45
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How come nihilism is so popular today?
While I'm not entirely convinced of the premises of the question, in general people seek out philosophies that address conditions of life as they experience it. In the marketplace of ideas, a ...
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39
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How come nihilism is so popular today?
I can think of 2 reasons:
Naturalism is the philosophy most promoted in public schools. With some exceptions, people tend to stick with what they're taught in school. Believing in a supernatural ...
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28
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Is faith necessary for man to survive / why is existentialism valued if it is unsubstantiated?
The short answer is No.
A slightly longer one is this; I know many atheists who lead highly moral lives, not because they believe they'll go to hell if they don't, but because they want to. On the ...
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17
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How come nihilism is so popular today?
Jacob Ross, Rejecting Ethical Deflationism,' Ethics 116, 2006: 742–68 defines nihilism as :
▻ NIHILISM - DEFINITION
'...the view that the notions of good and bad and of right and wrong are ...
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13
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Is faith necessary for man to survive / why is existentialism valued if it is unsubstantiated?
I would say the answer is yes, but with the addendum that the faith need not be in god or a higher power.
As we go through life we have faith that certain things will happen. The sun will rise, the ...
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13
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Accepted
Is faith necessary for man to survive / why is existentialism valued if it is unsubstantiated?
I will focus on answering these questions in your addendum
Is no view of the world any more legitimate than the other? Are Tolstoy’s beliefs any more valid than my own, even if I have less of a ...
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10
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Is faith necessary for man to survive / why is existentialism valued if it is unsubstantiated?
Do I need faith not to slump into nihilistic despair? Is life as tragic as it's being painted out to be by these people?
Tolstoy argues yes. Below is my attempt to explain his argument, since I think ...
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9
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Is faith necessary for man to survive / why is existentialism valued if it is unsubstantiated?
Is it really true that life is this bleak?
By way of answering your question - no, this is not true. Life is neither bleak nor non-bleak, because neither life nor anything else (except for abstract ...
9
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How can a non-religious person justify or rationalize hope or optimism in an absurd world?
My first comment provides the starting point for my answer.
This is something that's far easier to discuss in person than it is over the limiting format of Stack Exchange. What gives people hope is ...
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9
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How can a non-religious person justify or rationalize hope or optimism in an absurd world?
How can a non-religious person justify or rationalize hope or optimism in an absurd world?
Can you acknowledge the absurd and still be hopeful and optimistic? I feel like you either can acknowledge ...
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6
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How to deal with the absurd life?
How to live a meaningful life in a world where the received wisdom of religion and culture is no longer taken for granted is one of the defining problems of the modern age, and the central question of ...
- 24.9k
6
votes
Theory that we do everything for our own benefit
The closest match is probably the Utilitarian ethical theory called "Enlightened Self Interest". The basic idea is that we act ethically once we learn it is in our own self-interest to promote the ...
- 24.9k
6
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Accepted
What does Albert Camus mean by two methods of thought, "of La Palisse and Don Quixote"?
La Palisse was a French nobleman who liked jokes based on truisms. When he died his comrades famously made a song about it, saying "if he wasn't dead he would still be alive". To Camus he ...
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6
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Do humans need some agency over the world around them for their lives to have some sense or purpose?
Your question is philosophical in the broader sense of the pursuit of eudaimonia.
I think a number of philosophical traditions, such as Taoism or Confucianism, have means of dealing with this. I'll ...
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5
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why "life" bother to exist when its literally just a bunch of atoms and particles?
I find it amazing that you are just 14 years old; you sound a little like Marvin the Paranoid Android, and even if you only have a brain half the size of his, I am getting high on just contemplating ...
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5
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According to Existentialism, is the statement "I don't have a choice" a choice?
Yes, Sartre explicitly says as much. Consider his lecture: Existentialism is a Humanism
In one sense choice is possible, but what is not possible is not to choose. I can always choose, but I must ...
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5
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Accepted
What are some good books about existential philosophy?
Unfortunately, I haven't found too many existentialist works with a nuts-and-bolts focus, so my recommended reading list is really short -- two books in fact.
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor ...
- 1,790
5
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Accepted
For Kierkegaard, how does being "animal" and "rational" compel us to invent meaning?
I haven't read Richard Schmitt which makes me hesitant to answer the question as to what he means, but I can address the quote and what Kierkegaard means.
First, the idea is not singular to ...
- 24.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Theory that we do everything for our own benefit
The theories you are looking for, my friend, are able to be found to some extent in at least two thinkers. The first is David Hume. The second is Ludwig von Mises. David Hume held that all activity ...
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5
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How come nihilism is so popular today?
This answer is just speculation
Why it is popular:
People enjoy it. They can act how ever they please because immorality is impossible. It also makes them feel intellectually superior with no more ...
- 203
5
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What are some philosophical works that explore constructing meaning in life from an agnostic or atheist view?
“There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is
suicide. Deciding whether or not life is worth living is to answer the
fundamental question in philosophy. All other questions ...
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5
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What is the point of Human Existence?
It is very possible that there is no 'point' to human existence, if by that you mean some absolute purpose. Humans have evolved an in-built sense of purpose to survive and procreate. However, the good ...
- 5,792
5
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What is the point of Human Existence?
I offer a very Buddhist perspective. Let's get straight to the point - we don't know if life has a point or not. May be a thousand years from now, a person will read your question, this thread, the ...
- 1,930
5
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What is the point of Human Existence?
I will be answering this question from the perspective of a nihilistic layman.
I believe from a truly nihilistic perspective "What is the point of human existence" implies there is a point, ...
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5
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Do humans need some agency over the world around them for their lives to have some sense or purpose?
You're making a whole lot of (in some cases rather offensive and harmful) unsupported assertions about what can and can not give other people purpose and fulfillment, and very questionable claims ...
- 2,261
4
votes
Accepted
Truth is subjectivity
The definition you're getting from your dictionary reflects one contemporary usage of the word subjectivity. But the word has had many meanings. The most basic meaning is "that which inheres in a ...
- 24.3k
4
votes
The man who wants to die
The Last man is Nietzsche's antithesis of the Übermensch in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The Last Man sought eternal life at all costs, including costs Nietzsche despised, such as sacrificing love and ...
- 17.2k
4
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Why do some philosophers write literature?
Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" is a fairly significant example.
"The book embodies a number of innovative poetical and rhetorical
methods of expression. It serves as a parallel and ...
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