What is the purpose of a nihilist?

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.

What is the meaning of life according to nihilists?

Existential nihilism is the philosophical theory that life has no intrinsic meaning or value. The inherent meaninglessness of life is largely explored in the philosophical school of existentialism, where one can potentially create their own subjective ‘meaning’ or ‘purpose’.

Who created nihilism?

Friedrich Nietzsche
Nihilism has existed in one form or another for hundreds of years, but is usually associated with Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th century German philosopher (and pessimist of choice for high school kids with undercuts) who proposed that existence is meaningless, moral codes worthless, and God is dead.

Why do nihilists live their lives?

You live because you don’t want to die enough to cause your own death. I suppose, as nihilists, we should strive to live in a way where we don’t want to kill ourselves. To make life good enough for us to desire to keep living it, regardless of its lack of objective meaning.

What does nihilism mean in philosophy?

Nihilism is the philosophical viewpoint that suggests the denial of, or lack of belief in, the reputedly meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value.

What should a nihilist do with 1+1?

There is no ‘should’ to a nihilist. No purpose, and no sense. To a nihilist, 1+1 should equal a dollop of double cream shaped like a praying mantis, because logic is meaningless, and there’s no reason…at all…ever. For those who believe that nihilism enables one to ‘create one’s own truth’ go ahead. Such a delusion is no worse than any other.

Is the Buddha a nihilist?

All things are subject to change and taking any impermanent phenomena to be a ‘self’ causes suffering. Nonetheless, his critics called him a nihilist who teaches the annihilation and extermination of an existing being. The Buddha’s response was that he only teaches the cessation of suffering.