Concept Blog #3-Nihilism is still the new black-

"Where has God gone?" he cried. "I shall tell you. We have killed him - you and I. We are his murderers. But how have we done this?- Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche

 

 

 

 

Nihilism was one of the most controversial concepts to arise out of the era of Modernism and it still is today!  Modernism is difficult to define.  It was a revolt against the previous thought of Realism and Enlightenment periods.  A call to push aside art, architecture, religion, literature, social organization, and concepts that were "traditional" and to make them new!

This push against old world religion paved the way for Nietzsche and his philosophy of nothingness.  He appointed himself the official whistle blower on the death of God.  God was of those traditional concepts that needed to be transformed and Nietzsche was the prophet.  He believed in the enhancement of the individual in the present.  He coined the philosophy of "life-affirmation" which involves honest questioning of all doctrines that drain life's vast energies.  High on that list of life draining doctrines was Christianity however socially prevalent it was at the time.  Without God anything was possible, man could shape his life at his will with no concern of how his present actions will affect his afterlife because there was nothing after this mortal existence.  Life is without meaning, value, and purpose.  God is just a construct to stop us from happiness.  We have outgrown Christianity.  He wanted us to make decisions based on the concept that life is the only thing that is inherent and for us to "make" ourselves.

funny!

 Nihilism, atheism, anarchism, Zionism, fascism or existentialism, call it what you will but these concepts have a basis in the ideas shared by Nietzsche.  We are still questioning human existence and reasoning.  We still struggle with concepts such as religion and morality.  His ideas have touched many different schools of thought.  His work is quoted often.  His work is complex and open to interpretation.  It has been over a hundred years since his death but his philosophy is still very much alive today!