• BC
    13.1k
    re: Is nihilism supportable or is it an excuse for a lack of talent? I don't know whether 'lack of talent' has anything to do with nihilism, or not. Many normal young people seem to go through a period where they whine a lot and think everything is meaningless. Later on they stop whining and get on with life.

    "Life is good" or "life is suffering" means that life has meaning. "Life IS meaning." That the universe, existence, or the details of one's generally good or bad life are "meaningless" is not a "natural" idea. Nihilism is a consequence of modern life (modern = last several hundred years). Where faith fails, nihilism becomes a reasonable conclusion.

    It seems to me that the universe is meaningless, and along with it, the lives of us earthlings. BUT, we have the capacity to impose meaning and purpose, which we do. We employ religious or philosophical ideas to give life meaning. Or we stay busy and avoid thinking about it. That we are "imposing meaning" is also a modern idea. Saying "the universe is meaningless" ironically is not a meaningless statement. It is very meaning-full if we think life has no meaning.
  • Terrapin Station
    13.8k
    Nietzsche knew that 99% of individuals cant think for themselves,Ranger

    Imagine what a troll king he would have been if he'd lived in the age of the Internet.
  • Artie
    26
    I'm not a native speaker toodiesynyang

    Where are you from?
  • Artie
    26
    Wait, I'm a nihilist in the sense that I don't believe there is any objective morality, meaning, value, etcTerrapin Station

    I love art in all its guisesTerrapin Station

    I seem that you contradict yourself.
  • Terrapin Station
    13.8k


    Art doesn't have anything to do with objective value, meaning, etc.
  • eodnhoj7
    267
    If they ignore that fact they are aware of darkness, which means they are in the light about something, then yes.
  • Artie
    26
    What do you mean when talk about the objective value?
  • Terrapin Station
    13.8k
    What do you mean when talk about the objective value?Artie

    Objective value is the idea of value occurring in the world independently of any particular individual valuing something.

    In other words, the idea of value being in the objects themselves rather than how we feel about the objects.
  • Nils Loc
    1.3k
    Resentiment ala Nietzsche and others has re-entered the political atmosphere via Jordan Peterson (though perhaps it has always been since Nietzsche).

    At minimum we often rationalize away the discomfort of personal failure but at maximum it may also explain senseless acts of killing (public massacres) by resentful and en-raged individuals. In such extreme situations it wouldn't be right to say that it was a mere 'lack of talent' that caused such folks to wreak havoc but the idea of rationalization is there.

    Rationalization
    1.
    the action of attempting to explain or justify behavior or an attitude with logical reasons, even if these are not appropriate.
    "most people are prone to self-deceptive rationalization"
    2.
    the action of reorganizing a process or system so as to make it more logical and consistent.
    "the rationalization of accounting standards"
    British
    the action of making a company, process, or industry more efficient, especially by dispensing with superfluous personnel or equipment.
    "the London dockers struggle to preserve their jobs against ruthless rationalization"

    It seems the second definition would also have a bearing on nihilism, a sense of voiding something (God and sacred values) by reason.
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