Nihilism

[Received]

Because while society, and instruments of society such as language can temper people into a belief, as long as they're able to challenge that belief or consider alternatives, all ethics are not relative – they may be judged accordingly, but under what standards of judgment I do not know.

Probably a fallacious standard; they're projecting their own interpretations of good and bad on others, and judging based on these projections.

 

[Kalimar]

Probably a fallacious standard; they're projecting their own interpretations of good and bad on others, and judging based on these projections.

Yeah, true. That's probably one of the main reasons I consider myself a nihilist. There are no objective standards even in the hopes of trying to establish one, the problem stems from justification.

 

[ExistencePrecedesEssence]

Personally, I can't stand the boredom of doing nothing.

 

[Received]

I don't interpret nihilism morally. I -- as a Christian -- don't believe in an objective morality. Morality must be generally applied; even the seemingly most innocent and ameliorating rule can cause harm in certain situations, and the point of morality is optimizing happiness. Ultimately meaning transcends the ethical.

 

[ExistencePrecedesEssence]

Do you think it's been a mistake of society--and each of us in particular--to classify meaning directly to the convictions we possess? Which is, that, by sticking to a certain morality, we can find way to belonging?

And, could meaning itself be hidden in the ameliorating rules?

 

[Kalimar]

Do you think it's been a mistake of society--and each of us in particular--to classify meaning directly to the convictions we possess? Which is, that, by sticking to a certain morality, we can find way to belonging?

And, could meaning itself be hidden in the ameliorating rules?

Good question Sartre, here's my crack at it.

Social philosophy (and religion) must exist in that these institutions allow deliberation on what it is to be a Just human. They are also required institutions despite unfalsifiable nihilism as there are, I believe, individuals which cannot, and should not seriously consider nihilism.

It surprises me to say it, but I truly believe that there are humans who act morally only out of the fear of eternal punishment, not out of the virtue of being good in itself.

Amount of people who follow laws only out of punishment. > Amount of people who behave virtuously as it is necessary to be virtuous.

 

[nadroj1985]

RP,

What do you mean when you say that morality is "a matter of sentiment"?

 

[The Nihilist]

my position is in line with Hume's, essentially

 

[Received]

Do you think it's been a mistake of society--and each of us in particular--to classify meaning directly to the convictions we possess? Which is, that, by sticking to a certain morality, we can find way to belonging?

And, could meaning itself be hidden in the ameliorating rules?

I don't think people stick to a certain morality for its own sake. I mean, well, they can, but most don't. Most stick to the herd for the sake of the herd; and they do this because being oneself -- being one's own particular little personality -- takes effort, pain, and that's just bad. Meaning can be found in this herd inclination, but it's outside the periphery of existential meaning -- meaning which works on a particular basis, forged out of my (and yours) already unique character.

 

[Rauffenburg]

I don't think people stick to a certain morality for its own sake. I mean, well, they can, but most don't. Most stick to the herd for the sake of the herd; and they do this because being oneself -- being one's own particular little personality -- takes effort, pain, and that's just bad. Meaning can be found in this herd inclination, but it's outside the periphery of existential meaning -- meaning which works on a particular basis, forged out of my (and yours) already unique character.

Who said uniqueness is necessarily good?

There are no objective standards even in the hopes of trying to establish one, the problem stems from justification.

What then is the difference between legitimacy/authority and power? If I have the power to kill you and you do not have the power to stop me, does that give me the right to kill you? If there is no objective standard whatsoever the conclusion seems to me, that, since there are subjective standards, those standards will obtain which are the most powerful. And since argument is meaningless because of the problem of justification, resistance to power is meaningless as well.

 

[Received]

There's a correlation between depravity (or, more gently, lifelessness) and conformity. Authentic uniqueness is good; the uniqueness that extends from one's whole being, not the artificial, appearance-based uniqueness that the world thrives on. The uniqueness as a symptom of actualizing one's own meaning. That's what I mean.

 

[Xaoc]

I like being a nihilist.

I concur. Although for me it might have a different meaning than to others.

 

[Rauffenburg]

There's a correlation between depravity (or, more gently, lifelessness) and conformity. Authentic uniqueness is good; the uniqueness that extends from one's whole being, not the artificial, appearance-based uniqueness that the world thrives on. The uniqueness as a symptom of actualizing one's own meaning. That's what I mean.

How do you know that depravity is actually depraved? In order to do so, you need to have a notion of moral reality. But that is to have an universal, objective notion of the good - and a pretty strong one by the way. Your whole idea of uniqueness is based on the difference of appearance and reality. Which is deeply platonic I'd say. How do you know that meaning is meaningful? My words were meaningless to you, if we would not share the same world, i.e. the same standard of reality or truth. They would be so, because they failed to refer to anything outside my subjective sphere. And that would make their use totally arbitrary to me because they lacked any kind of distinctive function. And it is the same about freedom - if we take freedom to be one's own existential decision towards one's own way of being. What sense is there in deciding one way or another if that makes no difference? If it makes a difference then this may not be arbitrary. But that equals to having a universal idea of the good. Therefore I think uniqueness in itself is neither good nor bad, but rather meaningless.

The whole idea of existentialism is pretty romantic - in the German sense of romantic; like Friedrich Schlegel, Novalis and so on. Which is so striking about the German school of romanticism is, that after a while of proclaiming the reign of the Genius and its absolute, free, creative fantasy - they all became conservatives catholics.

 

[eMesreveR]

I'm not sure if this has been posted yet, but it bears repeating:

put this in your browser (adding the necessary stuff of course), because there's a 50 post count requirement to post links?!?!
xkcd.com/167/

 

[Eudaimonist]

Who said uniqueness is necessarily good?

It isn't uniqueness as such that is good, but personal authenticity and wholeness. As Received said, it comes from actualizing one's own meaning.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Received]

Uniqueness as a symptom. By their fruits you shall know them.

 

[gawosany]

What's so wrong with Christianity .... can you point out the problems you have with it?

 

[Eudaimonist]

What's so wrong with Christianity .... can you point out the problems you have with it?

The author of the thread has left the boards. You will most likely not get a response.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[PhilosophicalBluster]

No, I don't want to be a Nihilist. No one wants to be a nihilist. It's just the only realistic option remaining

If you don't want to be a Nihilist, then a) Why is your username "The Nihilist" and b) be a Nihilist, just don't let it change your lifestyle.

My response to people who think there is no meaning to life or that nothing we do matters is this: Who cares? If not for meaning, participate in life just for the ride. Whether you believe in something or nothing, you still have good and bad feelings / emotions.

I go to a school, try hard to get good grades so I can be successful (successful is subjective, but whatever) and live happy. If someone tells me it doesn't matter, who cares? I still want to do it.

 

[The Nihilist]

What's so wrong with Christianity .... can you point out the problems you have with it?

My biggest problem with it is that it's probably not true.