Nihilism: When Nothing Matters Anymore

In this article, Lillianne talks about the different branches of nihilism and the beliefs associated with each.

Nihilism: when nothing matters anymore

By Lillianne Cook

Since the dawn of human creation, two questions have plagued the heads of many at least once: Is there a point in life? Is there a meaning for existence? Nihilism, in general, is the belief that life is without an objective purpose; morals like “good” or “evil” don't exist, nor do your intrinsic truths. The chances of you being alive are one in four-quadrillion, so why were you chosen to walk this earth? From the beginning, does everyone have a set purpose, or is it all up to chance? Do the actions you make truly have a lasting impact on the world, or is your being all in vain? These are some of the main questions and ideas that are a part of nihilism, and surely some that your brain has touched upon.

This brief, official statement marks the closing of a great historic movement. Up to our own day, American history has been, to a large degree, the history of the colonization of the Great West. The existence of an area of free land, its continuous recession, and the advance of American westward settlement all explain American development. Behind institutions, behind constitutional forms and modifications lie the vital forces that call these organs into life and shape them to meet changing conditions. Now, the peculiarity of American institutions is that they have been compelled to adapt themselves to the changes of an expanding people-- to the changes involved in crossing a continent, in winning a wilderness, and in developing at each area of this progress out of the primitive economic and political conditions of the frontier into the complexity of city life.

Friedrich Nietzsche, photo creds to Wikipedia

Cosmic nihilism is one that many nihilists themselves poke fun at. Cosmic nihilism is the belief that the universe itself is inherently evil and uncaring of its inhabitants, which is a bit egregious, considering that it is a belief system based on anthropomorphizing the universe. For the people who do believe in this, however, humans are seen as insignificant when faced with the universe, and just a drop in the ocean that is eternity. A displayed instance in pop culture is found on the sci-fi animation series Rick and Morty. Morty famously says to his sister, “Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody’s gonna die; come watch TV?” Considering that this statement comes from Rick and Morty, it hits surprisingly hard; the end question is also weirdly comforting. It means pushing your worries for the future away because, in the end, nothing lasts forever. Enjoy the small moments like watching TV, find comfort in your mortality, and don't stress about situations that you have no control over.

Optimistic nihilism is a much brighter view of nihilism. Once we die, life keeps spinning. The average person's existence is a mere 80 years in the four-billion years of Earth's existence. So why not see the silver lining in it all? Both your largest and smallest mistakes will eventually be forgotten and lost to the world; in fact, most people are forgotten nearly 100 years after their death… that is not to say that people should just do whatever they want and not fear repercussions, but that you should not stress over small problems. An article on Medium states that “Optimistic nihilism is the realization that the lack of meaning in the world and the universe as a whole can be liberating.” Not believing in a predetermined destiny and realizing that you have the ability to shape your future is so incredibly freeing. This branch faces criticism for being a "repackaged existentialism", but who needs labels, anyway?

Nihilism also has some smaller branches, like epistemological nihilism, moral nihilism, and political nihilism. Epistemological nihilism is defined by Verywell Mind as “a form of philosophy that states firstly that knowledge does not exist. And secondly, if it did, it is unobtainable to human beings, so its existence is redundant.” In this branch, knowledge is seen as objective and untrue, giving it a bad reputation among nihilists. Moral nihilism states that there is no right nor wrong; it has three main views, amoralism, moral subjectivism, and egoism… all of which are pretty radical, but no judgment here. Last but not least, political nihilism overlaps with anarchy. In this belief, the government is so corrupt that it just needs to be burnt down entirely. In theory, this would maybe work out, but realistically, it just can’t happen.

Nihilism is one of the most important branches of philosophy. While most of it is admittedly irritatingly pessimistic, it still changes the way humans view their lives and the existence of everything in general. Everyone will die, but it is up to you to make the life you want for yourself and to determine the impact that you will have on others. So let go of your anxieties, and take in the world around you while you’re still here.

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