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Does nihilism represent a true threat to humankind?

 
 
Reply Fri 18 Apr, 2003 04:06 pm
Does nihilism exist only in the minds of thinkers or does it represent a true threat to humankind and something that must ultimately be dealt with.
Here is what Nietzsche had to say about it.


Conclusion


It has been over a century now since Nietzsche explored nihilism and its implications for civilization. As he predicted, nihilism's impact on the culture and values of the 20th century has been pervasive, its apocalyptic tenor spawning a mood of gloom and a good deal of anxiety, anger, and terror. Interestingly, Nietzsche himself, a radical skeptic preoccupied with language, knowledge, and truth, anticipated many of the themes of postmodernity. It's helpful to note, then, that he believed we could--at a terrible price--eventually work through nihilism. If we survived the process of destroying all interpretations of the world, we could then perhaps discover the correct course for humankind:

I praise, I do not reproach, [nihilism's] arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of the deepest self-reflection of humanity. Whether man recovers from it, whether he becomes master of this crisis, is a question of his strength. It is possible. . . . (Complete Works Vol. 13)

My personal belief is that nihilism will eventually develope into an apocalytic event that must be confronted and overcome if humankind is ever to proceed beyond the barbaric period that we are now in. What I don't have any idea about is the time frame; be it 30 years from now or 3000 years from now.
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patiodog
 
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Reply Fri 18 Apr, 2003 04:47 pm
Quote:
Does nihilism represent a true threat to humankind?


Let me be the first to offer the following quip before you all carry on.

Who cares?

;-)
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dyslexia
 
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Reply Fri 18 Apr, 2003 05:32 pm
nihilism was a pre-revolution Russian ideology without bearing on modern socio/political thought. We might was well ask if Napoleanic military strategy would have been useful when we invaded Grenada. absurd question.
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patiodog
 
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Reply Fri 18 Apr, 2003 05:38 pm
what about the nihilists in the big lebowski? they were bad news, dude.

http://www.thedudeshouse.com/images/big/13_end_fight/end_fight_02.jpg


okay, i'll leave it alone now.
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perception
 
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Reply Fri 18 Apr, 2003 09:10 pm
Patio dog

Laughing Now why don't you tell me what you really think? Laughing
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BoGoWo
 
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Reply Fri 18 Apr, 2003 10:37 pm
Definitely not;
Nietzsche's philosophy by its nature decries the ties and controls of the institutions that bind the minds of humanity in chains of ignorance availing us of the chance to break free from the natural chaos into a rational and ordered approach to life, and thinking, which can only improve the social state of humanity.
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perception
 
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Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 10:17 am
BoGoWo

What you write seems to contradict the fact that Nietzsche was a skeptic whose intellect was particularly vulnerable to Nihilism. I'm adding another sumation of his thinking on Nihilism and also adding a link providing a complete definition of Nihilism in case some are in the dark as to the threatening nature of this destructive state of mind.

Friedrich Nietzsche and Nihilism


Among philosophers, Friedrich Nietzsche is most often associated with nihilism. For Nietzsche, there is no objective order or structure in the world except what we give it. Penetrating the façades buttressing convictions, the nihilist discovers that all values are baseless and that reason is impotent. "Every belief, every considering something-true," Nietzsche writes, "is necessarily false because there is simply no true world" (Will to Power [notes from 1883-1888]). For him, nihilism requires a radical repudiation of all imposed values and meaning: "Nihilism is . . . not only the belief that everything deserves to perish; but one actually puts one's shoulder to the plough; one destroys" (Will to Power).

The caustic strength of nihilism is absolute, Nietzsche argues, and under its withering scrutiny "the highest values devalue themselves. The aim is lacking, and 'Why' finds no answer" (Will to Power). Inevitably, nihilism will expose all cherished beliefs and sacrosanct truths as symptoms of a defective Western mythos. This collapse of meaning, relevance, and purpose will be the most destructive force in history, constituting a total assault on reality and nothing less than the greatest crisis of humanity:

What I relate is the history of the next two centuries. I describe what is coming, what can no longer come differently: the advent of nihilism. . . . For some time now our whole European culture has been moving as toward a catastrophe, with a tortured tension that is growing from decade to decade: restlessly, violently, headlong, like a river that wants to reach the end. . . . (Will to Power)
Since Nietzsche's compelling critique, nihilistic themes--epistemological failure, value destruction, and cosmic purposelessness--have preoccupied artists, social critics, and philosophers. Convinced that Nietzsche's analysis was accurate, for example, Oswald Spengler in The Decline of the West (1926) studied several cultures to confirm that patterns of nihilism were indeed a conspicuous feature of collapsing civilizations. In each of the failed cultures he examines, Spengler noticed that centuries-old religious, artistic, and political traditions were weakened and finally toppled by the insidious workings of several distinct nihilistic postures: the Faustian nihilist "shatters the ideals"; the Apollinian nihilist "watches them crumble before his eyes"; and the Indian nihilist "withdraws from their presence into himself." Withdrawal, for instance, often identified with the negation of reality and

http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/n/nihilism.htm

The skepticism of todays shallow intellectuals and( not so shallow ) provides fertile ground for nihilism and there is considerable evidence of Nietzsche's prediction as the worlds institutions of "higher learning" crank out millions of pseudo intellectuals who have never and never will have an original thought----only criticism of those who are original thinkers. These self proclaimed intellectuals have proven their only contribution to the destruction of the world is their large capacity for hate and cynicism.
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BoGoWo
 
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Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 10:36 am
In assessing Neitzchian thought, one must remain sceptical of the agenda of the "assessers"; e.g. "Spengler noticed that centuries-old religious, artistic, and political traditions were weakened and finally toppled by the insidious workings of several distinct nihilistic postures"
Those wishing to uphold the status quo would see the "tear down and start over" concept as dangerous and harmful.
Those like myself who see the institutions of our primitive past as burdens on our growth into a meaningful future would be less shocked by the call for obliteration of these ancient forces.
Granted nihilism, as an invention of Neitzche, tends overly to accent the negative side of change, nevertheless it does impart a wisdom of unacceptance which is necessary to any unfettered attempt to rebuild the future.
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perception
 
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Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 11:25 am
BoGoWo wrote:

Those like myself who see the institutions of our primitive past as burdens on our growth into a meaningful future would be less shocked by the call for obliteration of these ancient forces.

Spoken like a true enlightened intellectual who sees destruction of those institutions as the only path to a new utopian world order. My only real criticism with you brilliant folks is your inability to provide a clear roadmap for mere mortals like me as to the imlementation of this destruction without the resultant anarchy and the associated death, misery and suffering of us mortals.

You intellectuals will have a bunker where you can survive the destruction and chaos while the rif-raf above ground gasp out their last breath.
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dyslexia
 
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Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 01:01 pm
why is it that totalitarian regimes and conservative ideologues seek mastery over a people they first seek to destroy the "intellectuals"?
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perception
 
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Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 01:59 pm
Dys wrote:


"conservative ideologues seek mastery over a people" when has that ever happened?

Now let me ask you another question on a different subject since you did not have the courtesy to anwer JLNobody when he asked this same question. You made a statement that goes something like this: "When a phenomenon reaches the event horizon it not only loses it's existence but it's history as well". Would you give the basis for that seemingly absurd statement?
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dyslexia
 
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Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 02:11 pm
i was so rude to JLN because i did not see his question regarding the "When a phenomenon reaches the event horizon it not only loses it's existence but it's history as well" its taken from a monograph by Steven Hawking. and its not surprising that you find Mr Hawking "absurd" as he is generally considered the greatest mind of the last 100 yrs in the realm of cosmology.
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perception
 
  1  
Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 02:27 pm
Since when is a discussion of the formation a "Black Hole" relevant to any discourse undertaken by mere mortals?
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dyslexia
 
  1  
Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 02:31 pm
nice attempt at a seque perception but as you would say "its absurd"
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perception
 
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Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 03:16 pm
If you consider yourself on the same level with Dr. Harking is even more absurd.
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dyslexia
 
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Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 04:29 pm
and where did you pick up that tidbit perception-grasping at straws again? btw in case you forgot you are the one that stated the comment was absurd until i pointed out it was from Hawking (not Harking) so it was you calling Hawking absurd. you can use your invective against me to your hearts content but it wont erase your bias.
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perception
 
  1  
Reply Sun 20 Apr, 2003 10:26 pm
Dys

You are a trip----you get immense pleasure from your hit and run tactics but when I use similar tactics on you ---- all I hear is whining.
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BoGoWo
 
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Reply Mon 21 Apr, 2003 08:29 am
Quoting perce....
"You intellectuals will have a bunker where you can survive the destruction and chaos while the rif-raf above ground gasp out their last breath."

While I appreciate your agrandizing my meagre witts to the level of "intellectual" [or did I miss the slur]; to the powers in control of today's society, the "institutions" about which I comment, all the masses are as "rif-raf" to them. Albeit "consuming" rif-raf ! [the chaff of their GM wheat !]
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perception
 
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Reply Mon 21 Apr, 2003 08:14 pm
BOGOWO wrote:

to the powers in control of today's society, the "institutions" about which I comment, all the masses are as "rif-raf" to them. Albeit "consuming" rif-raf ! [the chaff of their GM wheat !]


To take just a short diversionary side road----those powers in control are just that, in control, as opposed to the occasional political forays of a part time President who couldn't decide whether to listen to head of his penis or the funny thing on his shoulders (Clinton) or the childish working of a President who couldn't even allow his chief of staff to control the Whitehouse tennis courts (Carter).

I am much more comfortable with a team who for the moment is in firm control of the countries destiny. If the economy does not recover in time for the next election then a new bunch will come in and probably really screw things up but for the moment we have a team that will deal with the issues----not just tuck them into a rathole for the next president to deal with.
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BoGoWo
 
  1  
Reply Sun 27 Apr, 2003 12:16 pm
Perc.....; a landmark!

I am surprised to hear the first favourable commentary on the "dubuya" administration - but I must question your percepicasity........
(in spite of the fact I'm not sure how to spell it!)
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