Why do some people consider Nietzsche a nihilist and some do not?
The great translator of Nietzsche, namely, R.J. Hollingdale, stated clearly that he was convinced that Nietzsche was a Nihilist, in the sense of an Iconoclast who wanted to smash all the heroes and hopes that people had admired for centuries.This shows clearly in some of Nietzsche’s titles, for example, Beyond Good and Evil (1886), and Twilight of the Idols (1888) and The Antichrist (1888). The content of these and other books by Nietzsche showed clearly that he was motivated by an obsession to destroy Christianity and the foundation of Western civilizations, back to and including Socrates himself.Socrates had challenged Callicles and others, who had argued for a Will to Power, and for a “master morality,” and for the worship of Dionysus as the true dying and resurrecting god, who was also the purveyor of drunken orgies.Others disagree with Hollingdale, however, because Nietzsche himself denied that he was a Nihilist. Instead, said Nietzsche, it is the Christians who are the real Nihilists (along with Buddhists and some Hindus) because they deny pleasures of the material life, with their hateful doctrines that Nature is Evil, and that sexuality is Evil, and that pleasure is Evil.It is the Buddhists and Hindus, but especially the Christians — who with their Monastic Societies promote a life-denying approach to Life. On the other hand, his ancient, pagan doctrine of a Will to Power, a “master morality,” and devotion to the god, Dionysus, by drunken orgies, is really life-affirming.As Joachim Kohler showed (1999, 2012), Nietzsche enjoyed taking opium, and he was secretly gay, living in the closet while professing to be a hermit in the Alpine mountains for ten years. Nietzsche was enraged that German Christians had forced him — a brilliant poet — into such a lonely life. This would explain why Nietzsche lashed out so violently against Christianity and why he defended a life of pleasure and individuality and the life of a pagan Master as the best life.So, it is a matter of how to define Nihilist. Scholars cannot agree on a firm definition. There are many types of Nihilism based on various definitions of the term. Nietzsche’s definition of the term sharply separates Nietzsche from Nihilism. Hollingdale’s definition of the term firmly unites Nietzsche with Nihilism.
Why the hate for nihilism?
Moral nihilism, also known as ethical nihilism, is the meta-ethical view that morality does not exist as something inherent to objective reality; therefore no action is necessarily preferable to any other. For example, a moral nihilist would say that killing someone, for whatever reason, is not inherently right or wrong. Other nihilists may argue not that there is no morality at all, but that if it does exist, it is a human construction and thus artificial, wherein any and all meaning is relative for different possible outcomes. As an example, if someone kills someone else, such a nihilist might argue that killing is not inherently a bad thing, or bad independently from our moral beliefs, because of the way morality is constructed as some rudimentary dichotomy. What is said to be a bad thing is given a higher negative weighting than what is called good: as a result, killing the individual was bad because it did not let the individual live, which was arbitrarily given a positive weighting. Nietzsche characterized nihilism as emptying the world and especially human existence of meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. This observation stems in part from Nietzsche's perspectivism, or his notion that "knowledge" is always by someone of some thing: it is always bound by perspective, and it is never mere fact. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism
A list of "dangerous" abstract nouns?
For my AP English class, my teacher assigned an essay to which we have to write about one abstract noun. It can't be typical ones like, "love, hate, passion, seriousness," those are bad ideas she said. A few examples of what she wants is cynicism, democracy, culture, capitalism, rhetoric. She said we get huge bonuses for writing on things that are dangerous or edgy almost inappropirate. Any ideas?
What do you think about Friedrich Nietzsche's quote on christianity?
Nietszche had so many quotes about Christianity.. Because Nietszche's writings revealed so many truths about Christianity, Christians did their best to demonize him, they realized what a danger he was to their power.. He was basically their "anti-christ" (also a title of one of Nietszche's books). You know, Nietszche is unjustly known as the father of nihilism. But people who say that haven't truly understood his writings. Nietszche himself said it like this: "The person who speaks here has done nothing but to think. ... He is the first complete nihilist in Europe, who walked through the whole of nihilism and at the end left it, outside himself." In other words, Nietszche identified the abrahamistic religions as eventually leading to nihilism - this because these religions deny this life in favor of a supposed afterlife; they entail the creation of illusions as a result of their hatred for life. Someone who recognizes this will automatically start fighting back - you don't need to look for sense in this life, but you are forced to put the nonsense away.
Why do people think Marxism and Capitalism are contradictory while they are actually not?
Because there are two meanings for Marxism.Marxism(1) is a philosophical mode of socio-economic analysis; Marx’s own work was primarily devoted to analyzing capitalism, to explaining the contradictions and points of stress within the industrial system he knew in England and the rest of Western Europe, which he felt would inevitably lead to revolution.Marxism(2) is short for Marxism-Leninism, which is not a philosophy but an economic system involving central planning in which all the means of production are owned by the state.Marxism(2) is incompatible with capitalism, “contradictory” if you will. Marxism(1) presumes the existence of capitalism.
If you are an existential nihilist, why not commit suicide?
Just because no intrinsic value exists, doesn't mean life is inherently dull, uninteresting, or depressing. In fact, the only thing I can say about this life is that it can only be experienced while alive. Without any reins in the form of greater meaning, purpose, or the judgement of a higher power, life can be enjoyed without constraint until it's absolute end.While some may interpret the concept of literal nothingness after death as unmotivating, depressing, and akin to suicide, this is only a perspective. Another perspective would be: once you die that is the end, there is no sidelime theatre procession, no consciousness, no sensation or weight. The literal cessation of life into absolute nothing... At least what the subject in question can perceive. The rest of life moseys along, with only a few taking note of the sudden absence of you.Anyway, you only live once. While there is no meaning to life, the senses are a beautiful thing. Once dead, you are nothing. Only while alive are you able to smell roses, feel the water brushing against your skin, or a breeze through your hair. That, in itself, is why, despite the lack of greater meaning, life is enjoyable while lived.Not only that, but as an individual you can assign goals and ambitions for your life as you live it. There being no divine purpose, is an opportunity to live as you see fit.A) theres nothing after death and no meaning to life so why bother anyway -suicide-B) there is nothing after death and no meaning to life, what an opportunity, I'll enjoy myself while I exist.You know?