27th May 2003

Hi F.

Nihilism is an interesting "thingy" to explore.

Sometime, back I had few people going hammer and tongs at me (now why would that be surprising) on the very subject.

some kind of nebulousness is the only
way i know how to describe it

nihilism could be seen to be a consequence
of this kind of immersion in nebulousness,

I am told that typically the definitions of nihilism are as below.

Some two cents, in between...

Nihilism is the belief that all values are baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated.

That all values are baseless, is that not a base?

Secondly in that very belief, isn't something being conveyed?

That nothing can be known, is once again, a concept within knowledge.... that nothing can be communicated, is a communication.

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.

Believe in nothing and yet believing that there is an entity, which can believe in nothing.

To seek to destroy, is to first acknowledge the substantivity of what is sought to be destroyed, isn't it?

While few philosophers would claim to be nihilists, nihilism is most often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche who argued that its corrosive effects would eventually destroy all moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions and precipitate the greatest crisis in human history. In the 20th century, nihilistic themes--epistemological failure, value destruction, and cosmic purposelessness--have preoccupied artists, social critics, and philosophers.

In all these pre-occupation, the existence of an independent self, an independent entity is assumed.

Another definition was..

A universal definition of nihilism could then well be the rejection of that which requires faith for salvation or actualization and would span to include anything from theology to secular ideology.

A rejection will need a "rejector".

That is why a usual question, when faced with the barrage of "it's all an illusion", is to whom is that illusion, .......an illusion?

That cognizer of the illusion as an illusion, cannot be apart from that illusion.

The Zen dudes, addressed this issue with their usual finesse.

First the mountains were mountains, brooks were books.

Then mountains and brooks were an illusion.

Finally mountains were mountains, brooks were brooks.

Within nihilism faith and similar values are discarded because they've no absolute, objective substance, they are invalid serving only as yet another exploitable lie never producing any strategically beneficial outcome.

That which is then assumed not to be a lie, and thus is supposed to produce a "strategic benefit", to whom is this benefit, a benefit?

Faith is an imperative hazard to group and individual because it compels suspension of reason, critical analysis and common sense. Nietzsche once said that faith means not wanting to know. Faith is "don't let those pesky facts get in the way of our political plan or our mystically ordained path to heaven"; faith is "do what I tell you because I said so". All things that can't be disproved need faith, utopia needs faith, idealism needs faith, spiritual salvation needs faith. Fuck faith.

LOL.

Not wanting to know is faith and hence screw faith.

The belief, that there is an entity which can "want" or "not-want", to know,......... that is not faith?

The second element nihilism rejects is the belief in final purpose, that the universe is built upon non-random events and that everything is structured towards an eventual conclusive revelation. This is called teleology and it's the fatal flaw plaguing the whole rainbow of false solutions from Marxism to Buddhism and everything in between. Teleology compels obedience towards the fulfillment of "destiny" or "progress" or similar such grandiose goals. Teleology is used by despots and utopian dreamers alike as a coercive motivation leading only to yet another apocryphal apocalypse; the real way to lead humanity by the nose - tell them it's all part of the big plan so play along or else! It may even seem reasonable but there is not now and never has been any evidence the universe operates teleologically - there is no final purpose.

That is correct.

Purpose, can only operate on the bedrock of change.

If I am the Alpha, and I am the Omega.... Simultaneously,

..........is there any change, .........is there any purpose?

This is the simple beauty nihilism has that no other idea-set does. By breaking free from the tethers of teleology one is empowered in outlook and outcome because for the first time it's possible to find answers without proceeding from pre-existing perceptions. We're finally free to find out what's really out there and not just the partial evidence to support original pretext and faulty notions only making a hell on earth in the process. So fuck teleology too

LOL

"We're finally free", ...........who is that "we", in that affirmation?

That is why in the path of negation (nihilism is nothing but that), in the path of "neti, neti", (not this, not this)....... there is no completion unless the "negator" is negated.

Which obviously cannot be achieved, by the negator, thus showing that nihilism is an oxymoron.

So if it cannot be achieved, but may occur, ..........fuck neti, neti and make it yeti, yeti (This is It, This is It).

Seems more fun the other way around...