Since I am a Nihilist, should I commit suicide?

Question

Nihilism (from the Latin nihil, nothing) is a philosophical position which 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 can be preferable to any other.

For some, suicide is a solution when confronted with the futility of living a life devoid of all purpose, because ending life seems a rational reaction to its absurdity. If consciousness is extinguished, the interaction between mind and absurdity does not exist anymore. Since life must end in death, which itself gives no meaning to life, suicide is only a means to quicken the resolution of one's ultimate fate.

Would this be a good choice for me? Why or why not? Thanks!

Answer 1

No, nihilists don't commit suicide because as you said, no action can be preferable to any other. So do nothing.
If you do nothing, you will live by default. Nature runs your heartbeat, it's involuntary. Do nothing, then when tomorrow comes, chances are you'll still be alive.

Answer 2

When you die you will be known by people who are alive about what you have done with your life. This is a reason to live. Even accepting that life has no absolute meaning, you can still create meaning for others who still live. To can leave a mark for others to see thus giving a form of immortality that most people find attractive.

From your definition of a Nihilist you do not rule out the possible existence of god(s) or the afterlife, So...

If there is a afterlife then if you die early then you have less to talk about after you die. It would be more interesting to have done something and be able to talk about it.

This means that suicide is not a good option regardless of the existence of any god(s), thus for a Nihilist there is no reason to suicide.

Answer 3

But nihilism need not be negative, for there are "positive" or "active" nihilists out there. They ask, "After we smash out the old, then what?" In fact, one need not be an atheist to be a nihilist, or so Nietzsche said. To some, and Nietzsche was one of them which many fail to see, nihilism is a stage along humanity's journey to self-realization; Kierkegaard said is was a"stage on life's way" when we confront our own emptiness. In fact it is a pathology and an illness. It is an extreme kind of pessimism and skepticism about our place in the universe; it is despair in the very absurdity of our existence. To get beyond this, says the positive/active nihilist, we must make something of ourselves-we must create, or recreate, the world anew, becoming God in the process. If there is no meaning then we will make it and face the absurdity of our existence vis-à-vis as it were. Everything we do is an act of self-definition, from choosing a car to choosing a job; we are creating ourselves in every choice we make. We give meaning where there was none, and so Sartre said we have become God, the one who traditionally gives meaning. So, said Sartre, we spend our lives filling holes, starting with sucking our thumbs as infants. The alternative of not facing the hole is too terrible. The only solution then is suicide. No: We must define ourselves.

Answer 4

Well, averageb's argument *sounds* the most compelling based on logic, "No, nihilists don't commit suicide because as you said, no action can be preferable to any other." Yet, even though it *sounds* compelling you might want to stress to him that the point of your argument is to express that you are a nihilist about life. However, he might combat this and point out how you value the act of killing yourself, thus giving a point to life, the point of which being to die. If you really want to die, I suggest that you either come up with a complicated argument to circumvent this or compromise your nihilism agreeing that you are a nihilist about every act in life besides killing yourself, which you find valuable. Which way do you want to go? Let's start with the latter. So you agree, asserting that killing yourself is a good thing, because without it you would have no way out of this pointlessness. Yet, I doubt you want to do that. I am betting you want to be a true nihilist in all aspects maintaining that all life is meaningless, even the act of suicide. It's gonna be tough to get away with this one, but i do think its possible. But, it is more complex. You might want to argue that that act is a necessary pointlessness in order for you to escape pointlessness. I hope you will make your own defense, I'd like to hear what you can come up with.

Answer 5

Wow, decent question. The world, at least as far as I've encountered it, is futile. That's kinda' the point. Meaning was sort of robbed from most of us right around the beginning of private property, or at least the consolidation of private property into the hands of a few elite...
But, the meaning of life is also a multi-headed beast. What are YOU here to accomplish? In the grand scheme of things, probably nothing, but what about the people you love, and the people who love you? Chances are, when you kill yourself, little else than the end of your own inner monologue takes place, but only to YOU. It is your family and friends that actually die then. That part of themselves they had devoted to you has been killed by you killing yourself.
I'm not a Christian, as much as I might have sounded like one right there, but I know from my own experiences, that suicide probably only ends the one time your mind ever has to BE. And, as a nihilist, one who cares about nothing, you probably still care about some other people. And if not...

Answer 6

For someone so smart your so stupid .Life is what you make of it . In 45 yrs I have been beaten kicked crapped on and had things done to me I can't talk about . But in 45 yrs I have been loved and cred for by alot of good women . I have made and lost a lot of friends . My best friend is made up of a gay coulpe who I love dearly . My new Lady is not the love of my life but she is the life I now love . If not for her I would be alone and unloved . We met 5 yrs ago and got together 2 yrs ago . I have no dout that I was not ready to be the man she needed then but I am the man she wants now . I also know if not for the good Lord it would never have happened . If you ever get to see your own child born and hold them just minutes after birth you will know there is a God and He is the greatest thing on earth next to your child and it's mother . I have thought of suicide and tried . The rope broke when i tried to hang myself . The gun misfired . My vein rolled when I tried to cut it . I am here for a reason and I will find out what it is and fulfill my destiny what ever it is . If you are so confused and want to take your life find a friend go sit on the front porch (or where ever you can sit ) and have a rum and coke a good cigar and listen to the life around you . Try to be apart of that life and think about what it will be like not to be able to talk to your friends and be able to have them around you .

Answer 7

absolutley NO! suicide is a selfish action. your life has a meaning you need to find it, instead of thinking of an easy way out. If you don't believe in a higher creator, just how do you as a human exist? If you believe you evolved from an ape, well ape's have a purpose also. Give your life more than what you are and you will see brighter days. Focus yourself on helping other's and you will see your purpose....

Answer 8

Since life means nothing to you, suicide may seem like a good option.
But, what if your life means something to someone else?
And what if upon death you learn that there is meaning to life?
Are you such a Nihilist that you think you know all things?

Live. And learn. Perhaps you will find a value in learning. And in sharing what you have learned along the way, you will touch another person's life. It may not impact your life, but you will have impacted someone else's.

Suicide is a selfish choice that comes from a sense of hopelessness. Most of us learn that such emotions are temporary, and we'd rather not miss that changes and seasons of our lives.

Answer 9

Your understanding is just distorted and you only have partial information. Yes this world is maya (illusion) and is temporary and full of misery. But the rest of this inigma is only one fourth of the souls come here and the rest are injoying eternal bliss with their Maker in the absolute world. The Vedic understanding is We are eternal spirit souls, part and parcel of the Supreme Soul also known as Krishna, Allah, Vishnu, Jehovah, etc. ) We have all the qualities of God but not in the same quantity. Like a drop of water of the ocean has all the qualities of the ocean but never is in itself the big ocean. This world is a perverted reflection of the actual absolute world. In the absolute world there is no envy or hate and everyone has free will, so at the moment one envies the position of the Supreme Person (one who has no creator) they then fall to this world to try to be Him. The thing is we can't because we are not Him. We can never have all of His Oppulences in full. So we misuse our free will and after billions of lifetimes we finally exhaust all of our material desires and due to suffering we try to find out the truth. Then if we are sincere He from within the heart guides us to the Absoulute truth and the way back Home. There is proof but one has to read it to make their choice. For more info go to harekrishnatemple.co Read Bhagavad Gita As it is By Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada. Everyone can read but it is the sincere seeker who the knowledge is actually revealed to from within. Hope you go deeper than that. Suiced never ends misery it only increases it. If one takes theri own life they must become a miserable disembodied soul (Ghost) who suffers incessently the misery they experienced at the time of death.
When we leave this vehicle called the body we take with us our false ego (false identification of our true self), mind (acumulation of all we percieve) and intellect of lack of it). When one has realized their eternal constitutional position they no longer accept the body or mind as the self and at the time of death (not suicide) they transcend the material illusion and returen to the Real Blissful transcendental world.

Answer 10

Of course not! You still have a whole life ahead of you to live and experience. Even if you think there is no purpose, how do you think it will make the people who care about you feel if you do committ suicide?