An acquaintance of mine told me that all godless are nihilists, it led me to wonder if there is any truth to the subject. Can you be one without being the other. Are all nihilists evil, by thinking/caring more of themselves then others. Or have nihilists and atheists merely been given a bad name?
2006-10-30 12:07:40 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
Nihilists believe there is no reality, and Atheism holds there is no God. They are really not compatible, because atheism does believe in an eternal reality. Nihilists' thinking would not entertain the idea of a god, because there is nothing out there. I wouldn't claim that either are evil necessarily, but I would have little common with atheists and even less in common with Nihilists.
2006-10-30 12:14:22 · answer #1 · answered by tigranvp2001 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Thechnically there's no direct connection:
-ATHEISM: the word itself means "without god". This implies, although there are some other few positions, actively believing that "There is no God".
-NIHILISM: also meant by the word, nihilism implies believing that "nothing exists".
But I think there is an indirect connection, as one is the consequence of the other. Above somebody said that he could see the world without the blinding effects of religion. He then said that he could pursuit love and happiness without the bribes of heaven and without the fear of hell (or something similar to that). But I sustain that atheists cannot explain the concepts of happiness and love with regards to their origin. Is there a source for love, and happiness. What about morality? Why should I behave politely? After all, I'm just a bunch of matter hazardously organized into an organism, who doesn't have a purpose. Why I am here? Is there an absolute truth? Is morality absolute? If it is, then it is higher and previos than humanity, so it must have a source, since it is like a set of laws... If it is not an absolute, why should I behave morally? .... and the reasoning goes on and on, until the point where a question inevitably rises: what if all this was a dream? And if even the dream wasn't real? Then, nothing exists.
Good luck, and may God bless you.
2006-10-30 12:52:13 · answer #2 · answered by OverClocked 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well, there are certainly differences, though I consider myself to be both an atheist and to some extent, a nihilist. Atheists simply reject the existance of the supernatural. Nihilists however, reject the existence of moral codes and everything else in general. They believe that everything is meaningless and has no true existence. Neither are evil, but some can interpret Nihilism in such a way that they can justify any action to themselves because, to them, it's all meaningless anyway.
2006-10-30 15:33:03 · answer #3 · answered by Cynical1 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We atheists are nothing like what the church leaders are fond of charicaturing us as. We are freethinking individuals who are able to see the Big Picture without the blinders of religion. We do not live in despair, quite the contrary; freethought is incredibly refreshing, liberating, and empowering. We are not nihilists, but lovers of life who see it as all the more precious because there's no eternal afterlife. We do not need the bribe of heaven or the threat of hell to be good people, we believe in being good for its own sake. Through science and reason, we know more about the true nature of the world we live in than your religion could ever hope to offer.
The fear of death is a natural thing, which is why you need to think hard about living your life for the moment. We are not the enemy of christians and other theists.
2006-10-30 12:30:13 · answer #4 · answered by Its not me Its u 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Considering that atheism only means not believing in a god or gods, your acquaintance sounds as though s/he just wants to equate atheists as being totally amoral, and therefore no good.
However, being an atheist has nothing at all to do with any other philosophy one might subscribe to. One could be an atheist and a nihilist, but one could just as easily be an atheist and a humanist, or an atheist and a Raelian.
Also, nihilism is a rejection of any absolutes in the universe, including any moral absolutes. There are atheists who don't subscribe to this at all (including myself), believing that there are, in fact, moral absolutes, not handed down to us by some higher being, but rather ingrained in our species. Much of our evolutionary success comes from our intricate social structure that includes morals and ethics.
2006-10-30 12:26:22 · answer #5 · answered by abulafia24 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Atheism and nihilism have nothing to do with one another.
Some atheists are nihilists and some aren't.
2006-10-30 12:16:00 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Atheists simply think that is no deity controlling everything and there is nothing beyond this life, could be wrong. Nihilism is a doctrine or belief that existence is senseless and useless and therefore destruction is desirable. I do not think that Atheist’s have any thing in common with Nihilism. Anyone that desires destruction and believes that life is useless has earned their name.
2006-10-30 14:11:54 · answer #7 · answered by countsoss 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that an atheist actively does not believe in God.
Ithink that an nihilist actively does not believe in anything.
Two different things. Not evil. Wars are caused by people who believe
only in their God. Is that not evil?
2006-10-30 12:25:32 · answer #8 · answered by sunnymommy 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Your acquaintance has it backwards.
Everyone predisposed to Plato and the afterlife contend that the REALLY REAL isn't this world-- that is, this place is useless, horrible, mere transitory appearances-- an illusion, a complete fake. That's the definition of nihilism.
2006-10-30 17:26:04 · answer #9 · answered by -.- 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nihilist - is the denial of existence, refusal to believe.
atheism - disbelief in god.
so a nihilist is one who doesnt believe in the existence of anything.
whereas an atheist doesnt believe in the existence of god.
2006-10-30 13:21:56 · answer #10 · answered by rameezaali 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋