Depends on what sort of Nihilist you are!
If you say "life has no inherent meaning or purpose", I would say "sure, but so what?". It doesn't change the basic dynamics of what makes life *work*, which is the true basis of morality.
If you say "life has no inherent meaning, and therefore there's no basis for morality", I would say you're wrong: that's making the meaninglessness of life MEAN something, yes? That's screwed up: life doesn't mean anything, and it doesn't MEAN anything that it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean you get to shoot your neighbor or steal his Rolex. That's giving meaning to the meaninglessness.
If you say "life has no meaning, and therefore I'm depressed", I'd say "you've missed the personal responsibility aspect of this theory". Life has no *inherent* meaning, that doesn't mean there's no meaning to MY life. It means that without the subject, in a purely objective perspective, there's no meaning. But put subjects in, and then you have got something.
Life is rich and abundant with meaning: Anybody who is depressed or justifying selfishness and crime because of life's lack of inherent meaning isn't doing philosophy, they're just malfunctioning.
What legitimate arguments are there for Nihilism? How do they (nihilists) make sense of other philosophical theories if at all?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
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