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Comments as of
1-19-2014
Hello,
I recently stumbled upon your website about Nihilism, and had a few questions about your belief system.
As you believe that morals do not exist, how do you view murder, rape, incest, etc...?
Do you condone them, as society (which was developed by morals) is what determines these acts to be wrong?
Would you be mad if someone killed your sister, your boyfriend, etc... Or would you just be passive, as morals are what defines what is right and wrong. Is it wrong to steal, cheat on your spouse, etc... Or should the whole world be left in anarchy, where anyone can do as he or she pleases?
Please do explain this to me. I am very curious as to what you have to say on this, since you guys claim to believe in nothing but the power of the human mind.
Sincerely,
a genuinely confused student
Comments as of
12-29-2003
Thank you
At the Internet Encyclopedia of
Philosophy, it says about nihilism, "A true nihilist would believe in nothing,
have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to
destroy." I don't want
to speak for you, but I am bothered by the fact is says a nihilist would have
an impulse to destroy, and I wonder if it is a false statement concerning nihilism. I am curious as to what your opinion is
on this statement.
Thanks.
my name is daniel chairez. I have seen
your nihilist party website before, and I remember having an announcement for
suggestions for 2004. i don't currently have any suggestions, however if
there's anything i could assist in i would be glad to help.
thanks.
I think that you guys contradict
yourselves and are a bunch of nut jobs
uh, nice website, but...
When you mentioned Freud in your reading
list, you failed to mention the man who Freud based ALL of his ideas of
psychology off of: NIETZSCHE! Seriously, read Nietzsche's works and
what he had to say about psychology, and you'll realize that Nietzsche was the
founder of the modern approach to psychology. Freud just used science to explain what Nietzsche said.
Also, the universe is neither chaotic nor
orderly. And it (and you) does
exist. This may seem
un-nihilistic, but really, if you do not except your own existence, then, well,
WTF? I'll try to email you a more
sensible argument, but, as you do not believe anything can be proven (neither
do I, I simply accept that things can be proven, because without logic, science
and truth, or untruth, could not exist) I am unsure how "rational" my
logic will seem.
Discord.
One must make oneself superior to
humanity, in power, in loftiness of soul,-- in contempt.
-Nietzsche
http://www.bushflash.com/pl_lo.html
I know --I-- would support you all the way
compared to anyone US has voted for in the past.
Unfortunately, I'm Canadian. But I think
explosives is a form of democracy (just as it is for tyranny) :)
:)
mp
I'm a time traveler stuck here in 2003.
Upon arriving here my dimensional warp generator stopped working. I trusted a
company here by the name of LLC Lasers to repair my Generation 3 52 4350A watch
unit, and they fled on me. I am going to need a new DWG unit, preferably the rechargeable AMD wrist
watch model with the GRC79 induction motor, four I80200 warp stabilizers, 512GB
of SRAM and the menu driven GUI with front panel XID display.
I will take whatever model you have in
stock, as long as its received certification for being safe on carbon based
life forms.
In terms of payment:
I dont have any Galactic Credits left.
Payment can be made in platinum, gold or 2003 currency upon safe delivery of
unit.
Please transport unit in either a brown
paper bag or box to below coordinates on Monday August 4th at (exactly 3:00pm)
Eastern Standard Time on the dot. A few minutes prior will be ok, but it cannot
be after. If you miss this timeframe please email me.
Latitude N 42.47935 & Longitude W
071.17355 and the Elevation is 119.
WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRANSPORT ITEM
BY REGULAR MEANS OF TELEPORTATION. THEY ARE MONITORING AND WILL REDIRECT THE
SIGNAL!!
I DO NOT CARE HOW YOU HAVE TO GET IT HERE,
JUST DO IT IN A WAY THAT NO SPYING EYES WILL POSSIBLY BE ABLE TO REDIRECT OR
DEFLECT THE TRANSFERENCE. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU BE ABLE TO MONITOR THE
TRANSFER.
Although those coordinates are a secure
guarded area, these channels through email are never secure. Unfortunately it
is the only form of communication I have right now.
After unit has been sent, please reply to
me here with payment instructions.
Thank You
For your election campaign, you could use
the slogan, "You'd believe in
anything. We don't". Or "The
examined life is not worth mentioning."
Carl
whats the definition of nihilist?
Do you think nihilism
precludes having a belief system and goals? I wouldn't think so, knowing that
these things are based on preference, the brains interpretation of the world
and the chaos that makes up our lives seems good enough to me. I have a strong
moral code, though I will use it until I find something better, as I refuse to
believe absolutely in anything.
I guess you could say that the
only thing I really "believe" in is that nothing is certain, and the
only consistency is change. Anyway, I just recently discovered nihilism
although I have been an agnostic for years. Actually I suppose you could say,
I've a nihilist for a long time. I just didn't know what it was called. Looking
forward to hearing back from you.
Sincerely,
Luke
(dude, don't answer me back) umm..i see
where you're coming from. i'm more of an anarchist than a nihilist though
because even though the world is pretty messed up and we're all going to blow
each other up some day, i'd like to see a world where people were actively trying to make things better. +sigh+ oh
well. it might seem pointless, but
as you were saying earlier, it
makes me happy to have something to do with my time. the same reason you're
running this page. just a thought.
-daemonspoken
Unfortunately, the idea of mimetic
evolution seems to contradict your idea that we humans consciously choose our
morals based on our needs. I guess you nihilists assumed, like most people
today, that we are free-thinkers, not bounded to an evolution like our four-
and six-legged counterparts?
Also, there's this certain problem I have
with assuming that purpose and relevance is non-existent. Its never going to be
right. Why you ask? Even if you WERE right, it wouldn't matter in a meaningless
existence, where all answers are equally right and wrong. Your answer is
extraneous.
Which brings me to my conclusion. As a
devout mimeticist, I have foreseen beforehand that the nihilistic meme does not
have the survival advantage to spread like altruism did. Nihilism has no
incentive to survive. Look at Christianity. who wouldn't immediately accept a dogma that
promised eternal salvation should you follow it, and eternal incineration should
you not? Any belief in which we pretend we don't exist, and deny what we aren't
warranted to deny, just doesn't seem like something that'll catch on.
Cheers,
-xeu
Our Legions Sail Onward!
b9 InViD
Luftwaffe: http://www.kalkisarmy.com
Schauspieler:
http://www.geocities.com/benjamincapps
im doing a research paper on nihilism in
school, and i was wondering if you had any info on it that i could use to make
my research paper better.
thank you,
Charlie Tucker
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of
little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With
consistency, a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern
himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words,
and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it
contradict every thing you said to-day. - 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be
misunderstood.' - Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? ... To be great is
to be misunderstood
Ralph Waldo Emerson
You have censored the quote, at least put
in 'foolish'
all the doctrine and tradition
stripped away reveals
either dust and vanity
or love and grace that heals...
Jay S.
San Francisco
Hello there,
I recently stumbled across your website,
and it is really very interesting.
Thanks.
Leo Phillips
anyway heres the link:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/anarchistpunk-nihilistzine_oathmeal/
in the ashes and ruins,\
mark
Hello,
I'm writing an essay on the positiveness of
Nihilism, and I want to get my information correct, but everywhere I look, I
can't find any information on Nihilists in the areas I'm researching. Can you
please help me? Now I realize you probably don't care at all, but for the word
of Nihilism to get out, I need your help;
If you don't want to answer my questions, that's fine, but at least give
some references I can research for the information
I'm writting on how the world of a
Nihilist affects how they use money, how they treat the opposite sex;, how they
treat their families, the history of a Nihilist, how they react to sexuality,
how technology and education affect a Nihilists way of life and whats a
Nihilists sanctity of life. Again I realize that you probably don't care, but I
need your help.
Thank you very much
Sincerely,
Amber King
Um, OK, If you, no, I mean me, OK, If I (or you) or someone (anyone, I
guess) doesn't/didn't understand everything they - I mean you (or anybody not
him) said (or wrote) - like on the whatsa nihi list page - um, would that mean,
do you think, they're (he'r she'r) like, um, dumm ?? I am only axin cause I write word puzzles and have to clue
"nihilist" and now, after reading your swell website, I think I will
use "Page offering condos on Uahu" or whatever it is - that Hawian
island where rich white kids hang out.
They call the condos nihi something-or-other and, you know, list. Git it ?
-your best friend, Earl
http://www.brightoncore.com
New Nihilist Militia formed to take over Iraq
and turn it into a new Nihilist State.
Could a nihilist pretend to have a belief
just to make things easier for themselves and happy? Doesn't rejecting all
belief systems and value systems make people afraid of what you are saying and
say mean spirited things about you which pisses you off and makes you less
happy? Do you just tolerate this to achieve your ultimate goal of getting
everyone to reject belief systems and value systems?
i'm at work on the internet, but they don't want us to be, so
i don't have access to e mail and figured i would fire the following garbage at
anyone who thinks they can "accurately represent" nihilism.
first, i don't consider myself a nihilist.
i do find it interesting and can relate to it on different levels. i believe
that dreams are as important as being awake, if not more. i think that things
exist if you believe them to, and i think that nature does not have a pattern,
etc.
here goes.
do you feel emotiuons? you say that pursue
what makes you happy, and of course, you can't be happy all the time. does
sadness or loneliness, or longing, or love play a part in your life?
you said you don't believe in love, and
you said that you hate spirituality in there somewhere. is that to say that you
can hate someone without believing in hate, or did you not mean it?
I think pain is mental. That if you shut
it out, don't acknowledge it, it is not there. Everyone has probably met
someone or perhaps themselves have not known they were bleeding until they
looked down at their gash or whatever and saw that they were bleeding, THEN
felt pain. This happened to me as a child when I dislocated my thumb at one
point as well as breaking my wrist. But if you were to poke yourself with a pin
periodically, do you think you would not feel consistent pain on various levels?
I went through a period of time where I
was emotionally indifferent while at the same time, far from depressed. I still
have a hard time understanding consistent apathy because it does not allow
people to have fun. Do you consider yourself apathetic, and if so, can you
still have "fun"?
I've read the part on the website where
killing is talked about, but wouldnt it be fun to kill someone? The only reason
I havent killed people is because I dont want to see through the eyes of this
shell that is my body while in a prison cell. I DON'T KILL PEOPLE BECAUSE OF
FEAR OF GOING TO JAIL. Do you believe that fear is real? If you had a desire to
do so, would you? And, if so, if you got caught, how do you think you might
react?
How do you make a living? How have you
found that many nihilists make a living? Is there some kind of source of income
that allows the inconsistent to show up in their underwear if it pleases them?
They can't all be writers and artists. If someone considered themselves a
devoted vegetarian while at the same time considering themselves a nihilist, is
that possible or do they possess a moral, value, or ideal about eating meat or
not, which would disqualify them from being an actual nihilist?
What do you think about liars? I dont care
about anyone telling a lie, but isnt it annoying when people try to boost their
ego at your expense, and talk about things theyve done that they havent really
done?
How do you feel about anarchy (the kind
that relies on morals)? Whats your favorite Residents album? Mine's "third
reich-n-roll".
Are there any bands that you think
accurately portray nihilism?
Bake sale/ cooking/ gourmet nihilism
Nihilism rituals
Design nihilism fooseball
mister fuckhead
hope to hear your response.
i'm looking for footage of buildings
imploding, preferably castles, but drawing a blank, can someone help me?
Hi, we play rock music in Italy, and we
often have a nihilist way of writing our lyrics, because we can be against all,
without difference! Are you interested in receiving something about us? However
I must tell you that we sing in Italian in our Cd...but I could try to make a
translation!
Excuse me for my English!
Free mind 4 a living life; chained mind 4
a dying life!
Flavio - BRUTTI E IMPOSSIBILI (Uglies and
Impossibles)
I am wanting to know from a nihilist if
The Illuminatus Trilogy would be considered nihilism literature. The book is written by Robert Shea and
Robert Anton Wilson.
Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon.
Trisha Dodson
You quote Emerson in one of your answers
on the FAQ page. "Ralph Waldo
Emerson observed that, 'Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds.' (What
ever a hobgoblin is.)"
The actual quote is: "A foolish consistency is the
hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and
divines." It's from his essay
"Self-reliance" and must be looked at in the larger context of what
he was saying.
From an article I found: "Emerson's intention is clearly to
argue that a desire for "consistency" (by which he means continual
adherence to one's previously stated views for the purpose of maintaining our predictability
in the eyes of others) is a silly reason never to change one's mind."
You might find this interesting:
http://home.att.net/~sandgryan/essays_on_objectivism/other_aspects/emerson.html
My name is Kyle. I'm 16, I live in California. Though it did not necessarily surface from my limited
experimentation with drugs, I've spent much of the last year contemplating the
meaning of it all; asking myself why we are here...all that nonsense. Though my philosophies have changed
over the years, I've been in my current state of thought for awhile.
From all that I can tell, the laws of science are absolute
and unchanging. That is what I
feel is my only certainty. We, the
human race, do not know or understand all of these laws, but they are present
whether we acknowledge their existence or not. I then made the jump and said that since the brain is really
nothing more than a bunch of organic compounds, molecules of matter and waves
of electricity, then the gunk in my head is just as governed by the laws of
science as the apple falling from the tree, though a tad more complex. If the laws of chemistry are absolute,
then all matter in the universe must interact in the same manner. If the laws of physics are absolute,
then the manner in which everything moves is absolute, and if precisely
measured can be precisely predicted.
Therefore, the fate of the universe, so i thought, was precisely
predicted. Though our actions do
not go against our wishes, they are nonetheless out of what we think is control
and into the hands of the laws of science.
I found a name for this philosophy:
determinism. I realized that this
conclusion did not give me an answer of whether or not there was a supreme
being. God could have very well
been the one to set up the intricate arrangement of dominoes, pushed the first
one over, sat back and watched.
What did I care though, my thoughts were not really my own, I was
supposed to think them. Then I
heard about quantum theory, and that both physical and chemical reactions may
be a matter of probability, not of certainty. So as of right now I feel back in the dark in my theories.
haven't rambled on to long already, I have one question.
- When asked in your F.A.Q. if you
believed that you exist, you said no.
What did you mean?
Obviously you have consciousness. This you cannot deny. I think your answer, from my
understanding, was just as childish as the person who said "You believe in
nihilism, that's one thing!!"
hey! are you there?
my name's Kris. Let me know if youre still
in this address, we nihilists are not many, so we should every opportunity we
have to meet and keep in contact.
Kris
Anarchists belong neither to the left nor the
right. we are just uncompromisingly anti-authoritarian. Anarchy refuses all ideology. We criticize all
religion, all spiritualism, all moralism, all political ideology. We refuse to
bow before the altars of "God" or the nation-state. We spit on nationalism,
militarism, racism and hierarchy.
Nothing is sacred, least of all anarchism. Anarchy means freedom from
the constrains of our own human self-domestication
La obediencia a una persona, institucin o
poder obediencia heternoma es sometimiento; implica el renunciar a
mi autonomia y a la aceptacin de una voluntad o juicio ajenos en lugar del mio.
La obediencia a mi propia razn o conviccin (obediencia autnoma) no es un acto de sumisin sino de
afirmacin." tomado del libro -Sobre la desobediencia y otros ensayos- del
psicoanalista
Erich Fromm
Comments as of 11-04-2002
I just wanted to add a comment about your
description of Nihilism. It is not a beleif, Nihilism comes from within, it is
an internal realisation, not something which comes from an exterior source that
you beleive in. Nihilism is the realisation that religion, and indeed modern
society, revells in manipulating you into thinking how they think, controlling
what you think and feel etc....opressiing free thought and action. Personally, I
beleive we all exsist (otherwise why would I be writing this?), and I'm not
sure how that came into this argument - the theories that were expressed in the
movie 'The Matrix' do not have much to do with Nihilism. For a wonderful
explanation into what Nihilism actually is, go to Freydis' site at
www.geocities.com/liudegast/nihilism.html. 'Beleif in nothing' is a completely
wrong, misleading description into what Nihilism is. The fucking dictionary
cannot provide any sort of insight close to what Nihilism actually is. I hope
you add this to your website to explain to the stupid, delusional masses that
Nihilism is not what they think it is, and I hope that if you do, this email
will be somewhat enlightening to them.
And finally, on a last note, Nihilism is not about trying to convert people
like fucking 7th Day Adventists who go door knocking coz the only person who
turns up at church is old Mrs Beale who’s gone there for the last 15 years, if
someone has a different opinion to you, and they can state it in objective
terms, logically and reasonably, then good for them, they're expressing
themselves freely and they deserve to do so.
Thanks for your time
Has it ever occurred to you that maybe
some people believe in G-d not just to make them happy, but because they and
their ancestors and nation have witnessed G-d himself? I know this for a fact.
I believe that I am not the person who puts pointless restrictions on myself
just to suit my needs, but you are that one – you happily decide that nothing
has a purpose and there was no one who had any plan or design to the world you
live in. So you concentrate on yourself. Only yourself. You are your own god in
the center of your own universe. Anything that you cannot see or fathom does
not exist to you, and has no factor in your everyday life. This sounds pretty
ignorant to me. Also, how can you possibly say the world was an accident? It is
as if you saw an empty bottle of ink beside a beautiful, detailed, exquisite
work of art, would you believe that it spilled on accident? I personally don’t
believe your webpage appeared on accident, some megabites in the computer
randomly formed your absurd naked figure and your gay careless words of I can
do whatever I want ‘cause it doesn’t even matter. Have you had some sort of
trauma in your life that made you lose all hope of humanity? If you think
following your instincts and thinking only of making yourself happy, for no
one’s sake but your own, you really need to think out your actions and thoughts
and try and understand that there is something greater than you, and YOU are
not all encompassing – that you are not the only thing that matters.
I think I am a nihist but would that mean
I believe I am. I know things happen around, and I am very self-destructive. if
it’s right, it’s right, but if it’s wrong, I will kick it ‘till it brakes.
that's come out wrong. I will have to think about it. love, peace and happiness
colin
i can't believe you can say there is no
god! God created you. "you can’t play the game of life without the rules
of god."
Hey,
I was wondering if you've ever read the
book, "The Dice Man" by Luke Rhineheart. If you have, what do you think of it, as far as its central
philosophies, themes and its implications in general?
If you haven't read it
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0879518642/qid=1033328707/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-2096129-5263063?v=glance&n=507846#product-details),
of course, I highly recommend it. ist gut stuff.
Blahdios,~Jas
To the person studying Nihilism and
Existentialism, asking about the difference: If you were serious about either,
you would drop out of school and spend your time on more productive pursuits,
like watching old Roadrunner cartoons or downloading pornography from the
internet.
- Jim Stiene
99.999 percent of the universe is filled
with empty space.
I am the author of www.justthinking.com.
An online novel exploring life as a convinced nihilist. I am still working on
the novel and i am always looking for feedback. Any chance of a link?
www.JustThinkingAloud.com
Thanks
Rambler
You and people in general, have a
misconception as to what nihilism is exactly and I believe that this is giving
rise to many of the arguments I see on your website. Nihilism isn't a belief in
nothing. This would mean that you believe in nothingness.
This defies logic (which nihilism is based
on) because you can't believe in an undefined because you can't do anything
to/in an absence. Nihilism is also not not-believing in anything (in fact if
you wrote this sentence so that it was grammatically correct, you would define
nihilism, but that will be explained eventually). Nihilism is rather a logical conclusion
coming from the fact that the only way to obtain value is by arbitrary
resolution. The only way to obtain a base value is to randomly adopt one.
Because of this nothing we do matters. Because of this there is no reason to
accept facts as facts. The problem with nihilism is that it suggests nothing to
do with our lives. Nietschze said that the only thing to do was to discover the
superman, or one that can logically attribute value to what he does. He said
that this man would be as different from man as man is from the ape. He tried
to find out what the superman was and went crazy in the attempt. I see two
problems with this, the first of two suggestions as to what to do with our
lives, assuming nihilism. First, we have actually evolved out of the state in
which we attribute value to what we do (monkeys seem to think there is a
purpose to there lives) and to begin to attribute value to what we do again we
actually be regression. In this case nihilism is just a given and the point of
philosophy is to argue which philosophy is the best under certain random
valueless values. Basically its mental masturbation, but if nothing matters and
therefore what you do with you're time doesn't matter, I guess masturbation is
as good as anything. (I know that's what I do with my free time) Second, in the
case that we will evolve enough to attribute value to our lives what shall we
do in the meantime while we change? There is only one thing that we must do. It
is to live. Society and people must live if we intend to be able to attribute
value to our lives in the future. It is through this that we get value,
specifically the value of life. Therefore any philosophical system that claims
human life as its base value must be debated, and the one that seems most
likely to support human life must be accepted. Many philosophies claim this
value such as socialism and Karl Marx and objectivism and Ayn Rand (to whom I
am partial to because I'm reading her book, however I don't believe everything
she says) to religion and J.C. himself (Jesus Christ). Ironically one doctrine
that doesn't support the logic of nihilism is that of the supposed nihilists.
The second thing that nihilists have
suggested to do with our lives is to "test" out certain philosophies
and see if they actually have values that are logically based. This idea, which
was presented by Heidegger (he's the nihilist nazist that everyone seems to
think is Hitler), has a few main problems. It's uncertain: what it basically
says is the world is valueless, but keep doing stuff because maybe I'm wrong.
This seems rather asinine to me. Why did he even say anything in the first
place if he was just going to go back and say keep doing what you're doing
because maybe I'm wrong. The second problem is that assuming that you know that
nihilism is true, nothing within the human capacity is going to be able to
attribute a definite value through reason. Therefore the nihilist who knows
nihilism to be true has no reason to explore other possibilities. At this point
what does he do? He keeps living his life like he would have otherwise; again
nihilism regresses back to a given and philosophy becomes mental masturbation
yet again. The third problem to this solution is that what happens if you chose
the opposite of the elusive logical value, is this not worse then not adopting
any values at all? At this point you also continue to live you life as you
would have otherwise and you don't even pretend to be looking for the
logical-value.
( I wrote in the beginning that the
grammatically correct form of "Nihilism is also not not-believing in
anything" actually defines nihilism. The grammatically correct form is
Nihilism is believing in anything this is so because a true nihilist believes
in anything until he finds the one belief that has a logical value)
Hey there.. I just sort of stumbled across
your page.. I heard the term Nihilist thrown around a bit and I knew I learned
some about it in school and I just kinda wanted to broaden my knowledge on the
subject. I must say, I like your web page.. I found it to be rather
informative.. Now I didn't whollistically agree or disagree with it (if you
care for the input), but I did enjoy reading through it. I have bookmarked it.
I do have one question though. Do you have a significant other? (and/or) How do
you (and/or other nihilists) view relationships? I couldn't figure out if it
was coupled with the familiy view.
but I found that hard to swallow that it would be the same as family..
Anyways, I shall be visiting your page more.. and I very well may have more
questions in the future. Thank you for your time. I appreciate the effort on
the webpage.
-Jason Khano
hello, my name`s paul, i have a Q. re
BELIEF;
in your faq setion you said that people choose
to believe in god because it makes them happy, and you choose not to for the
same reason ; my Q. is about the "choose" part;
do we actually "choose" our
beliefs?
or; do our beliefs simply come into
existence?
avoiding the metaphysics of self / i / free
will, determinism / etc for the moment , i believe that we don`t choose to
believe - or not to believe - in god`s existence [or in anything for that
matter]. my guess is that we have
no direct* control over our beliefs. so if someone believes in god, they
couldn`t choose not to believe. and if someone doesn`t believe in god, they
couldn`t choose to believe.
this isn`t to say their beliefs can`t
change - but i believe these changes wouldn`t be the result of a choice; they
would be the result of new experiences eg; the presentation of new evidence /
'gut feelings' / religious or mystical experience [ or at least an experience
that someone might put down to the religious / mystical ]
* re 'direct' ; where we do have control
over our beliefs, i believe, is in what we choose to read ; who we choose to
spend time with ; what we choose to discuss etc etc [ this assumes some degree
of free will whicw is something i`m far from convinced about, but am prepared
to assume for the sake of discussion ]
the above choices are made, i believe,
based on what we WANT to believe, eg ; someone who wants to believe in god
might choose to read the bible or the koran and spend a lot of time around
like-minded people. and although this isn`t 'choosing' to believe in god, it
could help in the formation of that belief [or the encouragement of an existing belief].
like - wise for someone who doesn`t want
to believe; they might choose to read secular writings, and spend a lot of time
with non - religiuos people. again this isn`t 'choosing' to believe in the non
-existence of god, but it might help with the formation of such a belief [ or
the encouragement of an existing one ]
i have to go - will finish this later
paul
What is your take on satanism, i.e., Anton
Lavey, the Satanic Bible, that good stuff? How do you think it relates, if at
all to nihilism? What do you agree and disagree with about it?
This is causing great distress to my
family and friends, but I can't relate to them, because they don't know what I
feel or look at what I am doing as foolish. I wanted to know if you had an literature or websites I
could visit that could perhaps try to share a minuscule amount or experiences
shared by other nihilists......
Ryan
Why aren't you guys dead yet?
having no point in writing this I
write....you portray a humble nihilist. I too am nihilist after such a short
span of years in thought. Up until march 2002 I thought I was alone in thinking
there was no right and wrong. Now after obbsession with nietsche’s writings
(still in progress) I maintain a quiet nihilist mind.
I now await 2 years solitude where i may
after a time be able to think clearly without society steering. Solitude may
however steer me neither deeper or higher into nihilism because they do not
exist. nihilism is just nihilism.
I'm a nihilist. I applaud this site. The
critics can sit and spin, or stick their head up Jupiter's ass. I am writing to
comment on something said in comments by another commentator. They argued that
yes, the universe is Chaos, but from a higher perspective Order can be had.
Order does come out of Chaos and this can be shown scientifically to happen
time and time again.
For example: In studies on Jupiter’s Great
Red Spot, or storm, and the weather patterns, a mock set up of what must cause
this Spot to occur was reconstructed in the lab. Well, when the Chaotic forces
of the winds got really going...a massive spot began to come out of the Chaos,
an order began to form in the midst of the tumultuous forces. They are linked.
Order comes from Chaos, or Turbulent forces that give rise to an orderly,
organized, compacted spot of coalesced and cohesive binding...or order....
Order forms from Chaos. You can't have
life without death.
Regards, Jeffrey Q.
By the by, I picked up a really
interesting book today, called "Dictionary of Theories" by Jennifer Bothamley. It's just what the title says. I just started it, but it has stuff
like atomism, absense paradox, that sort of thing. A good read. I
recommend it.
Toodles,
Sydney
Wouldn't it be more accurate to describe
yourself as a existentialist?
There is something extremely wrong with
every single person in this world. They seem to be part of a pointless
simulation.
"The Matrix" has portrayed this
idea somewhat, yet we watch it and go back to our daily lives. Yet in this very life, underneath the
seeming diversity in people's opinions, values, talents, and interests, there
is something that makes everyone the same. It is as though this planet is populated only by mindless
fakes, objects that provide the appearance of intellect on the surface but are
based on only mechanical reflexes and primitive thought patterns.
I don't really care if anything I say has
been said before, if it was portrayed in movies, in books, or in the lyrics of
some useless song. With 6 billion people covering the globe at any given time,
thousands and thousands of years of written literature, probability dictates
almost any combination of words has occurred numerous times. Yet there is clear
evidence there was no action, so those words, just like the people who spoke
them, must have been just more fakes. I am forced to use this language (also
created by the fakes) because there is no alternative, so everything I write
here could be misunderstood to make me sound like one of them, but it will be
the action that I take and the dedication that will separate me from them.
In my estimation the fakes that occupy
this planet don't make up 99%, but more like 99.9999999% of the population. I know this because I've
searched, and in my search have so far only found one true ally (I have found
him via the internet as well). But even with those numbers we would not give up
because there is no logic in giving up.
The people on this planet are all fakes
because thesocieties have made them this way. Ideas that populate people's
minds have no logic or purpose. Concepts such as religion, god, morality,
individualism, freedom, identity, happiness, love and billions of others are
all just memes. Like parasites they infect the minds and spread from one person
to the next. They have no point or purpose; they exist without any logical
basis or foundation. The fakes are completely controlled by them, and they will
never see beyond them. To not be controlled by them one must do more than just
realize that they exist. One must resist any ideas that have no point,
endlessly question, and never accept imperfection or compromise in any answer.
We (myself and my ally) are different
though. While we have had the limitation of existing only in these societies,
something has made it possible for us to resist being indoctrinated into
becoming one of those fakes. We have no arbitrary wants, needs, desires, or
preferences.
If this world continues to exist the way
it is then nothing in it will ever have a point. It will always be just a
product of random evolution, one with no importance or relevance. The only logical
goal is to dedicate our lives to increasing our numbers, those that aren't
fakes, so that in thousands of years our numbers may be such that the fakes
would no longer be a threat to progress.
Those that join us must see every other
person occupying this planet as the enemy, and us as their only allies. Like us
they must have dedication only to taking the most logical action, and to
nothing else.
Ryan and Jacob
hey,
my website has material on nihilism, plus
other unrelated stuff, so I'm not sure where you would want to put it. Anyway it's at
http://strangerbox.topcities.com/, please check it out.
Thanks
Amanda
The Hawaiian Revolution is just another
amusing example of our poor understanding of U.S. Imperialism.
I can't claim to understand nihilism, but
I've been reading and attempting to educate myself about what may be a
positive, political type of nihilistic practice and belief. The page I've frequented the most is
http://www.counterorder.com/
I think of the website as the most comprehensive
center for understanding Nihilism.
As the sites author has noted, it's the Bible of Nihilism. Now you may have already been there,
may know all there is to know.
Maybe you refute that even nihilistic philosophy has any more meaning
than existentialism or all the other 'isms that grew out of the last century;
then again, maybe you'll like it!
If not, I guess you'll hate it.
Back to the point, it may be interesting discussion for this site’s
members, you might learn something, you might help me learn something about
it. I plan to check this site
thoroughly for furthering my counter-cultural, anti-established,
intellectualistic, or is that (anti-intellectualistic) growth! If my ignorance doesn't get in the way,
and my schizoeffective-diseased brain doesn't frustrate me, I may just learn a
thing or two about living 'against the grain'--as Bad Religion would state it.
Herr Niemond
Mr. Nobody
Hi
Im brad
i have a stupid question, Can i keep my
empathy to humanity and still be a nihilist, i dont like to see human or any
kind of suffering because it hurts me, i wont hurt someone else cause i dont
like hurting people, a purely selfish reason, not because the law or any other
socio-religo-economic system tells me to , and not because i feel it is right
to be empathic but rather it suits my own misguided needs.
Anyway just curious.
I have been ocasionally visiting this
site. This site has changed the way of my life flowing. Thank you for being you
are.
Nice Özgürce
tikle
Greetings. I just want to let you know
right off that I consider myself a nihilist as well. I was reading you FAQ section
of your web site and I noticed mention of Hitler. I thought I might tell you an
interesting fact about him in the case you may want to put it up. The person
whose message you have up there called him a crazed nazi or something of the
sort. Well, he was actually a firm Catholic. In fact, in one of his more famous
speeches actually stated that he was always a Catholic and always would be. You
might want to tell these theists that before they blame Nihilism for all the
problems of the world. Thanks.
Nihlists? You sound like a bunch of
fucking assholes who own computers, why not do the world a favor and go jump in
a river you mongrels.
John
Greetings. Excellent web site. It was very
informative. I have always looked
at the world from a nihilist perspective but now i have a name for it.
A quick question: Where does the
word nihilism come from? What is 'nihil'?
This is the only piece of information missing from your website. Keep up
the good work.
Michael
hi,
I just ran over your FAQs page and it's
appauling to me how narrow minded some individuals are about nihilism, over
simplifying the definition into simply beliving in nothing, when infact your page
opens up with a pretty consise and agreeable definition. Perhaps your FAQs should
open up with a reminder to read that definition. You seem to get an
overwhelming amount of questions on, how can you not belive in existing if you
exist yourself? In my view of nihilism (note: I'm not a nihilist so I don't
know how laudable you'll find this), there isn't the nessicary belief in not
existing, just simply that you can't prove it with the knowledge and morals of
the human experience.
People also talk about, how can you even do anything if you don't belive
in anything, shouldn't you just do nothing. Again, it's not a belief in
nothing, it's the belief that there is no purpose, no reason, to your actions.
It doesn't mean that you can't do anything, it just means that when you do,
there's no real reason. So, it's almost hedonistic.
In a way I see nihilism as a very optimistic way of
thought. If you don't belive in anything, there are no moral repercussions
afterwards. This can explain why many nihilists can be violent. However this
also means that you have no fear of Hell, Karma, or Judgment Day. You don't
have to watch your back in fear.
I really liked your explination of consistency and
that nihilists are not evil because they don't belive in evil. It's good to see
that there is a source of information dispelling sterotypes about nihilism
coming from a nihilist in a non-docturnal fashion.
Thanks,
Eric
Nietzsche explains my recent experience as
seasickness in Beyond Good and Evil.
love your site, im an athiest, but the
quote "consistantcy is the hobgoblin
of small minds" says it all. your site reminds me of the movie
about Andy Kaufman, Man on the Moon.
The whole joke on the joker thing i guess. Anyway, well done. The higher the
Fewer!
I stumbled across your webpage today. I
feel I should thank you. For now I
have a name to discribe my belief structure. I was reading in your
FAQ's section. Someone asked you
if you are depressed all the time. I was very happy to read your response because I feel like a stronger,
"Free" person in knowing
that society and morals are based on a lie. I am not saying I have it all figured out but I have always
felt that our existence on this planet
is completely meaningless. There is no point to it all. One person
might find this depressing but I
find it exalting. Good work, and thanks for the very informative web site! I am eager to learn more about
Nihilism.
Sincerly,
Michael
Dear Mr. Shapiro
Thank you for your most interesting Web
site(s). I enjoy your humour and
your philosophy. Sounds like fun!
Just a few minor comments/questions:
1. the choice of guns
I read your FAQ page, and just would like
to note the paradox (?) of being a Nihilist in a specific time and place. In
Japan where I live, as in many countries, guns do not have the symbolic depth
and meaning that they have for American, say, Internet viewers. Thus, the gun
connotation may express humour and irony for an educated American (who has read
your FAQ page), but it certainly means nothing but sheer horror (of the object
itself, and its sometimes consequences) and other value negatives (sorry for
the misuse here, perhaps, of one of the Nihilist's most interesting and
fruitful words). Is there any way to provide a balance to the gun by having
your character hold another object in his other hand? Or would the gun always
take precedence, meaning that whatever was held in the other hand was now
threatened, and would ultimately be annihilated, by the power inherent in the
action of that gun?
For what it's worth . . .
2. Real Audio/Video
Couldn't you PLEASE PLEASE provide some
real audio/video teasers on your page, such as from your 1988 Presidential
Campaign video? Reading is fun(damental), but the tired surfer also enjoys
sound and moving images.
3. One more question
You dont need to provide any answers or
responses to this email. But could you please address in your Internet site(s)
how and why Nihilism is the best alternative to other
philosophical/motivational political (derived) belief systems (or lack thereof).
We are surely in serious need of debate
(still! and even more than ever) of alternatives to the
Industrial-Military-Political complex Modern State. And can and do Nihilists
organize themselves? Perhaps these issues are treated somewhere on your pages.
I will continue to search for your responses therein.
Good luck in your Nihilist career, and
your (perhaps more demanding?) Teaching Career. In a way, if I understand your
presentation and orientation correctly, you are kind of a funky American Gahdhi.
Bravo!
Best wishes,
Robert L (xyz)
Tokyo
looking for a nihilist-list of sorts.
any suggestions, references?
is there an online nihilist mailing list?
thanks, oona
In case you're a busy person, I'll keep
this brief.
There is a chance you get plenty of 'this
is my long, amazing tale of how I found nihilism' e-mails, so I'll save you
from my complicated, but probably quite typical, story.
Just writing to say that your site has
been really helpful and a great source of cool links. So keep it up! I will
also quickly mention that in your "Questions People Ask Me About
Nihilism" -LOL!- I couldn't relate more, very well put! What is wrong with
people!? Some of the questions people ask me at work are *so* absurd that just
finding some common ground to actually communicate the answer takes longer than
answering the damn question. That is, when it doesn't end in yet another debate
hehe...
Most importantly, I wanted to ask if you
know of any good forums concerning Nihilism that you would recommend? Clubs,
groups, e-mail discussions, anything really...
Thanks for your time,
Another Slightly Conscious Primate
Assigned The Name
'Morgan' For Social Convenience And Order
Hello, My name is Kevin and I am very intrigued about your view of
the world, and your belief (sort-of-say) of having no belief whatsoever. I am starting a paper on the roots of
nihilism, and what exactly is "nihilism" and I would be glad for some
first hand sources and input. Of
course like everyone else, nihilism confuses me. I don't understand how it came to be or how you or anyone
else lives with it. Personally I
don't think you guys can have any opinion, or any original thoughts of your own
on any matter because you believe in nothing. The whole purpose of living (again my personal opinion) is
belief, in order to live your life, you must live your life for something. One question arives from this though.
What is the difference between nihilism and atheism? Is there a difference
even? Ever since watching the
movies "The Big Lebowki" and "Fight Club" I have been
interested and intrigued by the thought of nihilism as, well, a belief system,
or a "way of life".
Thank you for reading this letter out and I would appriciate a response.
Again thank you for your time
Kevin
Hey man, nice Web site. Here's a little something for you.
Shit.
I don't know what the fuck I am. I was first labeled Vincent. That's my name. Eventually I came to know myself as a
Catholic. Vinny, the Catholic, if you will. But I observed things that made me question who I was.
So I began my mental evolution...or some
shit like that. Today, I am 24
years old. Since I was 11, I've
been many things. I've been a
satanist, a necromancer, a mage.
I've been an alien, a clairvoyant, a part of some unnamable energy. I've been a freethinker, an agnostic,
an atheist. I've been a scientist,
a skeptic and now, maybe a fucking nihilist. I don't know what the fuck I am because I don't know what
the fuck is going on. My
frustrations are intense and great in number. I'm experiencing increasing difficulty in coping with this
shit. And the terrible irony for
me is that I don't want to die.
Despite the fact that life basically fucking pisses me off and I walk
around continuously cheapening my existence by just thinking about it...I still
don't want to end it.
Because I know that when I die, whatever
the fuck this is, is going to end. And that thought sickens me. It makes me
fucking ill.
As much I try to enjoy myself...and as
much as I try console myself with the cold simple fact that "Well, when
you're dead, you won't even know it," I'm still reminded of the futility
of it all.
I want to know more about this life, this
universe, this "whatever-the-fuck-you-want-to-call-it" more than
anything else. But the only thing I really know is that I'll "NEVER
KNOW" and I'm going to fucking pack my bags someday and travel into
"ENDLESS FUCKING NIGHT."
SHIT!!
Do you stop at stop signs?
Hello
In the midst of my research on the
subjects of Nihilism and Hedonism, I came across your web page. I read the
FAQ's section and found it pretty informative. I have compiled a list of the
top 10 questions to ask of any philosophy to get a better understanding of them.
1 What is human nature? (Are we evil? Are
we good?)
2 Is the mind distinct from the body?
3 What is real? (What is the nature of
reality?)
4 Do humans have free will?
5 Does God Exist?
6 Does knowledge depend on experience?
7 Does Science give us truth? (Can we
access the truth?)
8 Is morality relative? (Can we define
right & wrong?)
9 What justifies the state? (Is government
needed? It is it natural or artificial?)
10 What is the meaning of life?
I'm anxious to hear your responses. Thank
you for your time!
Reese Holland
1. Isn't this the only question left for
the nihilist: when should I commit suicide?
2. Are you sure the ultimate reason a
person ascribes to nihilism is not simply that he wants to convince himself he
will never be held accountable to a self-existent, eternal judge of the
universe?
Interesting page. I think we might share some
of the same ideas but probably not all of them. While going over the
revolutionary philosophies in my Modern History of Russia class we touched
briefly on the Nihilists. One reason they failed was because they were very
much into ideas but not really into action. I thought I had heard of just about
every third party in the U.S. but then I found the Nihilist Party page. I wish
you luck in the future. You surely know more about art than I do but your
comments about Dadaism (on the FAQ) reminded me of the Russian Futurists. Are
they related? The Futurists are from the first decade of the 20th Cent. They
were known for their untraditional and controversial art. They would claim that
they were here to throw the traditional Russian artists over board from the
ship of modernity. Along with their 2-D art they were also known for street
theater during which they would scream obscenities and throw food at their
audience.
You are Loved
I want you to know that there is someone
who loves you very much. That's important to know in the " dog eat dog
world " in which we live. We spend our lives trying to earn love and
respect and somehow we never seem to "measure up". It's wonderful to
be loved without reservation, without having to learn it. We are loved, not
because we are good, not because we have lived up to expectations, and not
because we've tried to live a good
life, but we are loved just like we are...faults and all. God has put a high
value on our lives in that He gave His son to die on a cross to pay the penalty
for all our sins. He has a very high purpose for yor life!
After 42 years of struggling with the
meaning of life and what the purpose of my life should be, I met a man named
Jesus and He changed my life. It has been wonderful to be loved unconditionally
and to finally realize the meaning
of life itself. I'm writing
you to share this love and to let
you know that you are a very special person in the sight of God. He only wants
good for you and wants to help you in all of your trials.
The Holy Bible tells us in the book of
Romans, chapter 3 verse 23...
[he goes on for a while here. I just thought I'd shorten it a bit]
I am starting a FREE monthly letter which
is called " Encouraging Words " . It is a short letter which I hope
will encourage and challenge you in your walk with the Lord. You may
subscribe to the letter by writing
me at jkeyton@btamail.net.cn Put
subscribe in the subject line and any comments or questions. Whatever your
decision, remember that God loves you and He is greater than any problem you
have!
If this letter has inconvenienced you or
offended you in any way, I apologize and promise you that unless you subscribe
to the letter , you will not receive any other mail from me.
God Bless You,
Jimmy Keyton
(1) Nihilism states: existence has no
meaning or purpose. By logical
extension, Nihilism has no meaning or purpose.
(2) Nihilism, by pretense, is a
philosophy/world view designed to explain the meaning and purpose of existense.
(3) The pretense associated with Nihilism
is inconsistent with the logical extension of Nihilism in (1).
(4) Therefor, Nihilism is intrinsically
inconsistent.
I forget where I was going with this whole
thing... ah shit!
good evening.. I am an aspiring nihilist..
i use the term 'aspiring' to respect the absolution of real nihilists.. I am
not yet a nihilist.. though i hold the beliefs...; I don't however have much
information about thoughts and beliefs / values,,, Can you offer some document
attachments or URL forwards.. Many thanks..
hey, im not sure is this is the email for
forum postings or what but i just have a few questions i hope you can answer in
an email reply since i'm very intrigued by nihilism; i hope i can make my
questions clear but it's kind of tricky when talking about a paradox way of
life.
first of all, do you find that you have to
make an effort to be nihilist? beliefs are integrated in society that i'd
suspect some beliefs have been forced into you from an early age and that you'd
have to make a direct effort to purge yourself of them.
can anyone be a nihilist or does it take a
certain kind of person (based on perspective and way of thinking) to be a
nihilist?
do you feel like beliefs are a burden and
that nihilism is like having a weight lifted off your shoulders?
and finally does nihilism go hand in hand with
apathy? do you see any similarities in your behavior with the taoists who
believe you should just go with the flow?
obviously you can tell im not a nihilist
because if i was why would i care enough to bother you with these questions, but
i hope you find the time to write back with some replies.
thanks
I took a quick look at your site and I
might be back. You should keep
your feelers out for canaDADA.org,
which will be a socially driven, absurd and political, Canadian, art-based site. The site isn't up yet, but after
I've got a few projecs off the
ground in the real world, the web stuff will become a forum of exchange and documentation open to all.
jc in Montreal.
Remember me? I'm the person who was asking
for your permission about a month ago to use the stuff you've posted on your
site. Turns out, it worked. Worked great, as a matter of fact. It backed up or
even answered lots of the mind-boggling questions, or rather, de-answer (oops,
the lack of vocabulary) them.
Anyways, I really do need to ask you one
more thing. No, no, no! Don't give me any of that apathy crap! I do think you
should consider. There is only one
vital answer to a very heavy question that me and my groupmates can't figure
out no matter how many mat'ls we've already gone through. That is, those that
are available to us. Question: How could you disprove your existence when you
have knowledge of your birth? When your mother carries the memories AND the
pains of YOUR birth? When birth just makes all things... tangible?
Hasta la vista
Comments as of 12-25-2001
Hello!
for the past few months I have been studding Albert Camus' The Stranger in my
English class and now I have to write a paper on nihilism vs. existentialism.
Do You have any thoughts? Are these two philosophies more alike or different?
SJ
just
one question: i'm an anarchist, which in some circumstances is parallel with
nihilism, and in some cases not...my question is if a nihilist feels emotion,
or allows him/herself to feel emotion...i know that, although i hate the
establishment and religion and authority in general, i don't believe i am a
nihilist in the actual definition.
thanks!
Craig
Greetings
Okay so the universe is Chaotic, that is true. But when you look at it from a
high enough perspective you see that in that in Chaos there is order. This
order pervades all. Infinitely outwards, Infinitely inwards. From the Atom to
the Galaxy. Although we cannot visably see the connectivity, we are still part
of it. We are not independent entities. Life is Chotically creative. See that
as meaningful or meaningless. It is still the same elephant, just seen from
different angles. Open your eyes and look at the symbolic evidence. The sun
cares for the tree, the tree gives us oxygen, the Mother loves her child. Life
experiencing itself, through itself. Always creating always rejoicing. There is
one force that pervades all. Love.
Do not be afraid to open yourself. Pain is what guides us. To feel is to be
alive. If you resent compassion somewhere along the line you did not get
enough, so you tried to tell yourself that you did not need it. Nothing can
live without the Sun.
I just wrote to add a little sunshine. Be well.
there are no words for an ignorant self centerd fool or fools whom belive in this garbage! we are all here on earth and a part of one another, whether in the image of God almighty or flakseed! but we do grow in faith that one day there is salvation! We are here to help one another grow and learn from our salvations or our failures,without that we would not exsist!!! Grow and learn! open yourself too a new point of veiw!!!
I
took a quick look at your site and I might be back. You should keep your
feelers out for canaDADA.org, which will be a socially driven, absurd and
political, Canadian, art-based site. The site isn't up yet, but after I've got
a few projects off the ground in the real world, the web stuff will become a
forum of exchange and documentation open to all.
jc in Montreal.
Hi
I was just suprised that you didn't have the book "Notes from the
Underground" by Dostoyevsky on your reading list. This is my favorite book
and many of the ideas you have expressed are discussed in length in the book. I
was just wondering if you have read it or if you purposely left it off the
site. I like your site but I find myself cringing every time I see nihilism as
a label. I guess it's the easyest way to explain yourself but it seems all
"nihilists" are inherently different. Every one kind of rationalizes
the world as being one of their dreams. So everyones perception and therefore
is belief is different. (what I just said I'm not sure if I believe)
I recommend the Nihilist Glee Club! http://www.angelfire.com/zine/nihilistgleeclub Or, perhaps it's just a suggestion...
Dear
Nihilist,
Please feel free to chat and invite others to chat at otl.20m.com. This site is
dedicated to improving existence by enacting our lives through PLAY. Nihilism
is easily channelled through PLAY to make life more enjoyable, inspiring, etc.
The pages are still currently being built up, so keep an eye on it, OK? There
is a chat room.
Please add our webpage to your list of artists. It is called OPTATIVE
THEATRICAL LABORATORIES...
Cheers!
DONNIE
There
is only one vital answer to a very heavy question that me and my groupmates
can't figure out no matter how many mat'ls we've already gone through. That is,
those that are available to us. Question: How could you disprove your existence
when you have knowledge of your birth? When your mother carries the memories AND
the pains of YOUR birth? When birth just makes all things... tangible?
Hasta la vista
finally
people who aren't religious zealots!!!
glad I found you
now that i've found you we don't really have much to discuss be cause neither
of us believes in anything.
that's grand ain't it
P.S. I'm not belittling you I am a nihilist too
Hello,
I saw the site and I thought I would write because the whole concept of
nihilism interests me. I was hoping that we could dicuss it just because I
would be interested to find out more. Although I do not share quite the same
beliefs that you do I am not interested in trying to 'convert' you to anything,
just to know more. I hope we talk soon. Dave
Hello.
I am also a nihilist but I fail to see why you do not mention one of its
greatest, Friedrick Nietzshe. He has been an inspiration to me in difficult
times. There are also some really great atheist/nihilist bands namely Nine Inch
Nails. But hey, its your website guy - let me thank you for having it.
-Darren
The problem with being a nihilist catholic is that I can't seem to escape the lable catholic. Well' maybe I can, I guess I'll never really know if it even matters anyway. Time for more beer! I think?
I
am trying to understand your world view...but it is a hard one to grasp. Is
there something deeper to it then just not believing in morality, etc? What is
the underlying basis for your non-belief? When was it in your life that you
recognized yourself as a nihilist? While my beliefs and world view are quite
different, I find your web page very interesting... I feel very ignorant to say
that I never realized there was such a world view as yours...
thank you for your site, and the time that it obviouly took to create it.
I
read your Q&A page... well i skimmed it... and I wanted to ask you a quick
question... No i am not going to try to convert you... i just want to find out
why you believe what you believe...I am really interested in what you have to
say... You say that you believe in nothing... does that include our worldly
existance... What about the goodness of man? Like i said before i am not going
to try to attack your belief system... i am just trying to find answers...
~*~LM~*~
hello
i am chris ! i am also a nihlist ! my spelling of nihlist is corect! im scotish!
are the people who ask you those Qstions for real ? i mean they are on a web
site abt u a nihlist ! what do they expect u 2b a christn ??!
lk the web site!
p.s. do you know of any scotish nihlst groups ? or any thing lk that?!
"We
know everything, and we know nothing." I think it says a lot about
nihilism.
Another interesting theory that could relate to nihilism is the chaos theory;
http://www.tryoung.com/chaos/aa-novum.htm
"Be
severe to yourself and severe to others. Suppress the sentiments of
relationship, friendship, love, and gratitude. Have only one pleasure, one joy,
one reward -- the triumph of the revolution. Night and day, have only one
thought, the destruction of everything without pity. Be ready to die and ready
to kill any one who opposes the triumph of your revolt." -Michael Bakunin
-C.M.
Comments as of 8-25-2001
I find it hard to understand how anyone can claim to be a nihilist and not contradict themself. If you say, "I am a nihilist", then you believe that you are a nihilist. Another example: "I believe in nothing." So you are saying that you believe that you believe in nothing. If one truly believes in nothing, how can any statement of affirmation be made? You would have to not belive in god, and also not not believe in god. Nihilism must embrace agnosticism, not dogmatism.
My opinon, take it or leave it. By the way, check out Max Stirner if you are interested in Amoralism or Egoism. (Not that I follow his philosophy)
Philip
Hi there,
I'm currently exploring the world of nihilism, and your site was quite a helpful read. In terms of Nihilism in pop culture, what's your take on the book/movie Fight Club? Or the book/movie A Clockwork Orange? Both portray heavy nihilist themes... In Fight Club, the main character has absolutely no control over his alter ego/other personality, and ends up in chaotic disarray. It also confesses that "only when you've lost everything are you free to do anything." As for A Clockwork Orange, when confronted by why he goes through with evil acts, the lead character muses "Some people take pleasure from doing good. I just enjoy evil. It's not my upbringing or surroundings. I just don't care about the pain I inflict, and enjoy violence".
So, what's your opinion on these two pieces? Are they representative of nihilsm?
Lars
thank
you for sharing your beliefs with the net. I really enjoyed reading about it,
and feel like I have somewhat connected with it. However, I cannot fully commit
to one "ism" but am more a mixture of what I feel makes sense to ME
(and Nihilism, btw. fits most of my beliefs I thought were unamed; no god, no
reason for existence, etc.). So this leads me to my question: Is there such
thing as a "half" Nihilist? poorly phrased, I know...for example,
someone can be considered a Christian, but they are not as devout as others. Is
this possible with Nihilism?? I hope you know what I mean, because words are
getting in my way right now. Another question: Do you ever get lonely, or do
you talk with people who are Nihilists, too?
Thank you so much, once again.
Kels
What
a bunch of pathetic rebels-without-a-cause! If you really thought that nothing
mattered, you'd end it all right now. Life is a mystery -- you might as well
choose faith over despair: it feels better...
Give Nietzsche a rest. Read some Pascal and Kierkegaard instead!
PEACE AND HOPE,
JAY
Hello
I was looking through your web page simply because I wanted to know and learn what Nihilism was. I can certainly understand where your coming from and my questions are not coming from a condemning point of view, rather ignorance. You say you dont believe in right and wrong and I really dont have problem with it but I do have questions or really one question to illustrate a point.
If indeed there is no right and wrong, how or what do you think of say, female circumscision in underdeveloped african contries. Isn't that, on the most base levels wrong, is there no such thing as, for lack of a better description "human rights", or do you chalk it up to social relativism.
Ok as I am writing this I think it is becoming clear to me. Again for lack of a better description I guess "shit happens", chaos, randomness. But still please entertain me and answer the question.
Does Nihilism go hand and hand with Anarchisim
Does being a Nihilist mean there are no ethics to ones being or is it personal ethics. Good lord Im so confused the more I understand the more questions pop up.
Regards
Dean
I enjoyed
your site and thought you might like to have a look at mine. It's not
necessarily nihilist-related, but might have some similarities.
You can throw up a link to it on your site if you want.
http://www.rattlebrain.com/~idletirades
Eric
THIS IS NOT A FLAME, NOR AN INSULT, NOR A PUN!
I'm doing a report on nihilism and the teacher told me to ACT like I'm endorsing it. I have to tell you, I always get excited about reports, and this is no exception. I am VERY DETERMINED to prove to the class that Nihilism is the ONLY belief mankind has as absolute truth. The moment I finished reading your FAQs and personal definition, I couldn't help but laugh my head off. Being a Catholic, your belief to me is like reading the bible upside down. It doesn't stink, and may I say, you can actually convince people. Because of this, I would like to ask your permission to use the exact words you had put on the definition-the interview part- and act them out in front of class. I can already imagine their laughs.
But anyway, I expect you to take it as no big deal. After all, you say you absolutely NO reason to exist! I guess I can violate morals and etiquette and all because you have absolutely NO reason why you should follow those. You could just probably PRIDE the fact that I praised you for your 'convincing' definition but then...oh well, you do know that pride has no place in nihilism, DON't YOU??? I mean, what RIGHT does a non-existing person have to utilize good AND evil?
Again, THIS IS NOT A FLAME, NOR AN INSULT, NOR A PUN
Thank
you. I'm going to have to say 'You're welcome' for you as well, ne?
After all, you DON'T believe in morality.
THE (MISERABLE) NIHILIST
You
don't fight for any side
You don't believe you have a guide
You walk the earth cynic and blind
You reject all ties that bind 'Chaos rules',
you
do confess
Can't you see that is a mess!?
If you try hard and think things through
You'll find order starts within you!
What
if the world is as you say?
What if all things should be astray?
What if you find yourself right one day?
You'd
be stupid not to think
There is a God, a guide, a link
But then it would seem you don't need a brain
Because being such a smartass already is a pain!!!
You
might angry because of this
But, oh! I forgot!
You don't know bliss!
No emotion, no God, no brain
No existence, no life: THEN YOU'RE BUT A BANE!!!
People prefer self-delusion.
Belief in God and spirits is an expression of powerlessness.
Belief in morality is an expression of self-hatred.
The world is random and chaotic.
Magic is only tricks. Tricks are always done in the simplest way, but the eye is misdirected because people love to be fooled.
I have no control over anything.
I am alone.
Death
is nothing.
Then we rot and fall apart.
I like it this way.
I could be wrong about any of these things.
Aren't these believes?
once
i said "there is no truth, no real love. there is no God. there is nothing
to believe in, nothing to fear." everyone thought i was insane, depressed,
and suicidal. that was when i knew nothing of nihilism that was a few years
ago. now i know where i cast my lots.
simply,
john
I commend you for taking the time to express yourself through the internet. It is refreshing to know that I am not the only one who accepts the universe as an absurd existance. You see, I live in the Bible belt of the south(TN) surrounded by fucking rednecks and idiots (all the same)... I'm not from here. But I am temporarily stuck here. Anyway, I read some of the angry fan mail and I think it is hilarious how afraid peopple are of the inevitabiliy of nihilism. I'm looking for a friend to converse with from time to time for the sake of sharing thoughts, ideas, opinions, theories, as well as advise. I also subscribe to atheistic existentialism which I don't believe at all contradicts with nihilism... I most enjoy readings from Nietzche (who was literally insanely intelligent) and Jean-Paul Satre (my dead mentor)... Anyway, it would be nice to hear back from a fellow man who recongnizes no absolutes.
Brian
Yesterday someone that I thought I knew pretty well and that I care about told me that he was a Nihilist and that was very important to him. Well, not knowing what Nihilism was I just sort of brushed that aside. "So long as you're not into bizarre rituals and sacrifices, I don't care," I told him. Today though, I decided maybe I should do a little research on my own since he didn't offer any more on the topic (and not that I blame him after my response). The whole point of this is that I found this site and at least I know a little more now. I'm not sure what I think of it all yet, but it's a start. Thank you for providing some information to those of us who want to know more.
Christine
Hello,
I am a college student in my freshman year. I have recently been assingned to write a paper on nihilism, so far I have written some of it, but when I refered to religon as being a point against nihilism the teacher told me that that wasnt strong enough. He then asked me "what is religon"? Basically Im just trying too prove why nihilism is not true and I thoughht religon was one but he told me that religon was too broad. Should I write about death, or after death. Please help me if you get a chance.
Thanks
Hello,
I'm doing a paper for my AP English class about Nihilism vs. Existentialism, and I think you might be able to help me answer this question: Do you beleive that Nihilism is a rejection of the self, as in you are giving it up because life is meaningless???
Thank
you for taking to time to answer.
~Tara
Howdy.
My
name is Russel J. Faraday- I am thirteen years old, and I am a nihilist.
Plan on doing anything on the east coast anytime soon? I dunno, it'd be cool if
you flew over to SLC and did the Olympics all over again. Maybe have a Mormon
defacing contest.
Eh, I'm not funny. Anyway, your site is a testament to those of us who often
don't give a shit, and a plus is, you are fucking hilarious.
I love atheism.
Peace. -=-
R.J.F.
Refreshing. Truly. Thank you.
Considering God; there may be one, there may not be. But if there is, I really can't imagine It being upset with me for not knowing :~)
Anthony J
I am also a nihilist. I am gradually becoming one anyhow- or so it would seem. "Consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds." <~~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson>
im
not going to say much except that i really need to take a shower. and visit my
bands website if you are feeling really bored and lazy. .
http://www.angelfire.com/tx2/ricksucks
and dont forget to make fun of as many people as possible, whether they are
christians, republicans, anarchists, police officers, or nihilists,,,
because everthying is subject to criticism. even me.
well fuck, especially ME!
one more thing i have a joke that i made up one day....
whats the worst part about giving an abortion?
theres not enough meat to make a hamburger.
Everything's simple if you wish. No one can tell the truth about the origin of the universe, no one really knows anything. So, if you really think you're an authority upon this topic, go fuck yourself 'cause the origin of the universe is something no one knows anything for sure.
check
it out!! late, barcode Barcode Conspiracy News
http://community.webtv.net/barcode-conspir/BarcodeConspiracy
Easter is just an excuse that Jesus gave his girlfriend for not being home all weekend.
I to belive that there is no meaning or purpose in existence. but on your web page you wrote that nihilism is also "the denial of the existence of any basis for knowledge or truth" what the fuck does that mean?
ido
I wandered upon here, am a lover of wisdom, and felt compelled to....comment.
1)
In your FAQ, Nihlism is defined as a rejection of commonly held beliefs,
ideals, etc
........traditionally, historically, practically, this is simply untrue. A
rejection of commonly held beliefs is called revolutionary, or, more commonly,
typical.
2) There is a gift in rejecting held beliefs to turn them on their bellys.
3)
Any nihilistic view that unites itself around a rejection of a certain notion,
whether God, or god, or good, or Good, or meaning, or Meaning, or meaning, only
serves to contradict itself, thus leading to the other FAQ on this page,
concerned with the implicit contradictions of nihilism. This is problematic for
nihilism only because:
a. It serves to illustrate the roots of nihilism in Analytic Philosophy, which
crowned itself in the logical positivist era.
b. Frankly, look, and I suppose this is my point: Anyone who has read an
understood lick of hermeneutics or done some real Nietzsche reading, or who has
ever grasped the idea of "postmodernism" can grasp the sham. After
all, wouldn't you say, isn't this all it?
c. If you get me, you'll probably call me a nihilist.
3) Metaphysics has never truly contradicted Existentialism, and if you take a
side on this, you seem either destined for the ivory tower, or are listening to
too much Stained.
Anyway, relax. Even the most conservativelly looked upon philosophies, let's
say, for argument nowadays, the Bible, either testament, are essentially built
upon the idea that change is essential, natural, and mandatory in some
instances. Indoctrination, after all, is for the masses, no?
A few thoughts.
I hate to burst your bubble, but you aren't a nihilist. You are simply an attention-seeking shyster. You toy with the notion of support for institutions; a "Nihilist Party" is-in and of itself-a contradiction in terms. You accept the reality of inconsistencies in your philosophy because it is hopelessly flawed and therefore useless. And your pathetic attempts to glorify supposedly controversial imagery are tiresome and dated at best. What's more, your confused attempts to make a few bucks off the concept of nihilism with your "Nihilist Press" is repulsive.
hey, good onya for your views and its nice to have another page out there that can sythesise all the demented stuff im thinking and show me a philosophy where it makes sense. the thing is, sure it was nice to have something that supported what i thought and promotes an independence from religion etc but why do you let anyone else in on the the secret? i realise im mainly talking about religion here which is not the point of nihilism but nihilism can encourage independence of thought and skepticism. so why would you want other people to be able to think? is it really that much of an advantage to encourage strangers who you do not know you want to set free, to think for themselves? though i hate organised religion etc. you have to admit it works well for those that use it. the power leaders is so great, why would you want to free the sheep? you cant want to do it for their good because well your not meant to care so how does it benefit you? even if you dont desire the power or control you still need to go to the effort of telling them. do you enjoy this communication which you call art because it makes you feel superior or smarter? why do you want other people to know, nihilism doesnt involve want of control or want to feel in possession of truth (or just intellegence). why did you make this site? also, questions about nihilism, how do you know if you are happy? i dont think i am but hey. is anyone. instead of trying to by actions make myself happy, should i be just trying to convince myself i percieve happiness? if so that would contradict nihilism. how can i be happy with nihilism?
thanks for reading this if you are this way through, i hope it made some sense
Nihilist whine you fucking moron. That is also a belief.
I've got nothing to say, which says it all
Here
is an interesting website:
www.PerfectHuman.com
a website to get people thinking
I have not studied nihilism more than on a surface level. I was just wondering if you felt there to be any objective truths, but it would be meaningless to pursue them, or that objective truths are nonexistent. An example of this might be NASA's physicists being enlightened in the area of the physical operations of existence (or some of). If there was no such thing as objective truth (at least in the material sense), there would be no men landing on the moon. I find the only tangible truth in existence to be material. Would this be consistent with nihilism? If our brain is composed of material, which is at its base composed of tangible physical truth, then wouldn't the consciousness ejaculated out of the brain be at least connected with some sort of meaning? I was wondering if you felt there to be any meaning in life, even if it be purely scientific (material), would this not cancel out nihilism? I have no problems with your belief system, only questions. I would appreciate a response, if its at all possible. Thank you very much.
why in the fuck, if you dont believe in anything,
I
CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND WHERE YOUR COMING FROM,,, BUT ARE YOU A HAPPY PERSON????
YES I CAN TELL YOU EARTH IS HELL THATS WHY THERES NOTHING ELSE LIVING ON
SURROUNDING PLANETS.. THIS IS WHERE WE COME WHEN ITS OVER.... OUR GREATEST GIFT
WE HAVE IS FREE SPEECH.... THETAS WHY YOU CAN HAVE A WEB SITE AS SUCH BUT DO
YOU HAVE ANY OTHER MEMBERS? I'M WRITING THIS BECAUSE YOU INTRIGUE ME AS DO A
LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE FREE THINKING..
PEACE MAN
NORMAJEAN
hell-oh
! from brigette
http://members.aol.com/lumpenilluminate
i have
a question? did you see fight club?
if not, do... goes along with everythingyou're saying.
keep it up buddy. I agree with 95% OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING
Congratulations
on your honest and accessible treatment of this paradigm, but ultimately, it is
just an adult version of a five year old shrugging his shoulders and responding
to every significant question, "I don't know". But what you seem to
be saying is that you don't know, you don't care, and you don't want to expend
the intellectual energy to try to understand. Please add these to your list of
frequently asked questions if you are truly sincere in your conviction (notice
I intentionally avoided the term "belief").
Where did the universe and humans beings come from?
Why do people have free will and animals don't?
If there is no God or right or wrong, is it OK to kill and steal as long as you
can get away with it?
You mean if there is no right and wrong, then I can have sex with children or
be a cannibal without having to feel guilty about it?
Just because you refuse to think about the answers doesn't mean the questions
and problems don't exist. So much of human suffering is caused, not by evil,
but by indifference.
Nihilism is philosophical foot note, not just because it lacks logical merit,
but because it is destructive to the spirit and denies our humanity.
Just try to answer these questions and you will discover that you really DO
believe in something.
I wish all you pseudo-intellectuals would just die already. Who gives a fuck about you whiny ass holes anyway.
Comments as of 3-5-2001
I am a nihilist because i find when i embrace
nothingness, im giving myself a great big hug right back.
WHO EVER READS THIS IM NOT A GOOD SPELLER I WILL START BY SAY'EN RELEGON SUCKS
ALL IT IS.......IS POWER AND POWER MUST DIE NOT PEOPLE. PEOPLE STARTED RELEGON
BUT NOT ME AND MY FRIENDS. SOME BELIEVE IN RELEGON BUT........NOT BIBLES. THOSE
FUCKEN COPS I DONT HATE THEM I JUST DONT LIKE NAZIS. I SAPORT anarchy and
peace.FUCK THOSE SKIN HEADS AND U.S. GOV. I WROTE THIS BECAUSE I WAS BORED O.YA
FUCK M.T.V. AND CARSON DAILY AND LIMP BISKIT AND ALL THOSE OTHER BANDS ON
M.T.V. the end P.S. MY NAME IS DICK LIDE MORE IM 15 YES 15 IM SINGLE AND NEED
SEX!
WRITE@ AOL SUBHUMAZ6082972
...................ANARCHY LOVE PEACE!
I'm an Arizona science teacher/author/speaker/debater doing what I can to fight
creationism in the public schools and discrimination in the Boy Scouts of
America and defending freethought, humanism and church/state separation. In
fact, I debated two representatives of the Institute for Creation Research, San
Diego, just the other night. I'm writing to ask for your help. I'm trying to
get the word out about my novel, 'Duck Egg Blue' (157392685X; Prometheus
Books), which specifically deals with the two issues I mentioned above. It was
recently an Institute for First Amendment Studies 'Book of the Month' selection
and Dead Trees Review said '... everyone should read 'Duck Egg Blue.'' I would
be very grateful if you would let your readers know about my book. In case you
want more information I'm including several links below. Thank you very much.
Sincerely,
Derrick Neill
http://www.prometheusbooks.com/site/catalog/popular35.html
and
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157392685X/qid%3D944790344/002-8864460-3376816
and
http://www.nea.org/neatoday/9904/myturn.html and
http://www.mtnimage.com/~manatee/neill_duck.html
Hello! My name is Jocelyn.
I am a 17 year old girl from Arkansas. My mother and father moved me down here
from Minnesota (I miss it a lot) 3 years ago. It is very difficult for me to
find people that I enjoy and can talk to. If my mother were not here, I would
probably cut my arms off with a dull spoon. But one of my classmates, a
fundamental Christian likes to learn about other philosophies, but only for the
purpose of proving them "wrong" with his twisted logic. He explained
Nihilism to my class with this analogy:
"Pretend you are a tree, your essence is the tree, what does a tree
create? A branch, now your essence is the branch. What does the branch create?
an acorn. Now you are the acorn. What is inside the acorn? Nothing. Now your
essence is nothing. Because nothing and everything is the same, nothing is
nothing, everything is everything, nothing is everything, and everything is
nothing. This is the logic of a Nihilist." I was just wondering if this is
correct. I have read "Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre" and I
don't think he is entirely correct. I was wondering what you think about this.
Please write back to me.
-Jocelyn
Meaningless question: Are you involved in any way with the Nihilist Party this
year? Please respond.
Cool site. I've been an anarchist for several years, people never seemed to
understand what I could want from a world without structure, rules, god and a
reason for existance. I had my own ideas, and when I found this site I was glad
to see that (some) other people thought the same way. I hope someday I can live
my life for myself rather than for a government or a god. It seems odd that
some people never wonder if it really matters if we even have a god, or if we
ever progress as a society. All that matters is that we enjoy ourselves before
we slip back into non-existance, and stop pursuing pointless goals.
- O0o0o0o000o0oo00 (confusingnumbers)
If you don't know what I'm talking about, just consider me insane or something.
I've been looking for two and a half years for someone else who believes that
if logic is true, then nothing really matters at all. I still wonder if I am
just nuts, believing this, when I can't think my way out of it. There is no
"fundamentalness" that is "I". I don't really exist as a
choosing being. "I" merely exist as a complicated stimulus-response,
not as a free individual. In fact, if logic holds, then there can be no such
thing as an "individual", since all must then be interconnected. If
ANYONE out there also feels this way (note, logic must not necessarily hold,
but if it didn't, then well.. you can't really say anything, since we always
use logic) please email me at absintheme@yahoo.com (I like absinthe; I mean,
why not?). I know there are some other people out there who think this way, but
they didn't leave email addresses. Damn it, I just want to talk to someone
about this before I go nuts. I did for a while, but I've been using the hunter
s thompson mindset to avoid this. Works great.
Please respond to absintheme@yahoo.com.
Love your site.
The universe is hardly chaotic or random. Or better stated it is not as chaotic
or random as it could be. Books on subatomic physics and string theory are
available at any bookstore. You can disagree with this thus you exist.
-B.
I'm reading your comments page and one thing I'm realizing is that philosophy
is relative. What is right for the person must be right for everyone else.
-B.
I'm getting tired so I'll be going to bed. Now, was it Nietzsche that said,
"Blessed are the sleepy ones for they shall soon drop off."? I'm
pretty sure it was. How DO you pronounce "Nietzsche"? Alex Trebek
pronounce it Neetch-HEE but of course he's Canadien and therefore an unreliable
source. I love the French whore getup. How can I get my hands on a copy of the
movies from last years film festival? Wait that isn't a comment thats a
question. Relax Michelle they're only words and don't really mean anything.
Great now I forgot what I was going to say (damn meds.) Right on bro, I like
cheese too. With Love,
Michelle, 15 year old insert meaningless label here
P.S. Macs suck
"This is the way i think the world is," is a subtitle in this site.
You could also say "This is what i belive." I'm not criticizing but
I'm saying that this might explain why people don't understand the concept of
not believing in anything. I don't agree with every aspect of nihilism, but it
is interesting, and as valid--if not more valid--than most other
"religions" of the world. I don't understand not feeling depressed at
this notion, but to each his own.
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a
miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." --A. Einstein
Just a cool quote, that changed my life. Consider it. Keep your mouth closed
and your eyes open wide Peace (Even though you "don't believe" in
it.)
GOOD DAY I WOULD LIKE YOU TO INFORM ME SOME DETAILS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF
STUDING SHAKESPEAR UNTILL NOW. I AM A UNIVERSITY STUDENT.
BEST REGARDS
RAWAN ZATARAH
You need to have pictures of her art work! Jill crowely was very talented you
need to show pictures for research purposes.
I'd really like to get in touch with other people out there who feel like I do.
I am certain that if logic holds, then life must necessarily be deterministic
and hence arbitrary and meaningless. Somebody out there has got to also
understand this, like perhaps that person who wrote on the comments page (I
hope this makes it onto the comments page) about living "halfway"
inbetween. We have no reason not to kill ourselves, but no reason to kill
ourselves; true logical reasoning becomes impossible. I feel the same way, and
damn it, no one understands and I wouldn't tell them because I know they'd
never understand, since their minds would protect them from the truth. They'd
wonder why I'm still such a nice guy, although then they'd probably understand
why I like implements of self-destruction like booze and mushrooms. So since I
can never tell anyone what I believe, I have to try to seek out others who feel
this way, although I haven't met _anyone_ yet after two and a half years. So,
please reply back to me if you feel this way.
absintheme@yahoo.com
A good read is "Venus on the half-shell" by Kilgore Trout -- actually
a fictional character in several of Kurt Vonnegut's books. It seems it was
written by some other scifi author somewhere to fulfill a need for a book about
a man who travels to distant worlds, meets strange new creatures, and has sex
with them.
I have one question for the FAQ you've started to write; do you not not believe
in god? What I mean is; I don't not believe in god, I don't believe in god, I
just don't think that he applies to me or anyone else due to life's
meaninglessness. That, and it wouldn't matter anyways.
Im writing to you from the UK to let you know that you lot are some fucked up
people. I've just seen your web site and now I know how fucked up you lot
really are. And anyway, you're not even real fucking nihilists! Why the fuck
would you bother running for US president if you didnt believe in anything (
although in all fairness, you're just about to elect probably the most fucked
guy ever in 'dubya' Bush so your probably quite happy )By the way I've been to
LA and the place is a fucking dump, worse than Birmingham, so why you want that
shithole as your capital is beyond me. Anyway I've had my say so later you freaky
looking fucks.
Actually, I think you can set one up on Yahoo, and then add a link to your
message board from your site. By the way, The site is friggin awesome. I took
me quite a while to find it and I was most happy when I did. We have a pretty
good group of guys over here on the east coast, and it is good to see others
leading the fight against Truth, Justice and the American Way. The looks on
people's faces are priceless when they read one of our pamphlets saying
"Wipe your ass with the constitution, and burn the History Books. Those
old men are dead. This is our time, not theirs!" Its just a shame that we
need something as de-socializing as the computer to socialize. Technology has
really gotten a stranglehold on us. I think the computer has replaced religion
as "The opiate of the masses". HAHAHA
Somewhere there is another person paying alms to the silicon God.
Jim
hello, In doing research for a paper in Joyce's Portrait of the Artist as Young
Man I came across your site. Are you familiar with the book? The main character
is also a nihilist and an artist. Nihilism in the book is portrayed with a more
lifeless slant, but i still thought it was interesting that you are also an
artist. What do you think of how Joyce addresses nihilism?
Here is the church my buddies and I made. Check it out. Hope you like it.
The Church of Ritual Worldwide
Jim
i am very interested in ur belief i truely agree w/ it to an extent. i would like
to quote some of you writing please tell me your name so i may give u credit.
if you wish to remain anonomous then tell me or if you dont want to tell me
your real name then jus tell me someone or soemhting ot credit. please get back
to me as soon as possible. thank you . -caroline
as i read further into this i am finding myself really liking this idea. i was
wondering if it were poosible for u and i to takl sometime. i tried to explain
this to some friends of mine who thought i was pretty nuts afterward. how did u
deal w/ this? also i believe inpleasure rrrr..... pain..... rrr.... love, i
dont really kno but i care a lot about this guy who i go out with i dare say i
love him but i still dont understand how this would fit into this way of life.
do u train yourself to ignore all hormones adn emotion? maybe it is that i am
young but i dont konw. well hlep me out if you can. okthanks. later
-caroline
my name is jason....i find your nihilist corner interesting.....i have some
questions. i'm not a debator or perv.. i'm just seeking honest
information....are you online ever.....? i'd like to chat with you.
I wish all you pseudo-intellectuals would just die already. Who gives a fuck
about you whiny ass holes anyway.
Congratulations on your honest and accessible treatment of this paradigm, but
ultimately, it is just an adult version of a five year old shrugging his
shoulders and responding to every significant question, "I don't
know". But what you seem to be saying is that you don't know, you don't
care, and you don't want to expend the intellectual energy to try to
understand. Please add these to your list of frequently asked questions if you
are truly sincere in your conviction (notice I intentionally avoided the term "belief").
Where did the universe and humans beings come from?
Why do people have free will and animals don't?
If there is no God or right or wrong, is it OK to kill and steal as long as you
can get away with it?
You mean if there is no right and wrong, then I can have sex with children or
be a cannibal without having to feel guilty about it?
Just because you refuse to think about the answers doesn't mean the questions
and problems don't exist. So much of human suffering is caused, not by evil,
but by indifference. Nihilism is philosophical foot note, not just because it
lacks logical merit, but because it is destructive to the spirit and denies our
humanity. Just try to answer these questions and you will discover that you
really DO believe in something.
i have a question? did you see fight club? if not, do... goes along with
everything you're saying.
keep it up buddy. I agree with 95% OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING
hell-oh !
from brigette http://members.aol.com/lumpenilluminate
I CAN FULLY UNDERSTAND WHERE YOUR COMING FROM,,, BUT ARE YOU A HAPPY PERSON????
YES I CAN TELL YOU EARTH IS HELL THATS WHY THERES NOTHING ELSE LIVING ON
SURROUNDING PLANETS.. THIS IS WHERE WE COME WHEN ITS OVER.... OUR GREATEST GIFT
WE HAVE IS FREE SPEECH.... THETAS WHY YOU CAN HAVE A WEB SITE AS SUCH BUT DO
YOU HAVE ANY OTHER MEMBERS? I'M WRITING THIS BECAUSE YOU INTRIGUE ME AS DO A
LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE FREE THINKING.. PEACE MAN
NORMAJEAN
why in the fuck, if you dont believe in anything,
I have not studied nihilism more than on a surface level. I was just wondering
if you felt there to be any objective truths, but it would be meaningless to
pursue them, or that objective truths are nonexistent. An example of this might
be NASA's physicists being enlightened in the area of the physical operations
of existence (or some of). If there was no such thing as objective truth (at
least in the material sense), there would be no men landing on the moon. I find
the only tangible truth in existence to be material. Would this be consistent
with nihilism? If our brain is composed of material, which is at its base
composed of tangible physical truth, then wouldn't the consciousness ejaculated
out of the brain be at least connected with some sort of meaning? I was
wondering if you felt there to be any meaning in life, even if it be purely
scientific (material), would this not cancel out nihilism? I have no problems
with your belief system, only questions. I would appreciate a response, if its at
all possible.
Thank you very much.
Zarathustra01@hotmail.com.
Here is an interesting website:
www.PerfectHuman.com
a website to get people thinking
I've got nothing to say, which says it all.
Nihilist whine you fucking moron. That is also a belief.
hey, good onya for your views and its nice to have another page out there that
can sythesise all the demented stuff im thinking and show me a philosophy where
it makes sense. the thing is, sure it was nice to have something that supported
what i thought and promotes an independence from religion etc but why do you
let anyone else in on the the secret? i realise im mainly talking about
religion here which is not the point of nihilism but nihilism can encourage
independence of thought and skepticism. so why would you want other people to
be able to think? is it really that much of an advantage to encourage strangers
who you do not know you want to set free, to think for themselves? though i
hate organised religion etc. you have to admit it works well for those that use
it. the power leaders is so great, why would you want to free the sheep? you
cant want to do it for their good because well your not meant to care so how
does it benefit you? even if you dont desire the power or control you still
need to go to the effort of telling them. do you enjoy this communication which
you call art because it makes you feel superior or smarter? why do you want
other people to know, nihilism doesnt involve want of control or want to feel
in possession of truth (or just intellegence). why did you make this site?
also, questions about nihilism, how do you know if you are happy? i dont think
i am but hey. is anyone. instead of trying to by actions make myself happy,
should i be just trying to convince myself i percieve happiness? if so that
would contradict nihilism. how can i be happy with nihilism?
thanks for reading this if you are this way through, i hope it made some sense.
I hate to burst your bubble, but you aren't a nihilist. You are simply an
attention-seeking shyster. You toy with the notion of support for institutions;
a "Nihilist Party" is-in and of itself-a contradiction in terms. You
accept the reality of inconsistencies in your philosophy because it is
hopelessly flawed and therefore useless. And your pathetic attempts to glorify
supposedly controversial imagery are tiresome and dated at best. What's more,
your confused attempts to make a few bucks off the concept of nihilism with
your "Nihilist Press" is repulsive.
Please send any responses to al@longmeadowtv.org, as I am using someone else's
computer. But, I wandered upon here, am a lover of wisdom, and felt compelled
to....comment.
1) In your FAQ, Nihlism is defined as a rejection of commonly held beliefs,
ideals, etc........traditionally, historically, practically, this is simply
untrue.
A rejection of commonly held beliefs is called revolutionary, or, more
commonly, typical.
2) There is a gift in rejecting held beliefs to turn them on their bellys.
3) Any nihilistic view that unites itself around a rejection of a certain
notion, whether God, or god, or good, or Good, or meaning, or Meaning, or
meaning, only serves to contradict itself, thus leading to the other FAQ on
this page, concerned with the implicit contradictions of nihilism. This is
problematic for nihilism only because:
a. It serves to illustrate the roots of nihilism in Analytic Philosophy, which
crowned itself in the logical positivist era.
b. Frankly, look, and I suppose this is my point: Anyone who has read an
understood lick of hermeneutics or done some real Nietzsche reading, or who has
ever grasped the idea of "postmodernism" can grasp the sham. After
all, wouldn't you say, isn't this all it?
c. If you get me, you'll probably call me a nihilist.
3) Metaphysics has never truly contradicted Existentialism, and if you take a
side on this, you seem either destined for the ivory tower, or are listening to
too much Stained.
Anyway, relax.
Even the most conservativelly looked upon philosophies, let's say, for argument
nowadays, the Bible, either testament, are essentially built upon the idea that
change is essential, natural, and mandatory in some instances. Indoctrination,
after all, is for the masses, no?
A few thoughts.
hi mike frenden
I to belive that there is no meaning or purpose in existence. but on your web
page you wrote that nihilism is also "the denial of the existence of any
basis for knowledge or truth" what the fuck does that mean?
ido
Comments as of 9-16-2000
Can you teach me more about the Nihilist philosophy?
Just watched you on TV. Now I know the difference between good and bad art.
Thank you:, you rascal you.
Paul Slattery
I'll be brief here.
Once a nihlist attitude has been acheived by anyone, I suspect the natural
inclination of human nature is to either affirm it...that is testing it agaist
other belief systems(and nihlism IS a belief, it is impossible for an opinion
NOT to be a belief) OR...
Create a paradigm, a platform, and an essential "spiritual" tool out
of nihlism. How does realizing the base nature of life(death) effect the person
who is infering this truth? It is a search for a moral lesson, if you will, in
non-morality. And it is this paradox alone that serves as the check and balance
to stem the tendency of the human mind toward delusions(christianity ie...)
The commitment of action in light of nihlism should speak for itself. Those of
the human race who truly acknowledge nihlism will intuitively act in accordance
with the truth.
To dispell with the primal "Hope" of creationism and the afterlife,
as well as demphasising the importance of the role of individual humans, is
something that does not come easy to the culturally ingrained psyche.
It should be interesting to see what happens. Or rather, it would be
interesting, if lived long enough to observe the developments.
Craig Knaak
Cook, Western Pancake House
West Virginia
The FBI recently released a report profiling youths most likely to go
"ape-shit" with a gun at school. The report found that these students
have, amoung other things, nihilistic leanings.
Go figure.
ok , i like the things you say , really . i tthink you're right . but why do
you like guns ? they're reflects of hate ... and don't you think making
websites and stuff makes nihilism look like a sect (even if I know it's not
...) ? thanx for your answers
julien , france
Hi!
There is no truth or if there is tuth it has got nothing to do with the world.
A Mathematician might prove that 2+2=4 (this example is taken out of
"1984" by G.O. and "Problems of Philosophy" by B.R.), but
it's only in his system of axioms. In an other system 2+2=1 (mod 3). And the
system itself can't be proved and so it can't be true. Yet there is something.
Not truth, but something related. I call it fact. It is fact, that if you shot
a bullet into your head, you're dead. And if you deny this, do it and disapear.
If someone says, he believes in God, I tell him: "If God exists, what
consequences would there be? And if you know some, act upon your believe and
risk your live in finding out whether those consequences are really
there." (or maybe i'll ask them to risk some money, cause I don't want
anyone to die)
why would a so-called nihilist
a) run for president
b) run for fucking LA Sheriff
c) post a goddamned webpage
i just don't understand the contradictions implied...
jake
I wonder why none of these dumbasses get that when they ask a question about
nihilism all anyone has to do to get the answer is reverse the question!
ex:
q:how can sombody believe in nothing?
a:how can sombody NOT believe in nothing
just a thought, if that "exists" singed, a 15 yr old non nihilist
I am actually quite interested in what you have to say. The fact that you do
not believe in a God is astounding though! I can not quite accept the fact that
you don't believe. I wish you could look around you and tell your self that it
wasn't just an accident.
Im thankful that not everyone feels the way you do. For if they did the world
would tailspin into a state of chaos and anarchy. The idea of the absurdity of
existence is absurd in itself. You have taken the easy way out of all of your
social responsibilities and have turned into nothing but a hedonist who puts
his pleasure before that of the state. I hope the day will come when you will
reevaluate your life and you will set new morals and standards for yourself
instead of this bullshit cop-out of a philosophy you have stumbled upon.
I do on the other hand enjoy your site and think it is very well put together.
thank you,
jonathon davis bower
Nihlists must doubt their own beliefs, then doubt the beliefs they have about
doubting beliefs. The importance is in understanding the infinite regress that
inevitably comes about in Nihlism. It shows the contradiction of life that we
all live in.
You are great!!!
Any country would be worth living at with you as a president!
I've never typed nihilism into a search engine before now. How wierd to find
someone descirbing so many of my own thoughts.
There are problems with 'I' though. I think I'm only half way there. I feel so
totally the meaningless of life and yet I'm still holding onto my old ways. I
spent a long time getting rid of my emotions, how much easier would existence
be if I didn't feel? But then I did horrible things to the people around me. So
I went back half way. It hurts me and I can't yet find a level place for very
long.
I have answer to why I don't kill myself. Because I'm getting better. Fuck that
sounds depressing. I'm really quite a happy person, but no one would think that
form reading this. Have any nihilists ever noticed how the people around them
who don't know how you feel see your outer appearance but have very little idea
of the nothing you feel?
Cool site, thanks for making it on a Mac.
Dawn
Good page. But what the hell does the fact that you like genitals have to do
with ANYTHING? That made me laugh. You are as funny as the "world."
Do you think that The Matrix made nihilism trendy? And how the hell DO you
pronounce Nietzsche?
Is "nothing" sacred?
You might want to include Where the Buffalo roam his prequal to Fear and
loathing
I like cheese
Where can I meet other nihilists like me? I live in the Los Angeles area. me
I WOULD NOT CLAIM MYSELF AS A NIHILIST I'M NOT FULLY APATHETIC BUT I DO DENY
ANYTHING THAT IS ECCENTRIC TOWARDS SOCIETY SUCH AS RAP,POP
CULTURE,RELEIGION,REPUBLICANS STUFF LIKE THAT I LISTEN TO INDUSTRIAL MUSIC AND
TECHNO ACID AND ANY THING THAT THE WORLD WOULD LIKE TO ABOLISH . THAT IS HOW I
CONSIDER NIHILISM.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS YOU CAN REACH ME AT
jonathan_krue11@hotmail.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME !!
I agree with a lot of the things on your site but do you really not care about
anything? Wouldn't you care if your friends died and wouldn't you feel any
guilt about killing an innocent person?
Hi there,
Here's a suggestion for the NIHILIST WEB LINKS page.
http://www.obsina-tees.com/merchant/index.htm
Thanks.
J.C.
BMF
obSINa-tees
Please include more of those childhood stories. They are the best. I especially
liked the swimming in the shower story.
Here's a story for you.
It takes place on Long Island, New York during a summer in the '70s My little brother
Johnny was selling a stolen shotgun to another kid for fifty dollars in the
back of the deserted elementary school playground. After the transaction took
place, these two undercover cops came out of the bushes and one of them Kung
Fu-ed Johnny.They took him to jail or wherever it is they take bad kids to. So
my father went down to claim Johnny from the authorities, and on the way home
my father took Johnny to McDonald's. There Johnny reached into his underwear
and pulled out the fifty dollars. So my father took the fifty dollars from
Johnny and said he was gonna use it to pay for Johnny's lawyer. thanks for an
interesting site.
Patti
if at all possible could you send me any information you may have on "the
untitled Radiohead project" thank you for the help its greatly
apreiciated.
Even after all of these years and breakthroughs, we still are judged by our
appearance! People are still scared of change or anything even remotely
different from their pathetically normal view of the world! The boundaries
between men and women still exist, and the machismo bullshit of mankind is
certainly prevelant in today's society! When will people pull themselves out of
the woods and accept everyone for who they are! I won't even get into religion,
I will just say that people are sheep, blind to follow anything that seems to
give them hope from their own pathetic existance! They travel in packs, feel
safer in numbers, safe in the fact that they can point the finger at anyone as
long as it's not themselves! Mankind as a whole is prejudice and weak, feeling
safer in their own righteousness than anything else!
I think that no one could be a true nihilist. It's easy to see how nothing
matters, but to actually live by it 100% is very hard because of your emotions
and shit like that in your brain. I think we are like computer programs being
updated every second of our life. We feel like we are in control, because we
are ther programs, but really our environment has the control. Every single choice
you make and thought you have, is the result of all of your past experiences
put together and maybe your biological make up. There is no soal or none of
that shit. There can't be any heaven or hell because everyones actions and
thoughts are justified by their past. How could you be punished for the way you
were created? tell me what you think.
Randy
LIFE AINT NUTHIN BUT BITCHES AND
MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I BELIEVE IN ANARCHY DEATH OF ALL AND EVERYTHING.
Sun.6:15 pm 6/4/00
Well, this is certainly a different site. I like it. I like the stuff you say.
Don't agree with everything, but....... Have often thought of nihilism but
never did anything about it. Now, maybe I will. thank you for the
enlightenment. ( a little bit of zen in there for you) Maybe I'll order
something a little later. And though we don't have anything in particular about
Nihilism on our webpage, please check it out and we'll probably add something. It's
different too. thanks.
http://angelfire.com/fl3/RRP the Lunatic Fringe
ron and rose palozola
roropal@gte.net
Hi,
Here's a good site for your list :
http://www.obSINa-tees.com/merchant/index.htm
Let me know what you think.
SINcerely,
J.C.
BMF
obSINa-tees
I was happy to find that I instantly related to most of your points and
doctrines and etc. Happy revelations for a bored teenager. There was one
obstacle that I could not quite overcome, though. How can you not like poor little
Paul McCartney? All he did was write pretty little love songs so people would
like him! Besides, he wrote a vaguely nihilistic song himself on 1966's
Revolver, though he probably didn't mean to. 'For No One' talks about the
futility of doing most things when you've given up on love. Aw. Other than that
little slip up though, it was a pleasure reading your thoughts on life.
Comments as of 5-29-2000
I was happy to find that I instantly related to most of your points and
doctrines and etc. Happy revelations for a bored teenager. There was one
obstacle that I could not quite overcome, though. How can you not like poor
little Paul McCartney? All he did was write pretty little love songs so people
would like him! Besides, he wrote a vaguely nihilistic song himself on 1966's
Revolver, though he probably didn't mean to. 'For No One' talks about the
futility of doing most things when you've given up on love. Aw.
Other than that little slip up though, it was a pleasure reading your thoughts
on life.
I am very interested in all different types of philosophies, theories, etc. And
before I ask my questions, I would like to say something that may or may not be
useful:
I was looking at your definition/explanation of nihilism and a question was
asked "Isn't Nihilism a belief system? Don't you believe in Nihilism?
" Well, couldn't nihilism be an idea, not a belief? Ideas are changable.
Anyway, my questions:
+ Does the film Fight Club portray nihilism?
+ In nihilism, is their a difference between knowing and believing? Could
someone know there is a god, not believe?
+ How do you pronounce "Nietzsche"
+ Why is nihilism often refrenced with communism or nazism?
Thanks
Dear Mr. Shapiro:
Just a quick note to say that I thoroughly enjoyed your Nihilist's Corner
website. It was insighful and quite amusing. To those that don't "get
it" or can't understand the concept of Nihilism... well, I hope to have
the pleasure of directing someone to it sometime! LOL!
Best regards from the East Coast,
Keith David Reeves
Composer, Designer
petty dreams of forgotten youth who seem to only forget themselves ..a time
where rich suburbanites rape the meek and poor idealism, subcultures and attitudes
that were brought upon by the disgust of you in 20 years......nietzche shitting
himself in his grave
fuck off white boy
Mr. Shapiro
I can believe that anyone takes you seriously! I thought your site was
hilarious, and whoever said that Nietzsche was a nihilist really ought to
actually READ his works first before using his name. I somehow stumbled upon
this site, falling through the void. How telling it is that a Jewish man such
as you, Mr. Shapiro, should concoct such a website, sprinkled nicely with the
right amount of irony. Don't think I'm an anti-Semite, because I am not in the
least. I think it is very telling however. Keep up the good work!
Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha etc. (forever- just
like the non-existent God laughs always and forever.)
-Anon the Great
AND I THOUGHT I WAS ALONE IN MY VOID.
HOME AT LAST!!!!!!
NOTHING IS TRUE, EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
ALLA VOID
THE BELIEF IN NOTHING IS ONLY A BELIEF WHEN IT'S NOT A BELIEF.
this site has entirely too much meaning.
~His Holy Nedness
post script: Nothing is everything and everything is nothing.
Dear nihilist ltd.,
Interesting site, I agree with a lot of what you're saying but in your reference
page you seem to be lacking the most important and influential people in
nihilism. I.e. Friedrich NIETZSCHE. Although he thought christianity was a form
of nihilism as it represents the weakening of the human subject (and its
consequences), he nonetheless thought that nihilism itself was a weakness. But
it was Nietzsche who destroyed the notions, especially, of God ("God is
Dead"), and with it morality. He created nihilism though he then
criticised it.
Following Nietzsche, Maurice Blanchot wrote considerably on nihilism
('Reflections on nihilism' - from The Limit Experience). His conclusion was
that nihilism was in fact impossible, though of course not denying that morals,
values, beliefs etc., were all illusions. Once you hit the edge, you turn back
again. In destroying the world (of conceptions), one inadvertently creates a
new world of freedom, and freedom is a new value (though it cannot be
grounded).
Both thinkers affirm the paradox, that's why Alice in Wonderland, as you
mention, is such a great piece of work emphasizing the absurdity of the world
we live in by the deceiver that is language. Deleuze wrote about this (in 'The
Logic of Sense'), and so this book would be another worth including in your
bibliography.
Truth is a lie, but one thing is true, however, as NIETZSCHE put it; art is
truth (it is the only illusion which admits itself as an illusion). Anyway,
read on!
Pete Hughes,
BA philosophy, London, UK.
Cool stuff here....I think i found what i was looking for in my whole life....u
people should create a nihilist government....that'd be great...
To Field Marshal Elisha Shapiro and the Nihilists: Cool site. Here are my
thoughts on the subject of nihilism. I hope this serves as an object of
amusement. I have considered myself a nihilist for some time, as it seems the
dictionary definition fits my outlook pretty well. Though I live in Wisconsin
and therefore unfortunately don't get television show, I enjoyed stumbling upon
your site. As it is, I agree with your outlook on most everything. To me
morality is merely social conventions ground in superstitions or religious
principles- and religion, especially monotheistic doctrines, appear to be a
bizarre opiate I do not inhale. For I time a was a Christian, but in my early
teens I re-evaluated my belief system and found its very basis repulsed me. Is
my sole purpose to glorify a despotic being who demands that I follow its whims
or suffer eternally? Assuming God himself died for human salvation, did he die
for our sins, or merely to intercept his own distorted need for vengeance upon
unconforming objects that they might continue existing for his amusement as
groveling peons? And even if God is so good and omnipotent, why did he create
his little gambling buddy, Satan, to screw around with us and add even more
suffering? As some one once said, "If god is willing to prevent evil but
not able, he is not omnipotent. If he is able but not willing, he is
malevolent, if he is neither willing nor able, why call him god? No, even if
God was true I wouldn't change my mind- like you said, "If there was some
guy with a long white beard, sure I'd be surprised, but would it really change
anything?" No, it wouldn't change anything for me either. So with these
things in mind my quickly changed to idealistic secular humanism... But what
are humans in general? Confused, destructive animals that care only for their
own survival and amusement, or their own inane beliefs. I think mankind will
eventually annihilate itself, either by destroying its environment or just
blowing itself up. Everything that is beautiful is being mulched down to create
disposable packages, soiled with excrement and grease, or imploded to make more
parking lots. There is nothing I can do to prevent this. Everything revolves
around the dollar, and anything from ideals to babies to chunks of the planet
itself can be sold on some market or another. I have stopped being an idealist
and now see life as having no purpose or meaning. I guess that means I'm a
nihilist, right? I don't quite accept the idea that I don't exist, but when it
comes down to it I will at some point in the future die and fall apart and rot
in the dirt until everything I am or ever was reverts to nothingness. And what
is time but a perception of our own senses and machinations; a rough unit of
measurement.? (Like you said, the senses can fool you) What does it matter if I
exist or not, as I, like all other things, must eventually fall into the void.
Would it make anydifference if we are already there? So is it possible to live
without believing in anything? Why not? A lot of people tell me if they looked
at life as I do, they'd just kill people and jump off buildings and cry all the
time and eventually kill themselves. I have no motivation to do any of those
things. In fact, I seem pretty normal- a nice guy even.
Why? Is it possible to survive without beliefs? Well, we all have to make
assumptions in order to survive, for instance accepting that we must eat or
cope with unpleasant hunger pangs- or that if we don't life up the toilet seat,
we'll urinate on the floor, and if it is not cleaned up it will leave a stain
and an odor that we do not like. There are plenty of cause and effect reactions
that we can't say we "believe" in. But what significance are they? Is
belief in nothing a belief? What came first the chicken or the egg? Who the
hell cares!? My head hurts and tomorrow I must go to sell another small chunk
of the remainder of "my life".
Oh JoY, oH jOy WhAt FUN LIfe iS!!!
NihilistFerret@bla-bla.com
-Thomas
I think it is a great site that exposes the truth (if "truth" even
exists).
I recommend reading The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury, which has many stories
that explore nihilism.
though i realize writing a thank you letter to a nihilist will be meaningless,
i feel an urge to share my beleifs and a thank you note seemed liked a logical
method. i would like to thank you and other nihilists who have made their
oppinions open to the public through the internet. applying nihilist concepts
to certain aspects of my life has made it much more enjoyable to live. i, like
yourself, was and am often confused by people who get hung up on certain
imaginary concepts like "cheating is bad." I have eliminated my
concerns over other's emotions and opinions, over right and wrong, and over
what makes me happy. now, my personal pursuit of happiness is constant and
unhindered. i also find it much easier, in general, to make myself happy, due
to the fact that i find more ironic and amusing. so anyway, thanks for making
it easier. oh yes, and i inherited this annoying habit of my mothers to
seriously consider and turn over in my mind everything that was said to me. i
have completly done away with being upset or pleased by what others say now. in
other words, i have found self contained happiness.
thanks. your stuff is fun to read and ponder. i am a happy man. nate
I was thinking about nihilism, I have looked at many meanings of nihilism. I am
not a nihilist, however. I have seen God do things to people that nihilism will
never explain. I have seen people uncontrollably cry from nowhere. It happened
to me once when I prayed in church. I have seen people laugh so hard they pass
out. That has never happened to me. I would like to call that anointment, a
gift, a vision, but God does exist. I try not to destroy peoples beliefs, if
someone does that they have insecurities. I am a devoted anarchist though, no
man deserves to be above another man. The only person that should be ruling man
is God. I really have nothing else to say on that subject.
Aaron Buchanan
By the way if I am diluted or hardheaded, so what. I like the way I am I
question everything. I'm tired of people telling me I have either too much
angst or the devil has gotten me. If you don't like the way I am don't offer my
opinions.
Aaron
i just wanted to ask about the guy with the shaved balls. Is this a statement
of not believing in hair?
And what happens when you stop believing in skin? Or possibly your liver?
What is Nihilism all about. I would like to know more, however, I cannot seem
to find anything specific to this topic.
hi did you ever hear of rosanov's definition of nihilism(that's what vaneigm
calls it)? it's
"the show is over
the audience gets up to leave
time to collect their coats and go home they turn
around- no more coats and no more home"
but who is rosanov?
couldn't find anything
need a link so please mail
bye
you guys are seriously messed up in the head! You don't make any sense at all.
Look at everything around you...how can you say that there is not a God! How
can you guys live with yourselves...you must be depressed all the time and want
to die. Why don't you just kill yourselves if your life is meaningless. Believeing
in nothing is a belief in itself. You say your families are just people that
you resent and wouldn't be friends if they weren't so codependant on
eachother...my family is the most important thing in my life and i don't know
what i would do without them, i feel bad for u, your families must hate you.
Your mother gave you the gift of life and all you guys do is sit around and
feel sorry for yourselves and tell eachother that your life is meaningless...
GET OFF OF YOUR ASS AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE WITH YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! YOU
GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF BABIES WHO WANT ATTENTION. GET OVER YOURSELVES AND QUITE
TRYING TO RUIN OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!! The world could be alot worse
but instead of thinking how much worse it could be why not think how much
better it is.
That's all i have to say. You guys piss me off!
Hello, my name is Emily. I just stumbled across this page. I myself do not
believe (or disbelieve) in Nihilism, but I do find it very interesting. If
anyone could e-mail their thoughts on this subject, I would greatly appreciate
it. I am looking for topics for my senior thesis, and this seems to be the one.
Again, I would appreciate any feedback...
wombatcoop@aol.com
I'd appreciate any comments you may be able to give re- our pages below
(pastiche and general confusion being rules of thumb).If not I enjoyed the site
not as pretentius as others.
fraternally sissy
http://members.aol.com/maslowsprole/
http://members.aol.com/lumpenilluminate
i was wondering how you feel about law and the government. if you are a true
nihilist-- i would think you wouldn't care (like i do). what laws would you say
you break on a regular basis-LIKE shoplifting or going thru red lights--which i
both do frequently+++tell me how you feel
thanks, great links site+++++DR:a
Comments as of 3-20-2000
keep up the good work
sissy http://members.aol.com/maslowsprole/
and www.onelist.com/group/cultofthepersonality
Isn't believing in nothing a belief in itself?
I will try to make this as brief as possible. I need to somehow get involved
with other people who want to destroy the war-machine. I can not do it alone.
Any information that you could tell me about organizations, groups and anything
else would help. FUCK IT ALL
Hoole123
hoole123@mailcity.com
Your nihilism beliefs are not very impressive, with all due respect. To be
fair, I may be looking for something a little more hardcore and extreme. So
you: (A) claim not to believe in anything (B) reject God (C) think the universe
is meaningless.
You seem to have 'look at me, I'm different, I'm a nihilist' attitude which I
find lacks sincerity. You have a 'look, I'm anti-establishment' way of answering
questions. Sort of like the kids who do outrageous things to be different so
they can fit in.
You have values; that is obvious. To say you don't believe in anything is a
crock. A true nihilist wouldn't have values about Mick Jagger and guns and
whatever. He would be indifferent to it all. You don't kill people because you
still have guilt, and humanism, and your conscious wouldn't allow that. Also,
there would also be penalties you would have to face, and is one of your values
is to avoid pain. If you don't believe in anything, you wouldn't care if you
live or die, and I bet you care. Believing you don't exist is silly, to put it
kindly. If you like art, you see value in art, and you believe in art.
Perhaps you are playing with semantics and using Descartes to argue that we
know nothing, thus, you believe in nothing. To believe in nothing is indeed a
belief system. You value nothing. You believe in nothing. You think nothing is
the way.
I took the time to write because you give nihilists a bad name. A true nihilist
would care about nothing and no one except his continued existence and the
absence of pain because we are all born human. If you believe in nothing, do
it. Do nothing. Prove you don't care. Prove your apathy. Prove your
indifference. Take your life over the meaninglessness. Labeling yourself a
nihilist is disrespectful who really are. You might be at the elementary school
level on your way to a Ph.D. of Nihilism. If you believe n nothing, then
believe it and go for it.
Jill
Dear Elisha,
I don't think you doubt enough. Maybe you should begin down that road again --
maybe every day you should doubt newer and wilder things in the universe -- and
maybe someday even doubt yourself!
-- Dave Schneider
Nihilism sets us free to be contradictory. We can be hypocrites. We are free!!!
Nihilism's true strength, and thus beauty, comes from the fact that it
contradicts itself, consequently affirming man's intrinsic hypocritical nature.
From this realization of hypocrisy man is set free to explore the landscapes of
our heart and mind without fear of losing ourselves to crackpotismness.
We must not be ashamed of hypocrisy. We cannot deny its existence in ourselves.
We must embrace it. That's true freedom.
lets run for the 2000 election ... regards ... ron rancid ...
Nihilistics ... check out www.nihilistics.com ... Nihilistics
To all of you Netheads who wrote to wonder how nihilists can believe in their
own philosophy--I have to admit I've got the same problem with the whole
concept. But aren't you forgetting the other sense of the word
"nihilism"? What about the belief that the universe may well exist
after all--but if it does, it doesn't matter? I've been living with this belief
for The-Great-Hypothetical-knows how long now and it's the one thing that is
keeping me sane. Who cares if this piece of space junk we call Earth is a
mistake or somebody's idea of a bad joke! Who cares if living is just our DNA's
way of jacking off!! It doesn't make one bit of difference in the first
place!!! So give another thought to nihilism, people--you don't have to delude
yourself or try to ignore such seemingly obvious facts as your own
existence--you just have to stop giving a damn one way or the other. When Buddha
said that the end of suffering can only come with the end of desire, his is
what he meant. See if you can't live with that. (If you do try to embrace my
form of nihilism, and you find it self-contradictory after all, at least the
contradiction won't bother you anymore....)
--Alpha-Prime
I am writing to question some of the sexual overtones indicated in much of the
nihilist reading and many of the comments made by people claiming to be
nihilists. Is there a basis for this in the belief system? I am going to give
my home e-mail address in hopes of hearing from you soon (I'm writing a paper
and would like some first hand accounts of the nihilistic lifestyle.)
Riedee@juno.com. Sincerely,
Maria
Hi-hi-hi there
Non-extant ones, It's Baalzephon and Omnikron again, And we've been around your
page, and seen your comments, we just want to say a few things: 1)COOL! 2)
Although Nihilism is "good" don't ever forget that YOU ultimatly make
the decisions, if that is extant. For those of you on the Comments page, try
and be a little more "open-minded" You too can create your own Values
"Ex nihilo" if you only cast off the illusions of belief and purpose.
That's all there is to it.
"SENTEINTE EX NIHILO"
The noble plane of philosophy has been, in general, hideously malformed, not by
nihilism, but by people who call themselves nihilists.
Almost every one I've met is a hypocritical, egotistical, self worshipping
jerk. What a shame. It's an amazing state of enlightenment.
To the people who insist that believing in nihilism is contradictory: are you
the same ignoramuses who spent entire days wondering about how you can never do
nothing, because nothing is something? Don't get caught up in "isms".
Watch "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Get a life. It's not a philosophy,
it's a personal way of life. The core of nihilism itself gives you the choice
to believe or not believe in what you want. I don't believe nihilism is sitting
around doing nothing and saying "What the hell. Nothing matters."
Nihilism is the freedom to choose what you believe, not because society tells
you this is right and that is wrong, but because it is your own personal
feeling that this is something you should do and this is something you
shouldn't. The world would be a much better place of Chuck Palahniuk was
required reading in schools, especially "Fight Club", which is not
about fighting. Anyone who says it is about fighting is more deluded than any
of the nihilists "believing" in things. I don't believe there is a
God, but I do believe organized religion has been the cause of more evils in
this world than any other factor. I believe religion stems from a basic human
need to explain things they cannot understand, rather than not worry about
things they cannot understand. I believe science and technology, however, can
and should be understood, and have no problems with them. Of course, it depends
on the extreme things are taken to. When the coffee machine is linked to the
alarm clock to start brewing exactly 13 hours after I start masturbating, maybe
things are getting out of hand. Or maybe that's just the future of good sex.
Whatever. I do not believe in commercialism and consumerism. My style of
decorating is severely minimalist, and more people would be better off if they
did the same. There is no fixation on "stuff". I am not defined as a
person by the crappy trinkets I have amassed in my life. Anyone who enters my
room is forced to focus only on the people standing in the room, and what they
are doing. That is how a person's character should be measured. Not by the
money they have, or what they buy with it.
Nihilism gives everyone opportunity to have the same freedom.
-Matt
your site is dope! I like the wacky World of Belief. I wisg there were more!
I read mikes comment
that guy is a morrron
nothing is nothing
by definition nothing is nothin so belief in nothing is no belief! what an ass!
i guess he doesn't get it.
sull
I have recently looked up the definition of this word nihilism, and I am
astonished to find a belief system ( if you can call it that) that so closely
describes the way I think. What you have written on the web page seems all too
familiar.
Are you an organization, or a single person that I can email?
(please pardon my spelling, I have trouble caring when I'm emailing) Hello, my
name is Robin. I have been reading more of your webpage and I'm starting to
think that we could be the same person. I feel that we have basically the same
train of thought concerning a lot of things. I'm very excited. A thought on
nihilism that I had is that true nihilists do not purely believe in nothing,
but understand that we don't have enough information to construct an accurate
belief in anything. Any belief has to stem from somewhere, and in order for
that to be true there would have to be a basic underlying truth. Since there is
no such thing (as far as I can see), I don't see how any of our societies
truths have a ground to stand on. Also all of what people commonly believe is
right and wrong are determined by our senses and perception of the world. Bad
is when it hurts and good is dopamine. This is what we base right and wrong
from? If there is some fundamental truth out there (I don't think there is) I
don't believe that we as people could ever know what it was. And if there was I
find it unlikely that it would find absolute agreement (if any at all) with
what our nervous system has come up with. Well, I've gone on longer than I
thought I would. I could keep on going but there wouldn't be much point.
I also have done a lot of acid. I find it puts me into a state of concentrated
thought. I believe it is partially responsible for my current philosophy. I
would like it if you would email me back.
Sincerely,
Robin
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