nihilism?

[OneBrickOneVoice]

What's nihilism?

[midnight marauder]

I guess it depends on who you ask. Unfortunately, it is often used as a pejorative by it's detractors. Oh well.

It's a philosophical idea that's very consistent with leftist materialism. Nihilism is the idea that there is no ultimate truth or meaning in life, or that at the very least, if there is, it's impossible to know.

Because of this, nihilists are moral relativists, and don't believe in arbitrary morals and ethics. It is a rejection of these arbitrary authorities and customs, so it's understandably viewed as an insult by philosophical moderates.

In short, it's a rejection of the idea of idealistic "truth." Fun stuff.

[Blue Collar Bohemian]

In a good light its a total rejection of established laws and institutions, what most around here would consider a good thing. In a bad light it is annihilation of the self, or the individual consciousness. It is absolute nothingness, the blackest black, a world without hope.

[OneBrickOneVoice]

wait the anhilation of the self? Kinda like Nirvana in Buddhism?

[Blue Collar Bohemian]

Originally posted by [email protected] 5 2006, 10:24 PM
wait the anhilation of the self? Kinda like Nirvana in Buddhism?
But not happy. Its like when you think about how small you are compared to the whole universe. As far as the universe is concerned you are infinitely small because it is infinitely big. When you get that you let that fact surround you and consume you you might as well cease to exist.

[Darth Revan]

Nihilism is a philosophical position which argues that the world, and especially human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. Nihilists generally assert some or all of the following: there is no reasonable proof of the existence of a higher ruler or creator, a "true morality" is unknown, and secular ethics are impossible; therefore, life has no truth, and no action is known to be preferable to any other.

[rouchambeau]

How about looking it up on google or wikipedia before bothering us with such a question.

[The Bitter Hippy]

because google and wikipedia will provide him with the opinions of the majority on nihilism, and he wants to know what it is from a leftist point of view, without going to the trouble of reading every work on it and forming his own opinion, as very few indeed do.

The learning forum is here for people to ask sensible questions, and he asked a sensible question. What a heinous crime.

[Leo]

Nihil means nothingness, so a nihilist would believe that nothing around him or her is real (the conception of reality of the self varies) or doesn't care if it is real or not so the nihilist doesn't really care about any rules put up, ethics, values, society etc. Nihilists I know care mostly about joy and happiness of the movement. I guess nihilism makes sense for the individual when it is mixed with hedonism.

PS: All this info is coming from the philosophies of self proclaimed nihilists I know, so there is nothing here that is necessarily academically true.