What is nihilism according to Nietzsche?
What is nihilism according to Nietzsche?
Without God, we are alone, exposed to a natural universe devoid of the comforting idea of a God-given purpose to things. According to Nietzsche, this state of nihilism – the idea that life has no meaning or value – cannot be avoided; we must go through it, as frightening and lonely as that will be.
What is a simple definition of nihilism?
1a : a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless Nihilism is a condition in which all ultimate values lose their value.— Ronald H. Nash. b : a doctrine that denies any objective ground of truth and especially of moral truths.
What are the two types of nihilism?
Passive and active nihilism, the former of which is also equated to philosophical pessimism, refer to two approaches to nihilist thought; passive nihilism sees nihility as an end in itself, whereas active nihilism attempts to surpass it.
What is the nihilist theory?
Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical skepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy.
Can an existentialist be a nihilist?
With respect to the universe, existential nihilism suggests that a single human or even the entire human species is insignificant, without purpose and unlikely to change in the totality of existence. Of all types of nihilism, existential nihilism has received the most literary and philosophical attention.
What did Helmut Thielicke say about the Enlightenment?
Thielicke deciphers in Lessing’s book, Education of the Human Race (Erziehung des Menschengeschlechts), a valid insight into the movement of human history. Historical evolution does produce new forms of human self-consciousness. The Enlightenment was such a qualitative (and not merely quantitative) shift.
How old was Helmut Thielicke when he died?
Helmut Thielicke is 61 years old. [He died at age 77 in March 1986.] Thus he was in his early twenties when Hitler came to power in his native Germany.
What did Helmut Thielicke mean by Cogito ergo sum?
Descartes’ famed motto: cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am), places the thinking subject in the center of the stage. In Thielicke’s dogmatics (Vol. I, 1968) he shows how the Cartesian concern for the thinking subject has shaped western life and thought since that time and that it cannot be rolled back.
Why was the Enlightenment such a qualitative shift?
The Enlightenment was such a qualitative (and not merely quantitative) shift. As Lessing portrays it, it is the movement of the human race from the realm of myth and revelation to the age of reason characteristic of the unfolding enlightenment era.
