Existential Nihilism *this is not emo* Aside from moral nihilism, the other primary sense of the term which existed as a part of early Russian Nihilism and which has continued even today might be called "existential nihilism." It shares a close affinity with Existentialism, arguing that human life is ultimately trivial and meaningless. Where it parts company with Existentialism, however, is in the level of resulting despair and the conclusion that therefore perhaps the best course of action is suicide. Once again, as with Moral Nihilism, we can find a good expression of the Existentialist position in work by Dostoyevksy. This time, in The Possessed, his character Kirilov argued that if God does not really exist, then only individual freedom in life is genuinely meaningful. However, he also added that the most free thing that a person could do would be to end that life rather than live under the control of social systems created by others. There are two aspects to this position which merit attention: whether the absence of any god renders human life meaningless and whether that meaninglessness forces us to conclude that suicide is the best course of action. The first aspect, like the question of the validity of moral nihilism, is technical and philosophical in nature. The second, though, is much more psychological. Now, it is certainly true that large numbers of people throughout history and even today have believed that the existence of some divine purpose to the universe is necessary for them to have purpose and meaning in their lives. What that majority believes to be true for themselves is not, however, dispositive for the rest of humanity. Quite a few people have managed to live very purposeful and meaningful lives without any belief in any gods — and no one is in a position of authority that would allow them to contradict what those people say about meaning in their lives. By the same token, the fact that people have experienced great anguish and despair over the apparent loss of meaning in life when they have doubted the existence of God does not, therefore, mean that everyone who doubts or disbelieves must necessarily go through similar experiences. Indeed, some treat that doubt and disbelief very positively, arguing that it provides a superior basis for living than do faith and religion. Not all claims that life today is meaningless are entirely dependent upon the assumption that there is no God. There is, in addition, the vision of the "postmodern man," a conformist who has become dehumanized and alienated by the nature of modern industrial and consumer society. Political and social conditions have rendered him indifferent and even baffled, causing him to direct his energy towards hedonistic narcissism or simply a resentment that might explode in violent behavior. This is a nihilism that has become stripped of even the remotest of hope for a meaningful life, leaving only the expectation that life will be little more than sickness, decay, and disintegration. It must be pointed out here, though, that there are some differences in how the concept "meaningful life" is being used. Those who insist that a meaningful life depends upon God mean it in the sense of a life that is meaningful from an objective perspective. Those who disbelieve in God will usually agree that there is no "objective" meaning to their lives, but deny that therefore there is no meaning at all. Instead, they argue that their lives can be fulfilling and purposeful from the subjective perspectives of themselves and other human beings. Because they find this satisfying, they do not sink into despair and they do not feel that suicide is the best option. People who cannot be satisfied with personal meaning may not be able to resist such a move; for them, then, suicide would be appealing. Nevertheless, that is not the conclusion typically reached by existential nihilists. For them the objective meaninglessness of life can often be viewed as quite liberating, because it frees humans from the demands of tradition which are themselves based upon false assumptions about the binding wills of gods and ancestors.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 05:53:49 +0000
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