Nihilism

Nihilism, essentially, is the belief in nothing. There is no intrinsic moral system, nor is there any real point to our human existence. The concepts of “good” and “bad” are all but objective abstract concepts that are not a fundamental part of human nature. A basic understanding of nihilism is needed in the analysis of the main character, Hulga, in O’Conner’s short story, “Good Country People.” In the story, Hulga is a bitter woman in her thirties who lives with two Christian women who, in her…

Nihilism is the idea that nothing really matters and that there is no meaning in the world. This is a worry for those who want there to be a meaning or purpose to life. The philosopher Albert Camus felt that this issue of “whether life is or is not worth living” was the most important problem of philosophy (Camus 3). This is understandable, as once one has established that life exists, the next step is to understand if that life has any meaning or value. Albert Camus, Thomas Nagel, and William…

Nicholson’s Nihilism Partly because I’m a Batman enthusiast, I noticed, from early on in this film, that a nexus existed between Nicholson’s role as J.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and his later casting as the joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman. In this film’s early development, we learned of McMurphy’s past: five arrests for assault and his most recent arrest for statutory rape – how joker-esque! And only an upstanding joker would find a mental institution more appealing than…

a wide range of people, from the dragon to shaper. In addition, Gardner also makes connections between the zodiac signs and Grendel’s philosophical developments throughout his life. Gardner mainly uses Plato’s allegory of the cave, Solipsism, and Nihilism to emphasize the connection between Grendel’s personality and philosophical beliefs. In Plato's text, the prisoners in the cave are living a different perspective of reality. Once a prisoner is freed, the knowledge of another world changes…

very pessimistic character who viewed the world in negative terms. However, after being introduced to the popularized theory of nihilism in Russia during the oral discussion, I concluded that the character might have been influenced by those ideas that were widespread during that time. Nihilism is the theory that life is meaningless; existential, romantic, and moral nihilism are the three parts. The most despairing character in this novel is depicted to be…

role in society, wondering if he should cease to terrorize the men of Hrothgar’s kingdom. The dragon reveals that he is able to see the future as clearly as other creatures see the past and present. He presents Grendel with his complex philosophy of nihilism, stressing the lack of meaning not merely of individual lives, but rather of the universe as a whole, emphasizing the inevitability of the eventual destruction and reemergence of everything in existence. The dragon has dedicated his life to…

A worldview is the way a person sees life or the world. There are six major world views that we have studied Theism, Deism, Materialists Existentialism, Nihilism and Pantheism. Theism is the belief that there is a god/gods who created the universe, theist also believe is some sort of religion like Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Hinduism. Theism comes from the Greek word Theos meaning God, there are many types of theism such as Polytheism which is the belief in more than one God and Monotheism…

to actually understand the concept of right and wrong. Because, not everyone shares the same idea of what constitutes decent behavior. Rosenstand has four major paths to choose from. There is nihilism, ethical relativism, soft universalism, and hard universalism. They are all very different, she puts nihilism and hard universalism one opposite ends of a spectrum. After reading these moral beliefs, I am inclined to believe in hard universalism. That there is one universal moral code. Being…

Nihilism is popular only in Europe and North America. Moreover, 63% of the world’s population is religious, while 11% are convinced atheists (Global Survey Finds 63% of World’s Population is Religious, While 11% Are “Convinced Atheists.). If atheism provided…

Does one ever feel as if the world has no meaning or real existence? If so, that person has a nihilistic attitude. Nihilism is the belief that the world is meaningless, everything is an unplanned accident, and essentially that nothing matters. Nihilists believe that there is no purpose to the world and that there are no real morals. On the other hand, one with a confident, hopeful, and positive attitude is an optimistic person. In the novel Grendel, by John Gardner, the dragon displays a…