Why did it take so long for nihilism to emerge?This is one thing I can't begin to understand. For me this is one of the greatest enigmas of human existence. Why did it take all the way until the 18th century for nihilism to appear and take over the world?
>>25176793because humanity for most of its history was submerged in metaphysical imagery. The religion, the rituals, the starry sky, the community. Ironically the Renaissance humanism was the first crack into this illusion, Faustian impulse destroyed all illusions that give men meaning, what left was search for knowledge that ultimately serves to create intelligence that will eventually replace humanity as primary servants of capital.
Nihilism is a negative concept. I don't mean negative as in "bad", I mean negative as in it refers to a lack of something. Nihilism is a reaction to the lack of rationalism/christianity as fundamental principle.Of course, if you are brought up in a world or society wherein rationalism was never prevalent to begin with, you would not miss it. Hence why nihilism only crops up after the rationalist project crashes and burns, and would-be rationalists are confronted with the failure of their endeavor.
>>25176816>>25176819So basically you think humans were able to delude themselves for literally hundreds of thousands of years.It simply makes no sense.You act as if religion, rationalism, metaphysics were an overbearing unstoppable force fully dominating the minds of all people for so long. But as a human myself I know that cannot be true. I was not granted an introspective mind and spirit by the lack of those things.Nihilism instinctively is innate. It doesn't need an empty space to fill. It is emptiness itself. I suppose it's not even right to say it "emerged". Rather it was always present but not in control. That's the real question. Why did it take so long to take control?Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it always was in control. Maybe for all that time people were even more acutely aware of it than we are. So they ran from it with all those things and never dared to stop.
>>25176793The industrial revolution weakened humanity on a physiological level. You don't ask yourself those questions if you are healthy.
>>25176840No, retard. Did you even read what I wrote?You see the state of things as le bad and le "nihilistic" because you see it as a loss of something. Except that something even by your own standard never existed in the first place. It's like being sad because your schizophrenic hallucinations aren't real, except worse because you weren't the one hallucinating and you never thought they were real in the first place.Read neetzuh you fucking dumbass.
>>25176850I don't see why it matters if it's a loss of something or not. One way or another there is an obvious change. Something changed. Thought changed. The world changed.You're the ones painting nihilism as a reaction or replacement to something and I simply can't see how that's the case.
>>25176793Define nihilism first. I can almost assure you whatever you’re thinking of dates back to the oldest human writings, whether it be pessimism, scepticism, amoralism, etc.
>>25176793community, Gods/religion and purpose, that's it, they kept humanity united for tens of thousands of years, the year 536 is one of the worst for humanity, but people got over it and kept moving and having children despite the suffering (war, famine, death, diseases etc)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_literature>Critical Negative Wisdom (also called "Vanity Literature" or "Wisdom in Protest") – A more pessimistic outlook, frequently expressing skepticism about the scope of human achievements, highlighting the inevitability of mortality,[2] advocating the rejection of all material gains,[5] and expressing the carpe diem view that, since nothing has intrinsic value (vanity theme) and all will come to an end (memento mori theme), therefore one should just enjoy life to the fullest while they can (carpe diem theme).[3][4] Examples of this genre include: Qohelet (Ecclesiastes), The Ballad of Early Rulers, Enlil and Namzitarra, the second part of Sima Milka (the son's response),[4] and Nig-Nam Nu-Kal ("Nothing is of Value")
Industrialism is responsible for this. Industrial society is an ahrimanic force of pure destruction that not only destroys the land and its inhabitants, but kills man's soul.
>>25176850>Except that something even by your own standard never existed in the first place.Sophistry.
>>25176793because if you spoke about anything that challenged the religious norm you were executed. fairly simple.
>>25178299What a retarded, reductive opinion.
>>25176793Before K*nt, everyone was a "nihlist". They just didn't call it that.
>>25176793It didn't, go read classical Buddhist texts and the havamal. Christianity is the (joyful, healthy) aberration in a universe of misery and ephemera.
>>25176793"The Dispute Between a Man and His Soul" (also known asThe Debate Between a Man and His Ba or Dialogue of a Pessimist with his Ba) is a renowned work of Ancient Egyptian wisdom literature (sebayt) dating to the Middle Kingdom, likely the 12th Dynasty (c. 1900–1800 BC). The text is a profound psychological and philosophical dialogue exploring a man's deep despair and his contemplation of suicide in the face of societal hardship and personal misery. Key Aspects of the Text: Context: It survives on a single papyrus, Berlin Papyrus 3024, which was purchased in 1843. The beginning of the text is lost, but fragments found in 2017 suggest it introduced a "sick man" arguing before an audience (possibly a woman named Ankhet). Characters: The dialogue is an inner debate between a "tired of life" man and his Ba. The Man: Despairs over the evil and injustice of the world, feeling isolated and wishing to escape through death. The Ba: The soul/personality, which in Egyptian belief was crucial for the afterlife, urges the man to reject suicide, embrace life, and stop focusing on his misery. Synopsis: The man is tempted by death, viewing it as a release and an escape to a better afterlife. The Ba attempts to dissuade him, arguing that a premature, violent death (likely by fire) would preclude proper burial and mummification, resulting in a horrible afterlife or total annihilation. As the dialogue progresses, the roles sometimes reverse, with the Ba eventually urging the man to "embrace life" rather than fear it. Themes: Suicide and Hope: The text is frequently interpreted as a profound debate about the legitimacy of suicide in the face of suffering. Social Injustice: The man laments that "Wrongdoing beats on the earth" and there is no one left to trust. Life vs. Death: The text explores the tension between accepting the natural end of life and forcing it early to escape despair. Significance: This work is considered one of the earliest pieces of introspective philosophical literature. The text is famous for its lyrical poetry and its depiction of the "Ba" as a rational voice aiming to convince the man of the value of life. The dialogue ends in a compromise where the Ba agrees to stay with the man through life and face the afterlife together
The Apepian Philosophy of Dissolution Negation of Order: Unlike Set, who represents a "necessary" or violent chaos within reality, Apep is considered "un-creation" itself. He is a driving force of absolute entropy, striving to bring non-being (not just death) to the created world. Symbol of Nihilism: Apep represents the "nothingness" behind existence, seeking to dissolve the individual identities and structures that Ma’at protects. He is often described as Isfet (disorder, falsehood, or injustice). The World-Encircler: Apep is often envisioned as an "encircler of the world," waiting in the underworld (the Duat) to swallow the sun god Ra's barque, threatening to plunge existence into eternal darkness. Uncreatable Evil: Apep was generally not worshipped, but rather feared and ritually fought (via the Books of Overthrowing Apophis), as he was seen as a force outside the natural order of the gods. Entropic Characteristics Impermanence of Meaning: In this interpretation, all established order (social, moral, cosmic) is flawed and temporary. The Apepian perspective emphasizes that meaning is not eternal and will eventually fray, aligning with concepts of entropy. Non-Physical Force: Apep was viewed not as a conscious being with preferences, but as a blind, consuming force that, if successful, would return all life to nonexistence. Eternal Struggle: Egyptians believed Apep could never be permanently killed, only temporarily defeated, representing the eternal, necessary conflict between order and chaos. Modern reinterpretations sometimes view Apep as a philosophical symbol of the ultimate abandonment of value—a reminder that order is maintained only through constant struggle against the inevitable collapse of meaning
>>25165817>>Nihilism is the proposition that there are no true statements>no one says thisMy pastor bill clinton says this
It didn’t. Nihilism is just the fallout of a worldview collapsing, the lull before you move on to something more true and honest. This is why Nietzsche says you have to walk through nihilism. It happened en masse in the west because the west was stuck in an extremely narrow form of dogmatic thought with massive institutional backing to control the public, whereas moving on to the better worldview requires actual effort on the part of the individual. The same thing happened to the soviets when that whole project collapsed. The islamic world didn’t have the same mass nihilism because while also dogmatic it was decentralised in terms of institutions.
>>25176793Nihilism took over the world, huh? Nah, you're thinking of existentialism or absurdism. Or perhaps ordinary ignorance and disinterest, which has always existed. Real nihilism has yet to emerge. When it does, heh... you'll know.
Ever read Ecclesiastes?Or Plato?
>>25176793Why are you stripping away context? Nihilism is not something innate, it’s a made up term to describe a feeling and effect from a specific moment. It’s the price we pay for being Christian for 2000 years.
>>25176793It was mainly the Industrial Revolution and modernity in general. Nihilism emerges when they have to agency or ability to take action to do anything that could matter to them. It has appeared in the past but not to the same degree. It’s so preventable now because:1. Modernity, industrialism, and socialism have all destroyed the things people could previous lot find inherent meaning in unconsciously like religion, family, community, glory and honor, beauty, etc.2. The solutions needed to make the reinstantiation and connection to those and finding meaning in them possible is in reality to costly for most people to pay for in terms of responsibility needed. It would require a complete remake of everything from scratch on a conscious level.
