In defense of nihilism

Nihilism is a denial. That's what the word literally means, from the Latin "nihil" meaning "nothing." Nihilism is not the mere recognition that morality and the concepts of "good" and "bad" are arbitrary and socially constructed. Nihilism insists that "good" and "bad" and "morality" do not exist at all. You have constructed a morality, but nihilism requires that such a construction is an illusion that does not really exist.Nihilism insists that existence, itself, does not exist.And on top of that, nihilism demands that any structural organization be destroyed. Everything is nothingness and you cannot have nothing if there is something.Now, this doesn't mean that advocates of nihilistic philosophies are violent or physically destructive. The denial of self and the recognition of the illusion of reality is part of the Buddhist theology. To achieve Nirvana and true enlightenment, one must also do away with the want of wanting to achieve Nirvana and true enlightenment. If you have a desire to physically react to the illusory world around you, then you are falling for the illusion. The only way out is not without but within.

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Rrhain

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Thank you for your submission to Science. Your paper was reviewed by a jury of seventh graders so that they could look for balance and to allow them to make up their own minds. We are sorry to say that they found your paper "bogus," specifically describing the section on the laboratory work "boring." We regret that we will be unable to publish your work at this time.

I`ll settle for roping in my ego.

But nihilism doesn't care about peoples grief. There is no objective right and wrong so whether people live in harmony or in conflict matters not to nihilism. Whatever is, is. Nihilism doesn't offer anything 'beneficial' it just attempts to describe what is from the standpoint of no God. It says that you feel authenticated by living in harmony with others then fine. If being a serial killer is your gig then that is equally authenticating. Nihilism doesn't care one way of the other.You say it is impossible to get rid of moralistic schemes but nihilism permits that any behaviour at all is valid so the whole idea of morals becomes moot. If I can define my morals any way I like, I may not be free of them but who cares - if they don't suit I can change to suit. And no nihilist can tell me I'm wrong. There is no such thing as objective wrong for the true nihilist.But I'll bet they'd still scream bloody murder if some self-authenticating burglar robs their house

No moral scheme "exists" in the sense of being objective, for it will always lack a logical ground. So there's no point in pretending that our morals are objective.We need, however, some rules to live by, so we construct systems. We just have to recognize them for what they are and to recognize that they are changable.

But of course they would, nihilism doesn't forbid them to do so. Nihilism says that there is no objective wrong. They scream bloody murder because their subjective sense of wrong kicks in.Maybe it's interesting to contrast 'objectivity' with 'universality'. Assuming we are speaking of human affairs, 'objectivity' would denote everything outside human subjectivity, whereas 'universality' would denote everything common in all human experience. Thus, if it is everybody's judgement that something can belong to them and them alone, and that it is - subjectively - wrong for someone else to take it away from them, then these judgements become universal moral truths, even if they are not objective ones. Moral truths must be seen in relation to the moral agent holding them.

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"We are all atheists about most of the gods that humanity has ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further." - Richard Dawkins

Authentication as I am defining it is not a matter of what one "feels." Authentication is the honest recognition of what human life consists of. This is true. There is no logical ground for any moral system, so there is no point in being self-righteous about the burglar. However, according to my system, Thou shalt not burglarize thy neighbor's house.

When I said 'they' I referred to that said previously: "a true nihilist". Which goes to show... there is no such thing as a true nihilist. Every nihilist lives as if his subjective beliefs about good and evil are in fact, objective. Which makes a bit of a mockery of his belief system. He cannot hide behind universalism - for he believes there is no moral truth, only moral convention - for which there is little reason for anyone to adhere to other than to suit themselves I agree. Subjective truths, subjective right and wrongs. Each to their own and let no one complain - objectively.

With 'honest' being as moveable a feast as authentication then I would agree. "There are no objectives", (whilst holing itself below the waterline being, presumably, a statement which claims to be objective) means there is no objective honesty - only that which is self-defined. Any way is okay, whatever it is so long as you want to live that way Why on earth not? I'm good at it, ain't never been caught. Only need to work 10 hours a week and I have a large house and a vacation home and a beemer 645 parked outside. It helps pay for the heroin to supply my teenagers (I'm getting sick of them) If there is any reason for me not to it would only be that its not worth my while to do so

That's right. From a practical standpoint, I would think that the risks of getting caught outweigh the benefits. From my subjective moral standpoint, burglarizing a house is wrong but obviously I can't prove that it's wrong. Nobody can prove that any act is morally right or wrong.

I would have thought the stance of nihilism is not so much proving there is a moral right/wrong but that there is no moral right/wrong to prove. And given that no one can live nihilism in practice, why would anyone say they are a nihilist. A nihilist cannot be a nihilist. HmmmThe opposing corner, say Christianity, doesn't suppose anyone can live up to the ideal. It doesn't expect it of the person. It predicts and acknowledges they won't in fact, live up to the idealIn that sense, the 'philosophy' of Christianity is spot on. It matches the situation as we find it. It is not abstract and completely devoid of practical application like nihilism.A Christian can at least be a Christian

A nihilist adopts a moral code with the knowledge that the code is subjective. It's "subjective" in the sense that it cannot be proven to be correct. This has nothing to do with our feelings. Strong feelings about something do not prove anything.Christian morals are based on a belief system which cannot be proved.Therefore, by this definition, Christian morals are subjective.Now just because we cannot prove some statement to be true, this does not mean necessarily that it is in fact not true. It might be true; we just can't prove it. But based on the evidence available to me, I have concluded that all religious belief is false. How do I come to this remarkable conclusion? Well, it seems to me that the nature of life as lived by all beings I know of is accidental. This goes against the Christian belief system, but it fits very well with nihilism. It could be, of course, that what appears to be one great accident is really a secret plan. God is controlling everything but doing it secretly. Why He would do so secretly is something of a puzzle, but maybe it's a game He likes to play. This idea of a game, however, seems not very reasonable to me, and at any rate I am going to need a little more proof than the idea of God playing a game in order for me to overturn my belief in the accidental nature of life: the evidence for the accidental nature of life is present and obvious and ongoing day after day throughout our lives.

Nihilism deosn't free the mind from any fears. I think it does tend to make one more tentative in one's moral judgments.Death awaits everyone as surely as the Sun sets, not just the nihilist.

Things that have been intentionally made have objective purposes. The purpose of a chair is to be a thing to sit on. Of course you could also use it as a ladder, but that's not its purpose.So I would disagree that "purpose" is inherently subjective.

I would think it more accurate to say he believes the code is subjective. His choosing which elements of the code to don may be subjective, but the code itself may or may not be subjective.The curious thing is that the nihilist is as much in need of a code in order to live his life as is the Christian. He needs to offset his beliefs in order to get on with the more important business of living. Much as in the same way that the hippies in the 60's needed the very culture they we're dropping out of, to survive.The nihilist, it appears, needs to return dog to it's vomit-like, to the pseudo-belief that the code is objective. Thus a nihilist cannot consistantly live as a nihilist. He most certainly wouldn't go hoping his beliefs become too widely applied anyway if he we're in his right mind. You go on a little in this vein but don't actually point out anything to particularily support this Total Accidental more-likely-than God-Ordained. Except to suface-speculate as to why God would make it appear as it appears.There are very good reasons why it is the way it is (hint: free-will) If it is all accidental, it is a remarkably beaufiful and wonderously complex accident. I think you have got the order of things the wrong way around Robin. It's not you who overturns your belief - its him. If he was to demonstrate himself to you then doubt would be about the very last thing on your mind. Think of Moses when he came down from the mountain after his encounter with God. His face was glowing like a piece of nuclear fuel.You don't get a say in that part. When he rips the curtains in two you better hang onto your chair!!Question: what kind of proof are you talking about anyway. What would float your boat?

ok, I'll agree with that. Nice comparison, Iano. I like it. People live in groups and there are conflicts in groups about our mates and huts and things. The way to solve these conflicts is to set up some rules. Thou shalt not smite thy neighbor on one cheek, even though you would like to. Free will has nothing to do with tapeworms and hurricanes and bird flu and stomach cancer and meteors crashing into planets and the like. I know, I know--after the Fall nature got mean, etc.