Nihilism in modern society - its types and consequences

Nihilism is a type of worldview in which a person denies social norms, orders and values. We can say that this is a philosophy and way of life of a person. Perhaps now you thought that we would talk about antisocial individuals, vandals, hooligans, drunkards. No. Although all of this is a manifestation of nihilism, there are other, more attractive examples. And the concept itself is much more complex and broader. Let's take a closer look at what nihilism is and who a nihilist is in simple words.

Nihilism - what is it?

All dictionaries say that nihilism is a worldview that questions generally accepted principles, moral standards and values. You can find a definition of denial, complete denial of a social and moral phenomenon and state of mind. It becomes obvious that the definition of this term and its manifestation at different times was different and depended on the cultural and historical period.

It is important to talk about nihilism and its consequences. In the modern world, one can often hear discussions regarding whether a given course is a disease or, conversely, a cure for an illness. The philosophy of supporters of this movement denies the following values:

  • moral principles;
  • Love;
  • nature;
  • art.

However, human morality is based on these fundamental concepts. Every person must understand that there are values ​​in the world that cannot be denied. Among them is love for life, for people, the desire to be happy and enjoy beauty. For this reason, the consequences of such denial can be negative for supporters of this direction. Alternatively, after a while a person realizes the incorrectness of his judgments and refuses to accept nihilism.

Links

  • Nihilism // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.
  • M. Insarov. Nihilism of the 1860s and populism of the 1870s
  • Definition of the term in the Dictionary of Ethics by I. S. Kohn (1981)
  • Nihilism in Russia in the 19th century
  • Article “Nihilists” in the Literary Encyclopedia (vol. 8, 1934)
  • Rybakova E. A. The origin and spread of nihilism in Russia
  • Filatov V.V. Omnia ex nihilo. Fragment from the book “Dreams of the Warriors of the Void” // Nezavisimaya Gazeta. No. 58, 25.03. 2010
  • Ilya Ovchinnikov. Nihilism: a literature review.
  • S. L. Frank. Ethics of nihilism // “Milestones. Collection of articles about the Russian intelligentsia", Moscow, 1909
  • N. A. Berdyaev. Spirits of the Russian Revolution. 1918
  • Ruchko Sergey Viktorovich. Lightnings of nihilism.
  • Nihilist - APPLE
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Who is a nihilist?

Nihilism is understood as a life position of denial. A nihilist is a person who denies accepted norms and values ​​in society. In addition, such people do not consider it necessary to bow before any authorities and have little faith in anything or anyone at all. Moreover, even the authority of the source does not matter to them. It is interesting that this concept first appeared in the Middle Ages, when there was a denial of the existence and faith in Christ. Over time, new types of nihilism emerged.

Development of nihilism in Russia

In Russia, nihilism appeared in the 50-60s of the 19th century. Among the brightest followers of philosophy are Chernyshevsky, Pisarev and Dobrolyubov. It is noteworthy that in a later period, V.I. Lenin could also be considered a nihilist, some of whose views and statements do not allow one to doubt this.

The distinctive features of Russian nihilism are atheism, materialism, passion for natural scientific achievements, denial of the existing social system and the desire to destroy it, reasonable egoism, individualism, faith in a better future for the people and criticism of their inaction.

The personification of Russian nihilism is considered to be the character of Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons” Evgeniy Bazarov. This hero gives a complete picture of who a nihilist is. In his image, the author embodied the social and political sentiments of that time. Bazarov was a collective image of a “new man”, opposing serfdom, autocracy and religion, considering them the main causes of decline, poverty, lawlessness and patriarchal stagnation reigning in society. Of course, such denial and criticism were revolutionary for that time.

Nihilism - pros and cons

The concept of nihilism as a denial of modernity expresses the negative attitude of a certain subject to certain values, views, norms, and ideals. It represents a form of sensation of the world and certain social behavior. As a current of social thought, nihilism arose a long time ago, but gained its popularity in the last century in the countries of Western Europe and Russia. Then he was associated with the names of Jacobi, Proudhon, Nietzsche, Stirner, Bakunin, Kropotkin. This concept has its pros and cons. Among the benefits of nihilism:

  1. An opportunity for a person to express their individuality.
  2. An opportunity for an individual to express himself and defend his own opinion.
  3. Searches and the likelihood of new discoveries.

However, nihilism has many opponents. They name the following flow disadvantages:

  1. Categorical judgments that harm the nihilist himself.
  2. The inability to go beyond one's own views.
  3. Misunderstanding from others.

Taking into account the natural environment in economic geography

ACCOUNTING FOR THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY/compendium according to N.N. Baransky/

When they talk and argue about the role and significance of the natural environment, they immediately mean all and every influence of the natural environment on human society.

It should highlight two fairly clearly distinct issues.

The first question is about the influence of the natural environment on the development of human society. In its general formulation it is a matter of philosophy, in its specific formulation it is a matter of history.

The second question is about the influence of differences in the natural environment on differences in the production direction of the economy from place to place within a certain social formation, the nature of which determines in general the nature of the use of the natural environment.

This question is the fundamental task of economic geography.

Other things being equal, differences in natural conditions may be decisive in explaining differences in the production direction of an economy from place to place.

Types of nihilism

The concept of nihilism in modern society is divided into many types, the main ones being:

  1. Mereological is a specific position in philosophy that states that objects made up of parts do not exist.
  2. Metaphysical - a theory in philosophy that says that the existence of objects in reality is not necessary.
  3. Epistemological – denial of knowledge.
  4. Moral is the metaethical view that nothing can be immoral or moral.
  5. Legal – active or passive denial of the responsibilities of the individual and the rules and norms established by the state.
  6. Religious – denial and sometimes even rebellion against religion.
  7. Geographical – denial, misunderstanding, incorrect use of geographical directions.

Literature

  • Nietzsche F.
    Human, too human.
  • Nietzsche F.
    The Will to Power
  • Baboshin V.V.
    Nihilism in modern society: phenomenon and essence: abstract. dis. doc. Philosopher n. Stavropol, 2011. 38 p.
  • Tkachenko S.V.
    The myth of legal nihilism as one of the methods of information warfare.
  • Tkachenko S.V.
    Reception of Western law in Russia: problems of interaction between subjects: monograph. - Samara, 2009.
  • Rossinskaya E. R.
    Anti-corruption examination of normative legal acts and their projects. Compiled by E. R. Rossinskaya, Doctor of Law, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation.
  • Gulyaikhin V.N.
    Legal nihilism in Russia. Volgograd: Peremena, 2005. 280 p.
  • Gulyaikhin V.N.
    Psychosocial forms of human legal nihilism // NB: Questions of law and politics. 2012. No. 3. P. 108-148.
  • De-Poulet M. F.
    Nihilism as a pathological phenomenon of Russian life. M.: University type. M. Katkova, 1881. 53 p.
  • Klevanov A. S.
    Three modern questions: About education - socialism, communism and nihilism - about the nobility on the occasion of the centenary of the nobility charter. Kyiv: type. P. Barsky, 1885. 66 p.
  • Kosykhin V.G.
    Critical analysis of the ontological foundations of nihilism: dis. doc. Philosopher n. Saratov, 2009. 364 p.
  • Pigalev A.I.
    Philosophical nihilism and the crisis of culture. Saratov: Publishing house Sarat. Univ., 1991. 149 p.
  • Ulyanov V. A.
    Development of nihilism in New and Contemporary times: theoretical aspect // Omsk Scientific Bulletin. - Omsk, 2009. No. 2 (76).

Moral nihilism

Scientific literature says what nihilism means and what its types are. Moral nihilism is the metaethical position that nothing can be immoral or moral. A supporter of this type of nihilism assumes that murder, regardless of the reasons and circumstances, cannot be called a good or bad act. Moral nihilism is close to moral relativism, recognizing that statements have a certain possibility of being both true and false in the subjective sense, but at the same time does not allow their objective truth.

How to get rid of nihilism

Do we need to get rid of nihilism? If we view this as a defense mechanism, then yes, it needs to be dealt with. Excessive rationality, suppression of feelings and emotions are dangerous for burnout, depression or the development of other mental disorders. In addition, a nihilist cannot fully realize himself in society. The individual cannot develop outside of society, and nihilists do everything to get out of society, to destroy it, to destroy the system.

How to get rid of nihilism:

  1. Admit the problem. Analyze and make a list of what nihilism deprives you of.
  2. Remember when disgust for the world first arose. Determine the approximate cause of your condition.
  3. Know and accept yourself, see the uniqueness of each person. Do you believe science? Stock up on research, books on psychology and study the problem of abilities, inclinations, and temperament. We are not such biorobots, although in many ways this is true.
  4. Determine the main unsatisfied (frustrated) need. Think about what tools you lack and how to get them in society.
  5. Find what is valuable to you, come up with your “before and after story” (Mark Manson's definition). What does it mean? For example, this could be raising a worthy citizen of society, writing a book, creating your own school or courses, developing your own website or writing a column in some magazine. I think that every person is a nihilist in some way, but at the same time everyone can find what they like in our society.

Youthful nihilism

The younger generation is also aware of the concept of nihilism. Often in adolescence, children want to better understand themselves and choose their own path in life. However, there are often cases when a teenager denies a lot. This behavior is called youthful nihilism. Youthful nihilism, like youthful maximalism, is an ardent and sometimes even accompanied by vivid emotions denial of something. This type of nihilism can be characteristic not only of teenagers and young men, but also of emotional people of different ages and manifests itself in a variety of areas:

  • in religion;
  • in culture;
  • in public life;
  • in knowledge;
  • in rights.

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In our area, the word nihilism is still perceived incorrectly. This began with Turgenev’s novel “Fathers and Sons,” where he did not call Bazarov a “nihilist,” who denied the views of the “fathers.” The enormous impression made by the work “Fathers and Sons” made the term “nihilist” popular. In his memoirs, Turgenev said that when he returned to St. Petersburg after the publication of his novel - and this happened during the famous St. Petersburg fires of 1862 - the word “nihilist” was already picked up by many, and the first exclamation that escaped from the lips of the first an acquaintance Turgenev met was: “Look what your nihilists are doing: they are burning St. Petersburg!” In fact, nihilism is the denial of the existence of independent “meanings” in any form: including the denial of the special meaningfulness of human existence, the significance of generally accepted moral and cultural values, and the non-recognition of any authorities. Nihilism is close to realism and is based only on a factual basis. In essence, nihilism is close to critical thinking and skepticism, but has a broader philosophical interpretation. For me, classical nihilism is the theoretical basis of minimalism and mindfulness. Therefore, I offer you for reflection the following text by Vijay Prozac, “Faith in Nothing.”

Belief in Nothing Nihilism confuses people. “How can you care about anything, or strive for anything, if you believe that nothing matters?” they ask. In turn, nihilists point out the assumption of inherent meaning and the problems with this assumption. Do we need existence to mean anything? In any case, existence remains as it is, no matter what we think about it. We can do what we want with it. Some of us will desire more beauty, more efficiency, more functionality and more truth, and others will not. This leads to conflict. Nihilists who are not some kind of "baby anarchists" tend to make a distinction between nihilism and fatalism. Nihilism says that nothing matters. Fatalists say that nothing matters and nothing matters to them personally. It's the difference between not having an authority figure telling you what's right and giving up on the idea of ​​doing something because no one will tell you that what you're doing will be right. What is nihilism? As a nihilist, I understand that meaning does not exist. If we disappear as a species and our beautiful world evaporates, the universe will not cry for us (this state is called pathetic delusion). No gods will interfere. It will just happen, and the universe will continue on. We won't be remembered. We will simply cease to exist. In the same way, I accept that when I die, the most likely outcome will be that I cease to exist. At this moment I will cease to be the source of my thoughts and feelings. These feelings existed only inside me, being only electro-chemical impulses, and they will no longer exist when I leave. Further, I recognize that there is no gold standard for living. If I make the comment that living in a polluted wasteland is stupid and pointless, others may not see it. They might even kill me when I mention it. Then they will move on, and I will no longer be there. Being indifferent to their polluted place, they will continue to live there, regardless of the other existing option. A tree falling unnoticed in the forest makes a sound. The forest cannot recognize it as sound because the forest is the interaction of many forms of life, not the organization of some central principle or consciousness. They just do what they do. Likewise, playing Beethoven's Ninth Symphony elicits no response from the plate of yeast. Insensitivity remains inattentive, just like the universe itself. Many people feel “marginalized” when they think about this. Where is the Great Father who will hear their thoughts, test their feelings, and tell them exactly what is right and what is wrong? Where is the finished proof, the word of God, written on the wall? How do we know for certain that this is true, and if it is true, does it really matter? Meaning is the human attempt to shape the world in our own imagination. We need a reason for existence, but we feel doubtful when we try to claim it as our own creation. So we expect some external meaning that we can show to others and they will agree that it exists. This causes us to condemn all ideas we encounter as threats or confirmations of projected external meaning. This distanced mentality further confirms our tendency to view the world as alienated in the mind. In our minds, causes and effects are one and the same; we use our will to formulate an idea, and there it is, in symbolic form. When, however, we try to apply an idea to the world, we can estimate how the world will react to it, but we are often wrong and doubtful. As a result, we want to separate the world from consciousness and live in a world created in consciousness. In this humanistic point of view, every person is important. Every human emotion is sacred. Every human choice deserves respect. Trying to impose your own projected reality wherever possible, out of fear of the inhumanity of the world as a whole, means going against the world. Nihilism cancels this process. It replaces external meaning with two important points of view. First, there is pragmatism; questions are consequences of physical reality, and if the spiritual world exists, it must function in a reality parallel to the physical. Secondly, this is preferentialism; Instead of "proving" the meaning, we choose what is attractive - and recognize that biology determines our needs. By rejecting pathetic anthropomorphic delusions, such as our inherent “meanings,” we allow ourselves to free ourselves from anthropomorphism. The meaning of morality (or any other meaning in human life) is discarded. Such entities are consequences. Consequences are not determined by their impact on people, but by their impact on the world as a whole. If a tree falls in a forest, it makes a sound; if I exterminate a species and no human sees it, it happened anyway. The dictionary will tell you that “nihilism is a doctrine that denies the objective basis of truth and especially moral truths.” But this is not a doctrine, but a method (the scientific method) that is beginning to creep out of the ghetto of our minds. This will quiet the part of our mind that says that only our human perspectives are real and the universe should adapt to us, instead of thinking straight and adapting to the universe ourselves. From this point of view, nihilism is the gateway and basis of philosophy, and not philosophy in itself. This is the end of anthropomorphism, narcissism and solipsism. This is when people finally evolve and gain control over their own minds. This is the starting point where we can return to philosophy and re-analyze everything that our point of view is closer to the reality beyond our mind.

Spiritual Nihilism Although many consider nihilism to be a rejection of spirituality, a clear statement of nihilism is the absence of inner meaning. This does not exclude spirituality, except perhaps the feeling of its inalienability. This means that the spirituality of nihilism is exclusively transcendentalist, i.e. By observing the world and finding beauty in it, we discover a spirituality that goes beyond its boundaries; we do not require separate spiritual authority or lack thereof. It would be wrong to say that nihilism is characterized by atheism or agnosticism. Atheism is inconsistent: attributing meaning to the denial of God is false objectivity, as is the claim that one can prove the existence of God. Agnosticism makes spirituality revolve around the concept of uncertainty regarding the idea of ​​God. Secular humanism replaces God with idealized individuals. All this is meaningless to a nihilist. According to the nihilist, any divine essence exists like the wind - it is a force of nature, without moral balancing, without any internal meaning of its existence. A nihilist might point out the existence of God and then shrug and move on. After all, there are many things. For a nihilist, the most important thing is not the meaning, but the structure, character and interconnection of elements in the Universe. By observing this, you will be able to discover the meaning through interpretation. This, in turn, allows us to make unforced moral choices. If we seek support in another world, where we are rewarded for what is not rewarded here, we do not sacrifice anything. If we believe that there must be a good God outside the world, we slander the world. Even if we think there is a way to do the right thing and that we can get a reward for doing it, we are not making moral choices. Moral choice occurs when we understand that there is no irresistible force above us forcing us to make a particular decision, other than our inclination to care about the consequences. That being said, we should be intellectually tough enough to honor nature, the cosmos, and everything that consciousness has brought to us. In fact, we can only show our respect to the world if we perceive life as a gift, and therefore choose to strengthen and replenish the natural order. In a nihilistic worldview, the question of whether we will live or die as a species has no inherent value. We can stay, or we can be blown away like a dry leaf - the Universe doesn’t care much about that. Here we must separate judgment or concern for consequences from the consequences themselves. If I shot someone and he died, the consequence here is his death. If I have no judgment about it, it means no more than that person's permanent absence. If the Universe also has no judgment, then all that remains is the permanent absence of that person. There are no cosmic conclusions, no judgment from the gods (even if we choose to believe in them), and no shared emotions. This event and nothing more, like a tree falling in the forest, the sound of which no one hears. Since there are no inherent judgments in our universe, and there is no absolute and objective sense of judgment, these matters are our preferences regarding consequences. We can choose not to exist as a species in which madness and sanity have the same level of meaning, since survival no longer matters to us. Our survival is not intrinsically assessed as good; it depends on us whether to do it or not. In nihilism, as in any other developed philosophy, the ultimate goal is to make “things simply as they are” or to sufficiently explain to oneself that one should not confuse the instrument (consciousness) and the object (the world). For the nihilist, the greatest problem is solipsism, or the confusion of mind with the world; our decision shows that the human values ​​that we consider “objective” and “intrinsic” are just a pretense. Nihilism sets conditions for us instead of realizing us. He does not deny anything about the inner meaning of existence, and does not create a false “objective” reality based on what we would like to see in reality. Instead, he invites us to choose the desire to exist and work with what happens in reality. A fully actualized person can say: I have explored how this world works; and I know how to predict his responses with reasonable success; I know that the action will cause some effect. That is, we can say that when I want to cause a certain result, I coordinate it with the organization of our world, and then everything works out. This brings us back to the question of discovering beauty and ingenuity; some believe that beauty is inherent in some approaches to the organization of form, while others believe that we can create it of our own free will. A nihilist might say that the laws that define beauty are not conventional and therefore have roots in the superhuman cosmos, and that artists create beauty through the perception of the organization of our world, then bringing it into a new, human form. By perceiving "ultimate reality" (or physical reality, or abstractions that directly describe their organization, as opposed to opinions and judgments) as the exclusive inherent permanent property of life, nihilism pushes people towards a final moral choice. In a world that requires both good and evil to survive, do we choose to fight for what is good, even knowing that it may require using bad methods and facing unpleasant consequences? The ultimate test of spirituality in nature is not whether we can celebrate universal love for all human beings or declare ourselves pacifists. It lies in what we can do to survive and improve ourselves, since this is the only way to approach the world with a reverent attitude - to accept its methods, and through unforced moral preferences, choose to climb and try not to fall. We must take a leap of faith and choose to believe not in the existence of the divine, but in its ability to merge our imagination and our knowledge of reality. The search for the divine in a corrupt and material world requires a heroically transcendental point of view, which is in the working order of holiness, for this order provides the grounding that gives us our own consciousness. If we love life, we find it sacred and are filled with awe of it, and thus, as nihilists, we can quickly discover transcendental mysticism and transcendental idealism. From this perspective, it is easy to see how nihilism can be compatible with any faith, including Christianity. As long as you don't confuse our interpretation of reality ("God") with reality itself, you are a transcendentalist who has found our source of spirituality in the organization of the physical world around us and our mental state, which we can view as a parallel (or analogous) function. When people talk about God, the nihilist thinks about tree models.

Practical Nihilism How does a nihilist, or one who is beyond morality and the sanctity of human life and illusions, apply these principles to daily life? The short answer is “very carefully.” Human history is replete with accounts of a few smart people starting something good, then "corroding parasitically" and eventually forming a political movement to kill even better experts, thus immersing themselves in something good within the bad. The essence of nihilism is transcendence through the elimination of unnecessary “properties” that are projections of our mind. When we move beyond illusion and can look at reality as a continuum of cause and effect, we can learn how to adapt to that reality. This puts us above the fear of it, which causes us to retreat into our own minds - a condition known as solipsism. This in turn leads to primary realism, which rejects everything except the methods of nature. This is inherent not only in biology, but also in physics and the patterns of our thoughts. What we need is not inherent meaning; we only need to adapt to our world, and choose what we want from the palette of offered options. Do we want to live in dugouts, or, like the ancient Greeks and Romans, do we strive for a society with advanced learning? Most people confuse fatalism with nihilism. Fatalism (or the idea that things are the way they are, which is unchangeable) relies on the inherent "meaning" of existence, denying it any emotional power. The fatalist shrugs and wishes things were different, but since this is impossible, he ignores it. Nihilism represents the opposite principle: a reverent recognition of nature as functional and truly brilliant, filled with determination to comprehend it. This is not a philosophy for the weak of heart, mind or body. It requires us to look with clear eyes at truths that most find irritating, and then we need to force ourselves to move beyond them as a means of self-discipline towards self-realization. It is similar to the fact that nihilism removes false internal meanings, and self-realization removes drama from the outside and replaces it with a sense of purpose: what search will give meaning to my life? Unlike Christianity and Buddhism, which seek to destroy the ego, nihilism aims to destroy the foundations that lead to the ego's mirage that everything belongs to us. He denies materialism (or living for physical comfort) and dualism (or living for a moral god in another world that is not functionally parallel to us). Any spiritual reality will be parallel to this one, since matter, energy and thoughts exhibit parallel mechanisms in their structure, and any other force will have the same characteristic. Moreover, ego-denial is a false form of inherent meaning. A meaning defined in negative terms is as flattering as its positive equivalent; to say that I am not a rat is to assert the need for rats. The ultimate and true freedom from the ego is to find the replacement of the object or consciousness with reality, replacing the voice of the personality that we often confuse with the world. Our human problems on Earth are not the kind of descriptive simplifications offered in the popular press; we are exceptional people, except when we are oppressed by kings, governments, corporations or fine people. Our human problems begin and end in our inability to recognize reality and remake it for ourselves; instead, we can choose pleasant illusions and create the negative consequences that can be expected. If we don't get rid of fear, it will control us. If we create a false antidote to our fears, such as a false sense of inner meaning, we doubly enslave ourselves to our fears: first, the fears continue to exist because we have no logical answer to them; and secondly, we are indebted to the dogmas that supposedly dispel them. This is why human problems have remained relatively unchanged over the centuries. As a philosophical foundation, nihilism gives us a tool with which we can approach and understand all parts of our lives. Unlike purely political and religious decisions, it underlies all our thinking, and, removing false hopes, gives us hope in working with our own two hands. Where others rage against the world, we rebel for it - and thus ensure a reasonable future. Author: Andrei Beloveshkin

Geographical nihilism

There are many different forms of nihilism. Among them is geographical. It consists of denial and misunderstanding of inconsistent usage:

  • geographical directions;
  • geographical features of parts of the world;
  • substitution of geographical directions;
  • parts of the world with cultural idealism.

This type of nihilism is a new concept. It is often called incorrect, saying that by denying the meanings behind natural conditions and trying to tear human society out of the material world, one can come to idealism. In other words, this disadvantage is that ignoring the natural environment can lead to underestimation of these conditions. Taking into account their influence, it is necessary to realize that at different stages the same combination of natural conditions can have different meanings and at the same time not provide the same attention.

Causes

As we have already noted, from the point of view of psychology, nihilism is a defense mechanism of the psyche. And, like many problems, it has its roots in childhood. Nihilism is associated with a person’s non-acceptance and misunderstanding of himself, as well as with distrust of the world. This, in turn, is caused by distrust of parents. Probably, in childhood, the nihilist encountered an authoritarian style of family education or overprotection. That is, a person is accustomed to the fact that he was not loved, suppressed, forced. This gave rise to aggression, anger, and coldness in him. However, at the same time, every person has a living need to join society. Such a contradiction further fuels the internal conflict of the nihilist.

Interesting! The problem of public and personal, preservation of individuality and self-realization in society is one of the most difficult problems in psychology. Not all people can be free, preserve and express their uniqueness within the system, while maintaining identity with some group.

Cultural nihilism

Popular modern nihilism is cultural. It manifests itself in the denial of cultural trends in all spheres of society. Back in the sixties, a powerful “counterculture” movement arose in the West. Then it was based on the views of Rousseau, Nietzsche and Freud. The counterculture completely rejected the entirety of Western civilization and bourgeois culture. The harshest criticism was directed against the cult of consumerism of mass society and mass culture. Supporters of this trend were confident that only the avant-garde was worthy of preservation and development.

Religious nihilism

It would be fair to say that nihilism is a modern phenomenon. One of its most popular types is religious nihilism. This term is usually understood as an uprising, rebellion against religion from the position of an egoistic personality, denial and negative attitude towards the spiritual values ​​of society. Such criticism of religion has its own specificity, expressed in a lack of spirituality and a pragmatic attitude towards life itself. Without exaggeration, a nihilist can be called a cynic for whom nothing is sacred. Such a person may desecrate religion for his own selfish purposes.

A nihilist is a person who denies without offering.

The boom of nihilism occurred in the second half of the 19th century and is associated with the philosophical ideas of the Germans Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche and Oswald Spengler, although their compatriot Max Stirner (1806-1856) is considered the first nihilist.

  1. Stirner elevates egoism (what is it?) into an unconditional good, proclaims any morality to be ghosts and calls on humanity to free itself from them.
  2. Moreover, he is so radical that even a revolution for him is not a way to change the accepted social structure; the philosopher goes further: “We are not talking about a new upcoming revolution, but about a powerful, arrogant, unceremonious, shameless and unscrupulous crime.”

    Stirner, denying everything , went so far as to justify the murder, although he wavered and added the remark “kill, but not torture.”

  3. Schopenhauer leaves only the concept of the will, which underlies everything. The history of the existence of the world is the history of meaningless throwings of will. Human life is a series of sufferings followed by boredom. The only correct direction for understanding the world is indifferent contemplation.
  4. Spengler believes that nihilism is the speculation of tired city dwellers who have nothing ahead.
  5. Friedrich Nietzsche built a whole concept. He argues that any morality is created in order to expand the boundaries of its power.


    The Nietzschean superman goes beyond morality and morality, is outside the coordinate system of good and evil. Nietzsche's formula for nihilism is in his phrase “God is dead.” Along with God, the moral values ​​and ideas embodied in him died.

Russian nihilists

In Russia, the question “What is nihilism?” responded both from a positive and negative point of view. M.A. Bakunin, P.A. Kropotkin, D.I. Pisarev - famous Russian nihilists of the 19th century.

On Russian soil, this worldview acquired its own characteristics - to explain social processes, our nihilists tried to rely on Darwin’s theory , therefore the evolution of society was described from the perspective of Darwinists. Man is an animal, therefore he lives according to the laws of the struggle for the existence of the species.

Social nihilism

Social nihilism is a trend expressed in a variety of manifestations, including:

  1. Failure of certain sections of society to accept the existing course of reforms.
  2. Refusal to accept a new way of life and new values.
  3. Dissatisfaction with innovations and changes.
  4. Social protests against various shock methods and transformations.
  5. Disagreement with various political decisions.
  6. Hostility (sometimes hostility) towards government institutions.
  7. Denial of Western patterns of behavior.
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