I'm in a philosophical predicament.?

Question

Is the world randomly consensual or is it inevitable clockwork as I've always believed. Because I read an article that said that because I'm a nihilist, I therefore live in a nihilist world, which is oxymoronically contradictive to what nihilism is all about. I'm confused... any thoughts.

Answer 1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihlism

'Nihilism is a philosophical position, often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche. Although Nietzsche ridiculed Nihilism, he had done so under the definition of Fatalism. Nihilism argues that the world, especially past and current human existence, is without objective meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. Nihilists generally assert some or all of the following: there is no reasonable proof of the existence of a higher ruler or creator, a "true morality" is unknown, and secular ethics are impossible; therefore, life has no truth, and no action is known to be preferable to any other.[1]'


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatalism
'Fatalism is the view that human deliberation and actions are pointless and ineffectual in determining events, because whatever will be will be.

One ancient argument, called the idle argument, went like this:

If it is fated for you to recover from your illness, then you will recover whether you call a doctor or not.
Likewise, if you are fated not to recover, you will not do so even if you call a doctor.
So, calling a doctor makes no difference. '

I think a person suffering from diabetes would disagree, as the science for medicine has discovered the life sustaining insulin for such people.

'Arguments like the above are usually rejected even by causal determinists, who may say that it may be determined that only a doctor can cure you. There are other examples that show clearly that human deliberation makes a big difference - a chess player who deliberates should usually be able to defeat one of equal strength who is only allowed one second per move.

Determinism should therefore not be mistaken for fatalism. Although determinists would accept that the future is, in some sense, set, they accept human actions as factors that will cause the future to take the shape that it will - even though those human actions are themselves determined; if they had been different, the future would also be different.'

Human beings have that ability to abstractly differentiate contingent conditions from principles. There is no one true nihilistic philosophy.

'Nihilism in Ethics and Morality
Main article: Moral nihilism
In the world of ethics, nihilist or nihilistic is often used as a derogatory term referring to a complete rejection of all systems of authority, morality, and social custom, or one who purportedly makes such a rejection. Either through the rejection of previously accepted bases of belief or through extreme relativism or skepticism, the nihilist is construed as one who believes that none of these claims to power are valid. Nihilism not only dismisses received moral values, but rejects 'morality' outright, viewing it as baseless.'

Nihilism debases itself. If Morality is a motion to change an other then nihilism is a morality that seeks to change other morality. If this was not true, there would be no motion to argue anything. Morality has a 'why' reason for action in addition to a 'how' reason for its form. Science conceived as a positive fatalism derives its spirit from the deterministic conception for Future and projects it on the Past so that causality is positively valued in its positive and negative utilitarian possibilities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarian

Answer 2

If the world is inevitable clockwork, then how can you believe in nothing? Or do you mean that you are an atheist, but you believe in an ordered universe? If you are truly a nihlist, then you believe that there is no order, no purpose, no meaning in anything. Nihlism is closely tied to hedonism, because if there is no meaning to anything, then we should all just concern ourselves with seeking pleasure. You seem to be looking for meaning, in the form of answers to your questions. That does not sound like a nihlist attitude. You sound like most people; you do not fit easily into a category. You just want answers, like all of us. I will tell you one thing: you cannot disprove that the world is an inevitable clockwork of cause-and-effect, but you can doubt it.

Answer 3

There are no easy answers either in religion or philosophy. That is the point, to think for ourselves. Not to just take the word of any preacher, minister, college professor, written word or ancient prose. We are not children to be pacified by a parent figure claiming to have all the answers. We are made to evaluate our experiences and collate them into ideas. Even Hitler at some point in his life had wisdom before he went totally nuts and lost it. Read, think, argue, analyze ask questions but most importantly THINK.

Answer 4

All I have to say is "I hope you are in a philosophical predictament
because much philosophy is derived from the "Love of knowledge"All knowledge great or small often does not come from repression.Most is often gained from learning.
If you were constantly thirsty for knowledge you would not
be so suppressed ,Knowledge does not mean being "taught"

Answer 5

Reading something or watching something, does not makes one so. The real you lies within you; search your heart. Who are you deep down inside? No one can answer this question, but you and God.