How Did Nihilism Change Over Time
Malin Piermattei
Nihilism: The Change Over Time
Though most commonly related to the radical intellectual movement in the 1800s, the principles of nihilism date all the way back to Classical Greece where ancient skepticism was formed. It has been a part of society for thousands of years. The term nihilism is derived from the Latin nihil which means not anything. Simply put, “Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and nothing can be known or communicated.” (Pratt Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) A true nihilist believes in nothing. He rejects any and all relationships with the church, state, and family, for those institutions are believed to oppose individual freedom, which is a nihilist’s ultimate goal. That kind of freedom …show more content…
Nietzche created what he believed to be the three nihilistic themes; epistemological failure, the value of destruction, and cosmic purposelessness. All of these ideas relate back to the main belief that once you strip away all the illusions of life, it turns out to being meaningless, and that those who continue to hang onto those illusions will be miserable. The theme that is most often related to 1800s nihilsm is the value of destruction. Especially in Russia, nihilists were related to violence and extremism. “Eventually the nihilists of the 1860s and ‘70s came to be regarded as disheveled, untidy, unruly, ragged men who rebelled against tradition and social order.” (Encyclopedia Britannica) they abandoned all social ties and believed that all evil is tied to ignorance, which could only be overcome by science. Those who became nihilists in this revolutionary time period, inspired and influenced many artists, philosophers, authors and poets. One of the most famous works that included and referenced nihlism in the 1800s was Ivan Turgenev’s novel Fathers and Sons (1862). Turgenev uses the main character, a doctor named Bazarov, to convey nihilistic ideas. In the novel, Barazov preaches of total and utter negation. Needless to say, the idea of nihilsm spoke to many individuals who felt they did not have a concrete place in …show more content…
This more modern version of the older philosophy promotes the idea that one’s whole existence-actions, feelings, words-is useless, as in it has no meaning, no purpose. Nihilists today believe that truth is not truth at all, it is only what people perceive to exist, therefore it is a limited understanding of a whole and full reality. They also believe that each separate person is in fcat, not an individual, for there is no such thing. This is because everyone is descended from others, so it is impossible to be separate from the world and from other people, and it is impossible to escape this state of
Nihilism: The Change Over Time
Though most commonly related to the radical intellectual movement in the 1800s, the principles of nihilism date all the way back to Classical Greece where ancient skepticism was formed. It has been a part of society for thousands of years. The term nihilism is derived from the Latin nihil which means not anything. Simply put, “Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and nothing can be known or communicated.” (Pratt Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy) A true nihilist believes in nothing. He rejects any and all relationships with the church, state, and family, for those institutions are believed to oppose individual freedom, which is a nihilist’s ultimate goal. That kind of freedom …show more content…
Nietzche created what he believed to be the three nihilistic themes; epistemological failure, the value of destruction, and cosmic purposelessness. All of these ideas relate back to the main belief that once you strip away all the illusions of life, it turns out to being meaningless, and that those who continue to hang onto those illusions will be miserable. The theme that is most often related to 1800s nihilsm is the value of destruction. Especially in Russia, nihilists were related to violence and extremism. “Eventually the nihilists of the 1860s and ‘70s came to be regarded as disheveled, untidy, unruly, ragged men who rebelled against tradition and social order.” (Encyclopedia Britannica) they abandoned all social ties and believed that all evil is tied to ignorance, which could only be overcome by science. Those who became nihilists in this revolutionary time period, inspired and influenced many artists, philosophers, authors and poets. One of the most famous works that included and referenced nihlism in the 1800s was Ivan Turgenev’s novel Fathers and Sons (1862). Turgenev uses the main character, a doctor named Bazarov, to convey nihilistic ideas. In the novel, Barazov preaches of total and utter negation. Needless to say, the idea of nihilsm spoke to many individuals who felt they did not have a concrete place in …show more content…
This more modern version of the older philosophy promotes the idea that one’s whole existence-actions, feelings, words-is useless, as in it has no meaning, no purpose. Nihilists today believe that truth is not truth at all, it is only what people perceive to exist, therefore it is a limited understanding of a whole and full reality. They also believe that each separate person is in fcat, not an individual, for there is no such thing. This is because everyone is descended from others, so it is impossible to be separate from the world and from other people, and it is impossible to escape this state of