nihilism
Pure Metal
31-03-2005, 17:36
nihilism. nothing you have done, are doing or ever will do in you life matters in the slightest. discuss.
the sad fact is it's undeniably true (aside from the whole attatched violence thing...)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=nihilism
Drunk commies reborn
31-03-2005, 17:38
One of my favorite authors is a nihlist. Click the second link in my sig to go to his fan site.
Nasopotomia
31-03-2005, 17:38
the sad fact is it's undeniably true (aside from the whole attatched violence thing...)
Why's it sad? I kinda like the fact nothing I do is going to have any massive repercussions. I've never been able to understand people who find it depressing.
It doesn't bother me at all. I concern myself with my own experiences and getting what I want from it, so the importance doesn't matter in the slightest.
I disagree.
You never know where life might end up taking you.
The Elder Malaclypse
31-03-2005, 17:57
well most old folks are nihilists, according to a recent survey:
a recent survey (http://helios.roehampton.ac.uk:8001/usage/usage.graph.gif)
So what does that tell you?
Squirrel Nuts
31-03-2005, 18:12
I guess I'm a nihilist then. Doesn't bother me in the least. I find it rather enoyable. Maybe I should start hanging out with old people. The kids my age are too idealistic. Live the life that makes you happy because you'll die soon.
Nasopotomia
31-03-2005, 18:24
Just a thought.... How many of us who said they didn't care smoke pot?
The Elder Malaclypse
31-03-2005, 18:24
I guess I'm a nihilist then. Doesn't bother me in the least. I find it rather enoyable. Maybe I should start hanging out with old people. The kids my age are too idealistic. Live the life that makes you happy because you'll die soon.
Thanks (http://asuaf.org/~thatoneguy/idiot.jpg) for that
Squirrel Nuts
31-03-2005, 18:27
Just a thought.... How many of us who said they didn't care smoke pot?
*raises hand* i held this belief long before i started smoking if that's what you're going to get into.
Thanks (http://asuaf.org/~thatoneguy/idiot.jpg) for that
lol. i'm glad you like what i have to say.
Nasopotomia
31-03-2005, 18:32
*raises hand* i held this belief long before i started smoking if that's what you're going to get into.
Me too. Could still be a connection.
Norkshwaneesvik
31-03-2005, 18:32
siiiigh...Nihilism makes me sad. :(
Pure Metal
31-03-2005, 18:48
Just a thought.... How many of us who said they didn't care smoke pot?
i perhaps became nihilistic after i started smoking weed, but i'm one of the people it depresses... i do care :(
Squirrel Nuts
31-03-2005, 18:52
Me too. Could still be a connection.
It's always possible. I've always been extremely realistic person though so that's probably a big part of it.
Aquinion
31-03-2005, 18:58
I've always agreed with nihilism as it applies to the long run. In the end, after the sun has burned out and the earth is dead, then nothing will have mattered. But if I do something today, like get stinking drunk, then it will affect how I do things tomorrow. If I get a friend to come drinking with me, then I'll have affected his or her life for however long the hangover lasts.
Frangland
31-03-2005, 19:11
actually, I think I mostly disagree with the premise of nihilism
it is impossible to quantify
I would tender that we do have a great deal of influence on others... and on the events of the world.
If we don't... then who does?
Every effect has a cause. If we are part of the cause (EG, let's see... okay, if I sell a share of stock, the company loses $ and someone might lose his job), then we are tied to the effect of the cause which we became tied to with our action(s).
So, you see, what we do DOES matter.
buying a candy bar in a store matters... you are, more or less, giving the store and the manufacturer money so that they can continue to PAY their employees and, indeed, remain solvent.
okay, rolling over in your bed continuously or snoring loudly might not seem like a big deal, but if you are married... let's say your spouse has a big meeting tomorrow. So if she doesn't sleep (due to your snoring or tossing and turning), perhaps the meeting goes poorly and she gets fired or she loses the business deal (or whatever) and her company crumbles.
everything... matters. i exhale and give carbon dioxide to plants; plants return the favor by giving me oxygen.
hehe okay, a bit too far. lol
nonetheless, YOU (yes, you) are important.
Pure Metal
31-03-2005, 19:16
actually, I think I mostly disagree with the premise of nihilism
it is impossible to quantify
I would tender that we do have a great deal of influence on others... and on the events of the world.
If we don't... then who does?
Every effect has a cause. If we are part of the cause (EG, let's see... okay, if I sell a share of stock, the company loses $ and someone might lose his job), then we are tied to the effect of the cause which we became tied to with our action(s).
So, you see, what we do DOES matter.
buying a candy bar in a store matters... you are, more or less, giving the store and the manufacturer money so that they can continue to PAY their employees and, indeed, remain solvent.
okay, rolling over in your bed continuously or snoring loudly might not seem like a big deal, but if you are married... let's say your spouse has a big meeting tomorrow. So if she doesn't sleep (due to your snoring or tossing and turning), perhaps the meeting goes poorly and she gets fired or she loses the business deal (or whatever) and her company crumbles.
everything... matters. i exhale and give carbon dioxide to plants; plants return the favor by giving me oxygen.
hehe okay, a bit too far. lol
nonetheless, YOU (yes, you) are important.
^ short term view
nihilism: long term view = nothing matters
Frangland
31-03-2005, 19:24
^ short term view
nihilism: long term view = nothing matters
oh, cripes (okay... extending the lunch break)
how long is your view?
Jesus
Jesus lived approximately 2000 years ago.
He influences the world today.
("Yeah, but Jesus was extraordinary... what did all the other people have to do with his influence...?")
The spread of a religion requires many devout souls who risk much, if not everything, to sell and spread the religion. Perhaps your ancestors helped to do this in the time after Jesus' death.
Or perhaps your ancestors doubted him and threw themselves into debate with early Christians... that debate helped, perhaps, to harden the early Christians, to prepare them or help them to better tailor their message... such argument acting in such a case as a focus group helps marketers sell their products.
and on and on
actions... some actions... lead to events that affect people for generations or even millennia.
Frangland
31-03-2005, 19:29
the Church of England (and how it affected early Americans... would-be Americans who sailed because of it)
Columbus' discovery of the New World
these things helped to make America what it is today.
America continues ... America would not be the same, or might not be at all, without these occurrences.
our actions reverberate through time.
Pure Metal
31-03-2005, 19:32
how long is my view? oooh i dunno, about 2000 years ;)
possibly longer.
ok, perhaps, even in nihilism, some people make a difference. but lets be honest, 99.9% do not. if Jesus (fictional or not) is the only example then that's kinda true i suppose
Atheistic Might
31-03-2005, 20:09
It's true. The universe would keep spinning no matter if I am selfish or kind. In the end, nothing matters.
Pure Metal
01-04-2005, 00:43
bump