Nihilism is a popular topic in philosophy, especially in so-called Continental philosophy (as generally distinguished from Analytic philosophy).
Much philosophical talk about nihilism relates to the writings of Nietzsche on this topic. It was of special concern to Nietzsche (hereinafter N) for most of his writing career.
N's conception of nihilism had much to do with asceticism, which had something to do with a distinction between "willing nothing" or "willing not to will" ... which ties in with Schopenhauer, whom N basically despised.
I don't know what to make of all of that, because I'd probably have to read a whole pile of books very carefully to get at what this is all about. This would require at least a year of devotion to these books for six to eight hours a day, or two years for 3 to 4 hours a day -- at least.
I've concluded, in my relative ignorance, that nihilism is easier to understand than what I might learn from a devoted years long, focused study of existentialist writings.
I think of most varieties of real world "nihilism" as one variant or another of
radical skepticism about KNOWLEDGE. But it is a particular kind of knowledge which would be at stake in my appraisal of these questions -- and a form of knowledge which most folks who have wrestled with philosophy have abandoned as both (a) unnecessary and (b) impossible to achieve. In essence, the kind of knowledge which has tended to be abandoned as both (a) unnecessary and (b) impossible to achieve also has a few basic parts: (1) certain (b) universal (c) demonstrable and (d) transmissible. Almost all of early modern Western philosophy seems to have had the project of constructing a systematic "philosophy" of knowledge which had all of these attributes. Pretty much everyone who studies the history of this agrees that all such attempts were an utter failure.
Some folks concluded from this failure that we humans therefore lack knowledge at all, and these (roughly) are known as epistemological nihilists (E.N.). Some others may grant that we do have such knowledge, but that such knowledge is only in math and science, and does not provide a basis for ethical or "moral" values -- and these are (roughly) "value nihilists," (a.k.a. moral or ethical nihilists). And it all gets a lot more nuanced and particularized from here. But I won't go into this because I think the whole line of thinking / reasoning / living is just a waste of time.
Why?
Because I don't think we require epistemological OR moral/ethical certainty in order to live morally and otherwise beautiful. happy and healthy lives. I guess this makes me some sort of lazy existentialist(?), but it is simply ENOUGH for me to not want to harm others, to want to do well by others, to suppose a bag of potatos in the grocery store may well (even probably) weigh roughly ten pounds when it's been labelled as such -- and if I need to weigh them I'll put them on the nearby scale an weigh them for myself. If I really need to I can then take them to another scale and check to be sure that the prior scale was not tampered with or broken. I know how knowledge is gained and what it means, and it never, ever means anything certain -- but I don't therefore suppose that "Nothing Fucking Matters!", as some "nihilists" will do. It seems to me a silly conclusion to draw from the obvious fact that precious little is ever certain, if anything. (Some will say that math is certain. I'll let the mathematicians argue over that claim. I don't fucking care, really! Because I basically trust genuine human intelligence to -- in practice -- provide sufficient grounds for intelligent behavior and decision making. I don't require a permanent Rule Book, nor Book of Answers, as a guide. I'm happy to live with contingency and process, uncertainty ... and beauty as my guides.
Yes, beauty. I believe in beauty and ugliness as our best moral and ethical guides, not logic or "proof".... Healthy people simply KNOW that it is ugly to mistreat other people, and generally know mistreatment when they see it. That's good enough for me. And those who pooh-pooh EVERYTHING because it's all an open, ongoing exploration and living of life -- to me -- are fools and idiots. Not philosophers.
Wisdom, in other words, depends on the ability to perceive goodness and beauty. And ugliness and badness. It's really that simple. And that's enough for me.
The ancients understood that truth and beauty were deeply intertwined. Modernity, with its strong emphasis on "proof" and "certainty" has largely forgotten the feelingful sensitivity which allows us to perceive this relationship directly with our senses. This is a social problem, yes. But it is not a problem I'm having personally.
I love life. In living it and in being in the world, I love life.
These modern and postmodern "nihilists" don't have the COURAGE to love life.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=courageTheir vitality is sapped by their alienation from life -- their own and that of others.
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Topic: Nihilism, Misanthropy & Misery Metasticize (Read 13487 times)
May 14, 2014, 08:18:00 PM