Why Is Nihilism Bad?

[FalloutJack]

As I understand it nihilism is the belief that nothing has any intrinsic value, there is no such thing as objective morality, and that objective knowledge is impossible to obtain. To me this has always seemed mostly reasonable and agreeable, and I would describe myself as a nihilist on at least those first two counts. Yet I often hear people talk about nihilism as if it's negative or pointless, similar to how people react to solipsism. Why exactly is this? I don't see anything about nihilism, at least on these three core assertions, that would lead people to treat the position with such disdain, apart from a purely emotional reaction someone might have because of the perceivably cold nature of said claims. But that is obviously not solid grounds for rejecting a philosophical position. So what else is there that makes people think it's bad?

Having taken philosophy, lemme try to rule this one out logically. If nihilism denies positive value and that there is no point to anything, then it must - by its own words - condemn itself. There can be no exception in this. Nihilism eschews putting one foot in front of the others to obtain that distant thingy in favor of staying put. But since 'do nothing' equals 'get nothing', then there is also no point in pursuing it. The act of stating things as pointless is...without a real point in of itself. If life as no point, then why is it life? It must, on some level, deny anything remotely nihilistic because it keeps moving forwards.

This is not an attempt to rag upon your ideals on purpose. If this comes across as offensive, I apologize for that much. It is merely where my own philosophical musings have taken me in answer to your question.

 

[Axolotl]

It's bad because it's a useless philosophy, it's a dead end. Once you've said that there's no worth to anything and no morality there isn't anywhere futher you can go with that. Worse than that it doesn't provide any insight or guidance on it's own, even if you believe in it you still need some other philosophy on top of it, while aknokledgeing that it's pointless.

 

[WaReloaded]

Nihilism isn't bad. People using it as an excuse to act like sociopathic jerk offs is.

This.

All those "Scene"/Deathcore kids who brandish themselves with clothing about anarchy, hate and nihilism are just...gah. I don't get it when being a pseudo-misanthrope became cool/trendy?

OT: I can understand how some people develop nihilistic views though, through extreme personal struggles, domestic and/or sexual abuse, if they've got PTSD or something similar especially as a result of armed conflict, etc. To each their own, I say.

 

[Palademon]

Well it can lead to solipsism.
Also, it's completely unprogressive, and basically accounts to "Nothing I ever do will have meaning so why bother?".
Also there are different categories of it that you're kinda tripping all over. They apply to different things, like ethical nihilism, existential nihilism etc.
And nihilism is only really bad if you are a member of all parts of it, because I could now basically say "Why are you even making this thread? It's pointless". "Why call yourself a nihilist? A true nihilist would not label themselves so as it would mean nothing to them." This is why nihilism, when used in every aspect, is very useless.

 

[mrhateful]

wow I always just thought this, didn't think it had a name.

 

[Edward_Bear]

Nihilism isn't bad on it's self. It's just nobody is a 100% nihilist.

Let's define Nihilism as the statement that: "nothing has objective value, Because nothing is really true."

Now let's say that every action someone makes expends effort with the goal to make a change in reality.

now if nothing has value, why expend energie in order to change things. both there current state and the state that they would be in if you do something have the basic value ( none at all) and so posting on the escapist becomes useless. But the OP did have a goal when posting here what ever that goal would be and as such sees value in reality.

some people may like the idea philosophically but nobody really lives they idea. Most people who are called nihilists are just people who reject the old values and have replaced them with there own.

In the end Nihilism is a useful tool to break out of a system but like empiricism it breaks down it self is followed completely

 

[Jonluw]

It isn't really inherently bad. But I understand all the typical irritating college freshman stereotypes adopt it. So it's annoying.

Spoiler: Also, smbc is genius

 

[TWRule]

The sort of nihilism you're talking about is more like a form of epistemological/cognitive nihilism, if you'd even properly call it that, not the more extreme existential form which is usually what people mean when they refer to 'nihilism'. In other words, the idea that all life/existence is meaningless. If we remain in that position, human relationships, any sense of common trust, goodness, or rationality goes out the window (which wouldn't trouble the consistent nihilist at all, but would humanity as a whole).

As a gentleman posting a bit earlier in the thread pointed out, it's a philosophical dead-end. Simply declaring life to be meaningless doesn't end our philosophical duties. Most philosophy in the last century has embraced the lack of intrinsic/'objective' meaning in life, but point out that we, as humans, can create meaning, and therefore it is up to us to collectively decide what our purpose/destiny should be. So the adamant nihilist is just seen as philosophically lazy/irresponsible/counterproductive (much like the solipsist).

The same is true of the sort of nihilism you describe (which follows from extreme relativism) if someone simply insists on its point without moving beyond because it doesn't attempt to find any path toward an answer that humans can agree on - it remains in the old way of thinking that only some 'objective' truth can be of any use to human lives.

 

[tthor]

Tho I believe nihilism is a somewhat valid philosophical view, however, that it is generally very ineffective. We could spend all day pondering whether gravity is just an illusion or something that only we are seeing, but it doesn't change the fact that the scientist next to us utilizing the scientific method figured out how to calculate the gravity and developed a mechanical machine to utilize gravity.

I think SMBC said it the best,:
http://www.smbc-comics.com/comics/20100923.gif

Edit: damn ninjas

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

It's bad because it's a useless philosophy, it's a dead end. Once you've said that there's no worth to anything and no morality there isn't anywhere futher you can go with that. Worse than that it doesn't provide any insight or guidance on it's own, even if you believe in it you still need some other philosophy on top of it, while aknokledgeing that it's pointless.

This. So very much this and the post above this one. Absolute nihilism is absolute bullshit.

On a side note, I am fairly displeased at how Nietzsche was referenced here. I'm pretty certain he hated nihilism, and that the ubermensch was supposed to be a solution to the nihilism he saw as an inevitability. I could be wrong on that though. Most people are when it comes to Nietzsche. That dude was crazy.

 

[TWRule]

It's bad because it's a useless philosophy, it's a dead end. Once you've said that there's no worth to anything and no morality there isn't anywhere futher you can go with that. Worse than that it doesn't provide any insight or guidance on it's own, even if you believe in it you still need some other philosophy on top of it, while aknokledgeing that it's pointless.

This. So very much this and the post above this one. Absolute nihilism is absolute bullshit.

On a side note, I am fairly displeased at how Nietzsche was referenced here. I'm pretty certain he hated nihilism, and that the ubermensch was supposed to be a solution to the nihilism he saw as an inevitability. I could be wrong on that though. Most people are when it comes to Nietzsche. That dude was crazy.

You're right - Nietzsche was speaking out against the nihilism that he saw as an inevitable consequence of the scientific worldview. Of course, there are also contradictions in his writing, both recognized and unrecognized by him - at least one of which were he seems to claim he's a nihilist of some sort (which may be what threw the previous poster off - that or just popular misconceptions). It's best to take him as vehemently anti-nihilism as we understand it though (or at least, he proclaimed the meaninglessness of life himself, but then sought to solve it with the Ubermensch).

 

[ReinWeisserRitter]

I'm effectively a nihilist; I believe that life has no point, and that nothing within it ultimately matters. I'm similarly unencumbered by thoughts of god(s), the afterlife, or how the world came to be.

However, rather than moan about how depressing that may sound or use it as an excuse to act like a dick because it doesn't matter in the end anyway (which it arguably doesn't, to be fair), I instead choose to find value as I see it. Having no purpose to life means I'm not obligated to do anything in particular, and that I can choose to do as I feel is right. I also believe that whether our actions matter or not, they potentially have lasting consequences that can make life more comfortable, or less so, for others, long after we are gone. To that end, I choose to make this pointless existence as pleasant as I can for others while also trying to empower them to do so for themselves when they can, and for others.

I'm not saying we should all be holding hands and hugging trees (hell, I can't even stand being around most people), but we could stand to be assholes to one another a lot less often. Our lives may very well have no purpose, or meaning, but that doesn't mean that we can't, or shouldn't, seek to make life enjoyable for all. We haven't been clearly showed we have anything better to do, and frankly, we probably never will be.

 

[pixiejedi]

Think about it: If you walked into a store and told the clerk that you don't believe in the institution of property and don't think stealing is wrong, they're going to look at you suspiciously at the very least. This is in spite of the fact that most shoplifters don't actively broadcast their intentions.

Having been more than a just a bit of a nihilist at one point, I would dare say that nothing is egregiously "wrong" with it. However, the reason most people don't like nihilists is because they don't trust them. Even though people frequently commit devious acts without being nihilistic, the average person essentially interprets the declaration of nihilism as a declaration of immorality, regardless of social constructs and coercive laws. It doesn't help that people who openly profess to be nihilistic are often annoyingly angsty...

THATS the problem, putting up with nihilists is like putting up with depressed people or people who are very zealous over their religious beliefs, or lack thereof. Its hard to communicate or take enjoyment when the other person doesn't see a point in doing anything or investing in anyone.

The most nihilistic people I know don't appear to be able to take in other ideas, but then again maybe they use that nihilism as an excuse for sloth.

 

[Olas]

This thread is of no value or purpose and this post doesn't matter.

 

[Angryman101]

As I understand it nihilism is the belief that nothing has any intrinsic value, there is no such thing as objective morality, and that objective knowledge is impossible to obtain. To me this has always seemed mostly reasonable and agreeable, and I would describe myself as a nihilist on at least those first two counts. Yet I often hear people talk about nihilism as if it's negative or pointless, similar to how people react to solipsism. Why exactly is this? I don't see anything about nihilism, at least on these three core assertions, that would lead people to treat the position with such disdain, apart from a purely emotional reaction someone might have because of the perceivably cold nature of said claims. But that is obviously not solid grounds for rejecting a philosophical position. So what else is there that makes people think it's bad?

Nihilism leads to existential dread, anxiety, and I've found those who have fallen under its sway to be caught in a mire of self pity and live life directionless. It's a dangerous philosophy to have in that it can so easily lead to an amoral, uncaring existence in which nothing has any vivacity and all is grey and colorless.
However, in Nietzchean philosophy, one has to experience nihilism before one may become the ubermensch, or the realized man. Abandoning religion causes nihilism, but the strong work past nihilism and forge their own meaning in existence. This is the philosophy I personally subscribe to, and I find those who believe in nihilism to be stuck in a repeating cycle of a grim existence in which their potential is wasted.

 

[zumbledum]

I think to answer the actual question posed.

To people that dont understand it properly the concept of there being no god, no soul and no point to any of it appears to be a lot less than having those beliefs so it sounds bad on that scale.

and secondly sociapaths and nihilists both intellectually know that morality is actually just fear and guilt, so people lump the two together