Nihilism is a thought process that argues that all aspects of life lack a specific meaningful essence. Apart from life, Nihilism rejects meaning in beliefs, value structures, state power, or other systems, portraying all aspects of life as meaningless.

Nihilism

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<ul><li>Nihilism originated during 300 B.C.E. where certain discussions by the Buddha related to our actions having no meaning or consequences in this world.</li><li>The Greek statesman Demosthenes also contributed to its origins.</li><li>The modern understanding of nihilism is associated with Friedrich Nietzsche, who said all aspects of life are subjective, not objective, also adding that this belief will lead to the destruction of all value structures.</li></ul>

The Origins of Nihilism

<ol><li>Moral Nihilism says true morality does not exist, and that good or bad actions are not different by the law of nature, but only by our understanding.</li><li>Existential Nihilism says all goals, aspirations, influences and actions ultimately become meaningless.</li><li>Metaphysical Nihilism tells us that the physical world is an illusion, and our senses just manipulated sensations and signals going into our brain.</li><li>Political Nihilism goes against all kinds of political establishments and government laws.</li></ol>

Types of Nihilism

Modern nihilism goes against western culture and values, saying that it has no roots and is meaningless.Modern nihilism tries to take on tackling poverty, discrimination and the value of increasing happiness, as a way to increase meaning.

Modern Nihilism

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Nihilism is the philosophical thought process that argues that all aspects of life lack a specific meaningful quality - the belief that life has no meaning. True nihilism rejects the meaning in more than just life, but also in ideologies, value structures, government, or other institutions, rendering all aspects of life meaningless. 
Nihilism has a number of different, more specific representations that have been discussed ranging from ontological, epistemological, moral, or metaphysical nihilism. Most commonly, however, existential nihilism is what is discussed most, and this is the type of nihilism defined as a general rejection of meaning in life.
This philosophical ideology has gained a lot of criticism over its conception, some notable arguments against nihilism have been a concern that believing there is no meaningful aspect of life can lead to depression, existential crisis, and subjectivism at the expense of morals and human life.
In this article, we're going to discuss where the thoughts of nihilism came from, its applications in modern philosophy, a little about the different types of nihilism, and its criticisms. Let's get started.
<h2>Overview: What Is Nihilism?</h2>
<h3>Definition of Nihilism</h3>
Nihilism in it's most general sense can be defined as a philosophical belief that argues that there is no meaning in the aspects of life. Interpretations from this point vary from philosopher to philosopher, with some viewing themselves as an optimistic nihilist, arguing that while life has no inherent meaning, it may have a subjective meaning that you can attribute to it. "Optimistic nihilism" is a very common interpretation of existential nihilism that serves to grant meaning to the world on a individual basis, where the nihilist logic would dictate there is none in the greater scheme of things.
For a description of nihilism that falls more in line with it's definition, you might look to the outlooks that act as proofs for the nihilistic thoughts. One example might be the "arbitrary goals" argument for nihilistic belief. In this argument, it's said that no matter what you accomplish in your lifetime - even if you are the most influential and successful person in history, it will all eventually be lost to time with your work and goals forgotten, therefore they are eventually and ultimately meaningless. These are the general types of arguments that have garnered nihilistic belief so much criticism for it's lack of optimism and bleak analysis of life and meaning.
Less broadly, nihilism can be reduced to single aspects such as morality or metaphysics. Moral nihilists don't see any inherent meaning in a moral structure, and argue that moral structures are based on the subjective nature of whoever creates them. This philosophical notion is far more in line with the thoughts of subjectivism and is another point of contention among modern philosophers. Metaphysical nihilists believe that our perceptions of reality have questionable meaning, and that we may not be able to fully know what is "real". This is a very similar position to the philosophy of skepticism.
As is becoming more clear, nihilism has a range of different beliefs that might fall under the greater concept, but there are certain traits that each have in common. These common traits revolve around a general rejection of meaning in aspects of life and existence, arguing instead that they have no meaning at all.
<h3>Origin</h3>
The origin of nihilistic thought can be formally traced back to as far as 300 B.C.E., where aspects of nihilism were discussed by the Buddha relating to those that believe their actions will have no meaning or consequences, a very early concept of moral nihilism. Further aspects of metaphysical nihilism have also been discussed by the Greek speaker and statesman Demosthenes who argued that a man's beliefs are dictated by what he wishes to believe, rejecting the thought that there is a constant forming of meaningful beliefs.
First Use of the Word However, the formal use of the word "nihilism" was not introduced and explored until the 19th century, when it was coined as a term by Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi and began appearing in concept and popularized through works of Russian literature. Throughout it's use in the 19th century it also became a quite well-used philosophy related to anarchist movements, contributing heavily to the philosophy of Russian revolutionaries who were responsible for numerous assassinations of government officials in the Narodnik movement.
Fredrick Nietzsche The modern understanding of nihilism is often most associated with the work of the 20th century philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche. Nietzsche argued that all aspects of life and creation as we knew it were subjectively structured, and had no meaning. These topics included all thoughts of ideology, values, government, and preconceptions which he argued all stem from subjective experience and thus had no weight to them. According to Nietzsche, because these ideals were meaningless facades, our ability to reason couldn't even be considered meaningful, and all aspects of being must also be considered meaningless.
This is the modern ideal of nihilism that we know today. Nietzsche even went further to argue that the realization that life lacked meaning and purpose would be responsible for the collapse of value structures all across the world. This conclusion of modern nihilism is what brings about it's critiques and we'll talk more in depth about them a little later on.
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Nihilism is the philosophical thought process that argues that all aspects of life lack a specific meaningful quality - the belief that life has no meaning. True nihilism rejects the meaning in more than just life, but also in ideologies, value structures, government, or other institutions, rendering all aspects of life meaningless.

Nihilism is the philosophical thought process that argues that all aspects of life lack a specific meaningful quality - the belief that life has no meaning. True nihilism rejects the meaning in more than just life, but also in ideologies, value structures, government, or other institutions, rendering all aspects of life meaningless.

Nihilism has a number of different, more specific representations that have been discussed ranging from ontological, epistemological, moral, or metaphysical nihilism. Most commonly, however, existential nihilism is what is discussed most, and this is the type of nihilism defined as a general rejection of meaning in life.

This philosophical ideology has gained a lot of criticism over its conception, some notable arguments against nihilism have been a concern that believing there is no meaningful aspect of life can lead to depression, existential crisis, and subjectivism at the expense of morals and human life.

In this article, we're going to discuss where the thoughts of nihilism came from, its applications in modern philosophy, a little about the different types of nihilism, and its criticisms. Let's get started.

Nihilism in it's most general sense can be defined as a philosophical belief that argues that there is no meaning in the aspects of life. Interpretations from this point vary from philosopher to philosopher, with some viewing themselves as an optimistic nihilist, arguing that while life has no inherent meaning, it may have a subjective meaning that you can attribute to it. "Optimistic nihilism" is a very common interpretation of existential nihilism that serves to grant meaning to the world on a individual basis, where the nihilist logic would dictate there is none in the greater scheme of things.

For a description of nihilism that falls more in line with it's definition, you might look to the outlooks that act as proofs for the nihilistic thoughts. One example might be the "arbitrary goals" argument for nihilistic belief. In this argument, it's said that no matter what you accomplish in your lifetime - even if you are the most influential and successful person in history, it will all eventually be lost to time with your work and goals forgotten, therefore they are eventually and ultimately meaningless. These are the general types of arguments that have garnered nihilistic belief so much criticism for it's lack of optimism and bleak analysis of life and meaning.

Less broadly, nihilism can be reduced to single aspects such as morality or metaphysics. Moral nihilists don't see any inherent meaning in a moral structure, and argue that moral structures are based on the subjective nature of whoever creates them. This philosophical notion is far more in line with the thoughts of subjectivism and is another point of contention among modern philosophers. Metaphysical nihilists believe that our perceptions of reality have questionable meaning, and that we may not be able to fully know what is "real". This is a very similar position to the philosophy of skepticism.

As is becoming more clear, nihilism has a range of different beliefs that might fall under the greater concept, but there are certain traits that each have in common. These common traits revolve around a general rejection of meaning in aspects of life and existence, arguing instead that they have no meaning at all.

The origin of nihilistic thought can be formally traced back to as far as 300 B.C.E., where aspects of nihilism were discussed by the Buddha relating to those that believe their actions will have no meaning or consequences, a very early concept of moral nihilism. Further aspects of metaphysical nihilism have also been discussed by the Greek speaker and statesman Demosthenes who argued that a man's beliefs are dictated by what he wishes to believe, rejecting the thought that there is a constant forming of meaningful beliefs.

However, the formal use of the word "nihilism" was not introduced and explored until the 19th century, when it was coined as a term by Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi and began appearing in concept and popularized through works of Russian literature. Throughout it's use in the 19th century it also became a quite well-used philosophy related to anarchist movements, contributing heavily to the philosophy of Russian revolutionaries who were responsible for numerous assassinations of government officials in the Narodnik movement.

The modern understanding of nihilism is often most associated with the work of the 20th century philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche. Nietzsche argued that all aspects of life and creation as we knew it were subjectively structured, and had no meaning. These topics included all thoughts of ideology, values, government, and preconceptions which he argued all stem from subjective experience and thus had no weight to them. According to Nietzsche, because these ideals were meaningless facades, our ability to reason couldn't even be considered meaningful, and all aspects of being must also be considered meaningless.

This is the modern ideal of nihilism that we know today. Nietzsche even went further to argue that the realization that life lacked meaning and purpose would be responsible for the collapse of value structures all across the world. This conclusion of modern nihilism is what brings about it's critiques and we'll talk more in depth about them a little later on.

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What Is Nihilism | Philosophy Definition

Nihilism

The Origins of Nihilism

Types of Nihilism

Modern Nihilism

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What Is Nihilism | Philosophy Definition

Nihilism

The Origins of Nihilism

Types of Nihilism

Modern Nihilism

IDEAS ABOUT

MORE LIKE THIS

Why We All Need Philosophy | Mark Manson

50 Nihilism Quotes About The Implications of Nothingness

10 schools of philosophy and why you should know them

It's time to

READ

LIKE

A PRO!

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career