A philosophy that seeks to understand the meaning of lifeor lack thereof.
Youll usually hear something like everything is meaningless when discussingnihilismin mainstream culture.
But, while this statement is true, it is an oversimplification of the philosophy.
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In truth, there are multiple variations of nihilism with their own unique positions and views.
From there, nihilism became a popular topic within philosophical circles.
Some of the most important thinkers are listed below.
During this period, many scholars rejected traditional religious, political, and social ideas in favor of rationalism.
Therefore, most of his work critiqued it.
He thought that despair was the key to human experience and that anxiety was a sign of our freedom.
This led to Russian nihilism, which was more concerned with reevaluating preexisting societal ideals.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche was a German philosopher whose writing had an enormous influence on Western philosophy.
This realization was the state of nihilism, and he thought it was unavoidable.
For instance, existentialism deals with the ways to address the lack of intrinsic meaning in the world.
Due to this, it is usually referenced as the next step after atheism.
And secondly, if it did, it is unobtainable to human beings, so its existence is redundant.
Therefore, it is associated with extreme skepticism.
What Is Existential Dread?
When talking about nihilism, it is common to hear someone reference the term existential dread.
That said, you do not have to be a nihilist to experience it.
Should this existential dread intensify, it can lead to something called anexistential crisisor existential anxiety.
For existentialists, an existential crisis is considered a necessary, complex journey of awareness and growth.
Being a nihilist or having nihilist thoughts isnt a negative thing.
For example, some people believe they create meaning by paving the way for future generations!
Others view the futility of existence to be a more significant incentive to find love and happiness.
The choice is yours!
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