relativistic nihilism focuses on meaning rather than truth. It argues that different people rely on incompatible conceptual schemes to make sense of the world. In the absence of a universal framework, genuine communication and shared understanding are deemed impossible since each viewpoint has its own interpretation of reality. Without a common ground, these incommensurable belief systems are arbitrary constructions, limiting reason to operations within a specific system without the ability to reconcile them.
One argument for relativism emphasizes the diversity of human viewpoints and the frequent inability to resolve disagreements and reach a shared understanding. Another argument asserts that theories are usually underdetermined by the data supporting them. As a result, there are different equally valid interpretations without an objective standard to resolve their differences. An influential criticism argues that relativism undermines itself: if all truths are relative to a viewpoint, then relativism itself is only true for some viewpoints and false for others. Another objection suggests that the absence of absolute epistemic standards has odd consequences, for example, that people should not argue if they disagree or that they should generally suspend their judgments.
Nietzsche was an influential proponent of relativistic nihilism. He saw belief systems as expressions of the will to power with the goal to assert dominance rather than represent reality. In postmodern philosophy, epistemological nihilism is associated with antifoundationalism, arguing that there is no ultimate rational ground of knowledge or action. It challenges universal frameworks, termed Metanarrative, that claim to provide such a ground.
One argument in favor of radical skepticism asserts that absolute certainty is required for knowledge. It attempts to show that doubt can never be fully expelled. For example, the dream argument, suggested by philosophers such as René Descartes, points out that, while , people usually cannot distinguish between the dream and factual reality. Based on this observation, it argues that there is no knowledge since an individual can never be certain that they are not currently dreaming. A related approach, articulated by philosophers such as Roderick Chisholm, assumes that a criterion is required to validate knowledge claims. Asserting that one cannot discern this criterion without already assuming some form of knowledge, it infers that knowledge is impossible.
Despite these arguments, radical skepticism is a rare position, accepted only by few philosophers and challenged by various criticisms. Its main influence stems from attempts by non-skeptical philosophers to prove that their theories overcome the challenge of skepticism. Some objections state that radical skepticism is incoherent or self-refuting. For example, if there is no knowledge then skeptics cannot know that there is no knowledge, making it questionable why anyone should believe their theories. Another counterargument asserts that the support for the existence of knowledge provided by common sense is more convincing than the abstract reasoning leading to skepticism.
Epistemological nihilism can lead to other forms of nihilism. For instance, the inability to discern the meaning of life can lead to the conclusion that there is no such meaning, resulting in existential nihilism. Moral skepticism, the view that there is no moral knowledge, can have a similar effect: the incapacity to distinguish right from wrong behavior can lead to the rejection of moral facts. Some theorists associate epistemological nihilism primarily with moral skepticism.
The subtraction argument is an influential argument for metaphysical nihilism. It proceeds from the premise that the world does not depend on the existence of any individual concrete object. For example, the world could still exist if a specific rock was removed. The argument concludes that an empty world is possible since it is the result of continuously reapplying this idea, subtracting objects at each step until an empty universe remains. Opponents of metaphysical nihilism assert that an empty world is impossible, meaning that something must exist. For example, one view suggests that there are necessary objects, possibly God, that are present even if nothing else is.
A more radical and controversial form of metaphysical nihilism denies the actual existence of objects. It states that there is no world, arguing that the experience of the universe is a mere illusion without an underlying reality. As a result, nothing at all is real. This view is sometimes interpreted as a form of solipsism, proposing that only the self exists and that the external world is merely an idea held by the self without a substantial reality.
Mereological nihilism is sometimes proposed as a solution to avoid metaphysical paradoxes, like the Ship of Theseus. Another argument in favor of mereological nihilism comes from Ockham's Razor, emphasizing the parsimony and simplicity of a minimal ontology that excludes everything except simple objects. Opponents of mereological nihilism highlight the counterintuitive consequences of denying the existence of ordinary objects, which contradict common sense. Other criticisms assert that mereological nihilism is unable to provide a coherent framework for how to understand collections of elementary particles or fails to explain phenomena like emergent properties.
A broad form of cosmic nihilism states that reality as a whole is unintelligible. According to this view, the chaotic nature of the world makes it impossible to comprehend the universe on any level or find meaningful patterns in it, leading to a complete alienation of human understanding. For example, Max Stirner characterized the world as a "metaphysical chaos" without "a comprehensive structure of objective meanings". In response to arguments stating that it is possible in certain cases to discern patterns and predict outcomes, some cosmic nihilists have proposed more narrow versions. One version acknowledges that humans can understand some aspects of reality, for example, through rigorous scientific study. Nonetheless, this view maintains that the universe remains impenetrable to comprehension and indifferent to human aspirations on other levels, lacking intelligible structures that correspond to objective values, moral principles, and a higher purpose.
In the field of art, Dadaism emerged during the First World War as a nihilistic rejection of established moral, societal, and Beauty. Dadaists embraced chaos, spontaneity, and irrationality, infusing their art with irreverence, nonsense, and humor to provoke and challenge traditional conceptions of art. For example, Marcel Duchamp presented Fountain, a readymade urinal, at an art exhibition, which became one of the most iconic pieces of the movement. In cinema, the movie Citizen Kane suggests a form of epistemic nihilism, showcasing moral ambiguity and the impossibility of arriving at an objective assessment of the protagonist's character. Elements of nihilism are also found in movies such as Taxi Driver, A Clockwork Orange, Fight Club, The Big Lebowski, and American Psycho.
In the field of law, Legal nihilism assert that laws lack an inherent meaning or a moral foundation, viewing them as unjust or arbitrary constructs used to maintain control and exercise power. Religious or theological nihilism is associated with atheism and denies the existence of God. Some theorists identify this view as the root of other nihilist outlooks, such as existential and moral nihilism.
In the philosophy of language, Semantics nihilism denies that linguistic meaning is possible, arguing that there is no genuine communication since language fails to describe reality. Logical nihilism is a theory about the relation between formal logic and natural language inference. It asserts that the logical consequence relation studied by logicians is unable to accurately reflect Inference practices in natural language. In Africana philosophy, black nihilism is a negative outlook on discrimination and the possibility of reforming political and social systems to avoid antiblack racism.
Therapeutic or medical nihilism is the position that medical interventions are largely ineffective. Against the advances of modern medicine, it argues that the methodology of medical research is fundamentally flawed and further distorted by financial incentives, resulting in a systematic overestimation of the benefits of treatments.
Political nihilism is primarily associated with the Russian nihilist movement of the late 19th century. It emerged as a reaction to the rigid social structures and authoritarian rule in Tsar Russia. In their rejection of established institutions and norms, Russian nihilists resorted to extreme means to promote a radical social revolution, leading to various forms of violence and terrorism, including and arson. Some of the revolutionaries saw Turgenev's character Bazarov as their inspiration and role model.
Various negative attitudes towards objective knowledge and the world are also found in ancient Indian philosophy. However, it is controversial to what extent they constitute forms of nihilism in a strict sense and some interpreters limit nihilism to the Western tradition. In the 6th century BCE, the school of Ajñana developed a radical skepticism, questioning the possibility and usefulness of knowledge. Buddhist thought, starting in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE, focuses on the pervasiveness of dukkha, identifying it as a fundamental aspect of existence. It teaches renunciation of worldly desires to achieve liberation from suffering in the state of nirvana. According to a common interpretation, the school of Mādhyamaka, which emerged in the 2nd century CE, defends a type of metaphysical nihilism, rejecting the existence of an ultimate foundation or absolute reality underlying the multiplicity of experienced phenomena.
In the early modern period, secularization and the Scientific Revolution undermined established religious beliefs and values prevalent in the Western world during the medieval period, preparing the emergence of nihilism. René Descartes (1596–1650) considered an extreme form of epistemological nihilism in his quest for absolute certainty. He suggested that humans cannot trust even their most fundamental beliefs unless they can rule out that a malevolent God-like being is constantly deceiving them. Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) drew a sharp distinction between Phenomenon and Thing-in-itself. By limiting knowledge to the sphere of appearances, he prepared a type of existential nihilism, making the deeper meaning of things in themselves inaccessible. In criticizing the rationalism of the Kantianism philosopher Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762–1814), Friedrich Jacobi (1743–1819) was the first to coin the philosophical concept of nihilism to describe a tendency in philosophical thought that leads to a denial of existence and meaning.
In Russia, the term nihilism gained popularity through Ivan Turgenev's (1818–1883) portrayal of a nihilist character in his novel Fathers and Sons. Starting in the second half of the 19th century, the Russian nihilist movement was a form of political nihilism, characterized by a radical rejection of traditional social, political, and aesthetic norms. Meanwhile in Western Europe, the nihilistic egoism of Max Stirner (1806–1856) reduced other people to their usefulness without respect for their personhood. Stirner also formulated a cosmic nihilism that sees the universe as an unintelligible, metaphysical chaos. Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) explored different lifestyles or "spheres of existence" through which people seek meaning in their lives. He warned against an aesthetic lifestyle of pursuing sensory pleasures without ulterior goals, arguing that it leads to a nihilistic outlook marked by meaninglessness. Instead, he recommended a leap of faith that trusts in God as a higher source of meaning.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) developed a pessimistic philosophy, characterizing the world as a place of suffering, brought into being by a blind, irrational will. Influenced by Schopenhauer, the problem of nihilism took center stage in the thought of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900). He understood it as a broad cultural phenomenon in which people lose the values and ideals guiding their lives. He explored the causes and consequences of this shift in evaluative outlook, examining reactions to it and ways of overcoming it. According to Nietzsche, nihilism often manifests in a distorted form as passive nihilism, masking its life-denying nature behind religious dogmas, conventional morality, and societal norms. Against this tendency, Nietzsche recommended active nihilism, which openly acknowledges the lack of meaning and uses its negative force to dismantle established values. He saw this as a transitional phase to overcome nihilism in general, leading to a vital affirmation of life through a revaluation of all values.
Many subsequent developments in the 20th-century history of nihilism were responses to Nietzsche's philosophy. Martin Heidegger (1889–1976) agreed with Nietzsche's description of the pervasive and corrosive nature of nihilism, seeing it as a fundamental historical movement in Western thought reaching back to the ancient period. Interpreting Nietsche's concept of the will to power and modern technological developments, Heidegger came to the conclusion that Nietzsche's attempt to overcome nihilism fails and leads to an even more complete nihilism. As an alternative, Heidegger turned to early Presocratic philosophy to recover a non-nihilistic understanding of being.
Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) proposed a view aligned with cosmic nihilism, characterizing humanity as an accidental and insignificant byproduct of cosmic forces that are alien and indifferent to human concerns. Against the backdrop of World War I, Dadaists expressed aspects of nihilism through art, seeking to undermine established norms and values while embracing nonsense and absurdity. The question of nihilism and its denial of the meaning of life played a central role for Existentialism. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905–1980) asserted that humans have no inborn essence defining who they are or what their purpose is. He argued that they can overcome this lack of predefined meaning through freedom, proposing that people make their lives meaningful by inventing themselves and their values. In his Absurdism, Albert Camus (1913–1960) explored the psychological paradox that arises from the inherent drive to seek meaning in an objectively meaningless world. He termed this condition "the absurd" and advocated for a defiant stance or rebellion against the lack of meaning.
In the second half of the 20th century, various aspects of nihilism emerged in postmodern philosophy, often in response to Nietzsche and Heidegger. Jacques Derrida's (1930–2004) philosophy of deconstruction challenged the existence of absolute truth and stable meaning in its attempt to expose the hidden assumptions and biases on which this viewpoint rests. Jean-Francois Lyotard (1924–1998) explored antifoundationalism, rejecting the existence of universal frameworks of understanding, termed metanarratives. He aimed to undermine their validity as standards of truth claims, proposing instead that they are merely different people play without a clear hierarchy prioritizing one language game over the others. Similarly, Richard Rorty (1931–2007) dismissed the notion of objective truths, suggesting that people rely on their own judgment and creativity instead of privileging established perspectives, like the scientific worldview. Against Nietzsche's and Heidegger's attempts to overcome nihilism, Gianni Vattimo (1936–2023) embraced it, viewing nihilism as the only viable alternative in the postmodern era.
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