Nihilism

Nihilism

baseless values, no loyalties, impulse to destroy, nothing can be known

“nihil”

nothing

nihilism is described as __*_ and*__

pessimistic and skeptical

what opposes Christianity?

nihilism

happiness is impossible = _____

miseries outnumber pleasures

Political Nihilism

destruction of all political, social and religious order

political nihilism roots in the late 1800’s in __

Russia

Oswald Spengler’s novel

“The Decline of the West” (1926)

evidence of nihilistic behavior:

decline of values, tradition, and faith

post WWII =

rise of Modernism

3 positive connections that nothingness reveals:

liberty, freedom, and creative possibilities

Concentration on human experience and individuality to define life and values (the “isms”)

Existentialism and Absurdism

no objective ___ __or__ ___ in the world but what we give it

order or structure

Ubermensch:

“overman” - goal for humanity

Questions of why? ______

have no answers

“Overman” definition

overcoming self, rising above situations and circumstances

“Overman” =

“Superman”

Do not feel shame or hide -

own up to envy

“overman” is ___ __and__ ___

anti religious and inhibits decisions and numbs

The aspiration of a woman was to _____

give birth to an Ubermensch

3 Types of Nihilism:

Political, Ethical and Existential

Nihilism creates an environment where ideas can be forced with ____ resistance

little

power alone, _________

determines hierarchies (think Nazi Germany)