Nihilism

Nihilism: a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless (Merriam-Webster). The origin of the word is from the early 19th century, where the Latin root “nihil,” meaning nothing, was combined with the English suffix “ism.” (Merriam-Webster) While the word “nihilism” was first heard in the 19th century, it is generally associated with the Lost Generation or the Roaring 20s in America. After coming home from the Great War, now know as…

individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of free will. Simply stated, existentialism has a special regard to an individualist approach and the sense of free will. This is very different from nihilism which is defined as the rejection of all religious beliefs and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless. There are several reasons why these two philosophical viewpoints contrast but, I find it difficult to understand how…

“I understood that the world was nothing: a mechanical chaos of casual, brute enmity on which we stupidly impose our hopes and fears. I understood that, finally and absolutely, I alone exist” (Grendel 21). John Gardner, author of Grendel, has his protagonist Grendel come to this revelation early on in the book when the bull is attacking him (Grendel 20). This quote truly exemplifies Grendel’s nihilistic and misanthropic view of life that the world is basically separated into two categories:…

This area was the setting of nearly all of his fiction. He has described The Floating Opera as a "nihilist comedy," and its companion piece, The End of the Road, as a "nihilist catastrophe" (Werlock). Nihilism is a philosophical doctrine that suggests the negation of one or more alleged meaningful aspects of life. Both novels express doubts about intrinsic meaning (or natural meaning), and both deal with the idea that "There 's no final reason for living”…

“Optimistic Nihilism” refers to the idea that life ultimately has no one universal purpose, however instead of feeling helpless, one should strive to use this fact as a reason to enjoy life to the fullest before it’s gone. If one day life must end, then you might as well do what you love in the meantime. Whether or not one ascribes to this philosophy, most can agree that living with little regret and doing what one enjoys is a life well spent. I myself find happiness in helping others—a reality…

14292768 Word Count: 1070 Error Theory Versus the World Among many relevant philosophical theories are objectivism, relativism, and nihilism. Unlike the other two theories, nihilism states that no moral claims are true. In support of this theory, nihilism strongly depends on error theory to back up its claims. Error theory states that moral claims are simply a means to describing the moral features of everything going on around the world; however, the theory also claims that there are no moral…

short story, “Good Country People”. Superficially, the story shows that Hulga is a loyal atheist. Deeper insight gained from close reading reveals, however, that the story concerns Hulga’s weak connection to atheism and shows her branching out to nihilism, to the ideas of Malebranche, as well as Christianity. I will prove this thesis using principles of reading such as contradiction, referencing and repetition. In a rural setting, Mrs. Hopewell runs a family farm with the help of her tenants,…

Nishitani approaches the concepts of God, atheism, nihilism, nihility, and religion in his book Religion and Nothingness. He comes from Japan and grew up in a time of economic ups and downs. He provides an Eastern perspective on the world and religion. He makes his argument with the idea of nihility in mind and seeks to explain why Western thought has such difficulty with the concept of nihility and the absence of religion. He considers the importance of religion in the world and especially in…

The writer, Alan Moore, once said, “Why do we argue? Life’s so fragile, a successful virus clinging to a speck of mud, suspended in endless nothing.” This quote exemplifies the idea of nihilism, as it is saying that there is no point in arguing about anything in life, because life itself is not important enough to worry about. In Gardner’s Grendel, fate and boasting are important Anglo-Saxon elements. The lack of comitatus, or loyalty to one’s king is also relevant. The presence of these…

the Dostoevsky, tends to escape the 19th-century capitalist society of Russia by living underground and doing nothing. In this sense the retrospect of a 40-year-old man who reflects on his life affirms that nothingness is the key. The notion of ‘nihilism’ is hence essential as it sets the backdrop for Dostoevsky’s work. Whilst his tone may appear to be inconsistent, unreasonable and contradictory, audiences…