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nihilism & existentialism what is the difference?
difference between nihilism & existentialism in your own words?
i don't really get existentialism now that i think about it. nihilism is believing that life is meaningless.. so does existentialism mean that life has meaning but you have to find your own meaning?
then what is existential nihilism?
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Hey,
Firstly, I am not a philosophy student-so my knowledge is pretty vague and most probably is pretty mixed up.
For me nihilism and existentialism is complementary.I know this may seem strange but in my interpretation of things I feel that everything affects another somehow.
I think Existential Nihilism believes that life has no intrinsic value.In simple words:life is pointless.I agree with this to a certain extent-I mean we all die in the end and nothing lasts forever..so what's the point?Also,a lot of what we believe in is inculcated by the society.So none of us are born with a purpose.
At the same time-I think existentialism is more valid.We define our own meaning and EVERYTHING at some level is subjective.We find our own meaning and purpose and our take on things define us.But also this must be influenced by the environment we live in to a certain degree...right?:/
Anyway,there's one quote that I really think is applicable..to life,in general.It's by Friedrich Nietzsche-
"All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth."
Sorry if I was not much help.I'm not thorough in the various theories in philosophy.
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Existentialism is a really broad term that includes lots of different philosophies and thinkers from the last hundred years. Not everyone agrees perfectly, so it's tough to sum it up quickly...
Basically, all existential philosophy is about how human beings exist within the world and our own subjective experience of that world. It's a view that puts each individual, their free will, emotions and reason, at the centre and leaves it to each person to determine the meaning and purpose of their existence, rather than allowing a government, religion or other social forces like class or economics to determine who and what they are.
Existentialism will sound very familiar to pretty much everyone living today, because it’s really what a lot of our modern society, with larger personal freedoms and respect for individuality and judgement, is based on. It’s a reaction against kings and governments and religions that tried to tell people exactly what they were in the world, like “These people are slaves” and “These ones are soldiers” and “Only this kind of person can be a doctor” and “Only this kind of person can be a politician.” Existentialism stepped up and said “No. Within reason, people can choose the experience of life they want, and are responsible for those choices.”
Nilhism is also a broad philosophical term that means rejecting meaning, or believing something that most people accept is meaningless or doesn’t exist. For example: Moral nihilists believe that morality doesn’t actually exist objectively, and that nothing is really right or wrong, and human beings just make up morals to help their society function or to control people.
Existential Nilhism is the philosophical belief that our existence is pointless, and that life has no meaning or value. We are just little specks of dust that really have no impact on the universe at all and then we die and are gone. Some people can be existential nihilists and still think life has some value, but only if the person makes it up themselves, because there is nothing outside of our own experience to give life any purpose.
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Existentialism is when you believe that everyone should find their own purpose in life, and to live that life with passion.
However, you've got the definition of nihilism a little incorrect. Basically, nihilism just means that people believe that something that most people take as given doesn't exist.
Existential nihilism is actually the most common form of nihilism. It holds that life is meaningless. There are other kinds of nihilism as well, like moral nihilists who believe that morality doesn't exist.
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