Philosophical nihilism existed long before it was referred to as “nihilism.” Credit for the development of ancient nihilism can be given to the skepticism of the ancient Greeks. The man most often portrayed as the original skeptic, and perhaps also the original nihilist, was Gorgias (483-378 B.C.E.) who is famous for having said: "Nothing exists” (Russell, 2004, p. 40). The Skeptics regarded the basic principle of their outlook as epistemological caution. They were adamant about not making statements which might be proven false and which they could not prove absolutely true (Stroud, 1984, p. 237). "Knowledge" could therefore be understood simply as opinion. Neither our senses nor our opinions really inform us of the truth of the world no matter
