"The term nihilism refers to a family of views within philosophy that rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as knowledge, morality, or meaning."
Nihilism is the belief that life has no inherent meaning, value, or purpose. It is often associated with existentialism, as both movements share a concern with the inherent uncertainties and absurdities of the human condition.
Philosophy of Existence: This topic broadly covers the philosophical inquiry into existence itself, and is a core concept in both nihilism and existentialism.
Absurdity: The philosophy of absurdism espouses that human beings live in a meaningless world, and that the human search for meaning is absurd.
Freedom and Responsibility: Existentialism places a great emphasis on individual freedom and responsibility, and argues that human beings must create their own meaning.
Death: Both nihilism and existentialism grapple with the inevitability of death and its role in shaping human existence.
Alienation: Existentialism emphasizes the concept of alienation, or the separation of the individual from the larger community or society.
Nothingness: Nihilism posits that life has no inherent meaning, value or purpose, and that existence itself is ultimately meaningless.
Ethics and Morality: Existentialism argues that individuals must create their own morality and ethical system, which is grounded in their individual freedom and responsibility.
The Human Condition: Both nihilism and existentialism focus on the essential characteristics of human existence, including suffering, anxiety, and the search for meaning.
Consciousness and Perception: Nihilism and existentialism both explore the nature of consciousness and perception, and argue that these play a central role in shaping our understanding of reality.
Authenticity: Existentialism emphasizes the importance of living an authentic life, and argues that individuals must be true to themselves in order to live a meaningful life.
Epistemological Nihilism: This type of nihilism holds that because knowledge is unattainable, all claims to knowledge are unfounded and meaningless.
Existential Nihilism: This view holds that life has no inherent meaning or purpose. As such, individuals must create their meaning and purpose in life, leading to a sense of existentialism.
Moral Nihilism: This nihilism type argues that moral values and obligations are arbitrary human inventions and have no objective or universal basis.
Political Nihilism: Political nihilism asserts that all governments, societal structures, and authority systems are arbitrary in nature and therefore are void of moral or value-based reasoning.
"The term was popularized by Ivan Turgenev and more specifically by his character Bazarov in the novel Fathers and Sons."
"There have been different nihilist positions, including that human values are baseless, that life is meaningless, that knowledge is impossible, or that some set of entities does not exist or is meaningless or pointless."
"Scholars of nihilism may regard it as merely a label that has been applied to various separate philosophies, or as a distinct historical concept arising out of nominalism, skepticism, and philosophical pessimism, as well as possibly out of Christianity itself."
"The two central concepts derived from the Nietzschean 'crisis of nihilism' are the destruction of higher values and the opposition to the affirmation of life."
"The term is sometimes used in association with anomie to explain the general mood of despair at a perceived pointlessness of existence or arbitrariness of human principles and social institutions."
"Some theologians and religious figures have stated that postmodernity and many aspects of modernity represent nihilism by a negation of religious principles."
"In popular use, the term commonly refers to forms of existential nihilism, according to which life is without intrinsic value, meaning, or purpose."
"Moral nihilism is the rejection of all normative and ethical views."
"Political nihilism is the rejection of all social and political institutions."
"Epistemological nihilism is the stance that no knowledge can or does exist."
"Metaphysical nihilism includes several positions, such as asserting that non-abstract objects do not exist or that composite objects do not exist."
"Jean Baudrillard and others have characterized postmodernity as a nihilistic epoch or mode of thought."
"Nihilism has widely been ascribed to both religious and irreligious viewpoints."
"Nihilism has been described as conspicuous in or constitutive of certain historical periods."
"Contemporary understanding of the idea stems largely from the Nietzschean 'crisis of nihilism'."
"Nihilism may have arisen out of nominalism, skepticism, and philosophical pessimism, as well as possibly out of Christianity itself."
"The novel Fathers and Sons features a character named Bazarov."
"Nihilism rejects generally accepted or fundamental aspects of human existence, such as knowledge, morality, or meaning."
"Earlier forms of nihilism may be more selective in negating specific hegemonies of social, moral, political, and aesthetic thought."