Nihilism
Feeling ... nothing. Which is something. (The Bus 7.13)
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ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED (3.2) 3 APRIL 2023
The Stop
Nihilism (from Latin nihil, ‘nothing’), originated during the reign of Tsar Alexander II in 19th century Russia as a philosophy of ‘moral and epistemological scepticism.’ Rejecting classical philosophical systems and replacing them with utilitarianism and scientific rationalism, nihilism was a ‘revolt against the established social order’ and any sort of authority - whether that of the state, the church or the family. The nihilists believed that only science was true and - as all evil derives from ignorance - science alone would solve society’s problems.1
Though nihilism in one form or another predates this period of Russian history,2 the Russian version was closely associated with scepticism - especially around questioning and negating existing political and social institutions. However, it was with the publication of Ivan Turgenev’s novel Fathers and Sons (1862) and its central character, Bazarov the nihilist, that the philosophy and its adherents attained a popular identity. Considered Turgenev’s ‘most powerful’ creation, Bazarov - 'uncouth and forthright in his opinions,’ a denier of ‘all laws save those of the natural sciences’ - is a tragic character as despite his beliefs he remains ‘susceptible to love and by that token doomed to unhappiness.’ The resulting popular opinion of nihilists as ‘disheveled, untidy, unruly, ragged men who rebelled against tradition and social order’ only to end up destroyed in the end, became widespread - and garnered further controversy when the philosophy was incorrectly associated with the assassination of Alexander II in 1881.
In the 20th century, nihilism became less of a philosophy than a collection of related views that rejected generally accepted or fundamental beliefs about human existence. Whether questioning if life has meaning, asking if knowledge is possible or casting doubt on human morality and values in general, nihilists frequently conflicted with authoritative bodies. As they denied the existence of the soul or spiritual substances, they came into violent conflict with religious authorities; questioning the ‘doctrine of the divine right of kings’ brought them into conflict with government authorities; and since they denied social bonds and family authority, the conflict between parents and children became intensified.3
Though nihilism is often associated with pessimism, cynicism and/or apathy, it is none of these. Pessimists feel despair, cynics feel disdain and the apathetic person feels nothing, but ‘pessimists are not nihilists because pessimists embrace rather than evade despair,’ ‘cynics are not nihilists because cynics embrace rather than evade mendacity,’ and apathetic individuals are not nihilists because they feel nothing. Rather than evade or not feel, nihilists do feel - and always have. It’s just that they feel nothing - and in the 21st century, it appears this nothing may just be a defining something.4
The Detour
Today’s Detour is to ‘How an Infinite Hotel Ran Out of Room’ (6:06), an animated explanation of the mathematical concept of infinity. In short: if you had a hotel with an infinite number of rooms could you ever fill it completely or run out of space to accommodate your guests? The answer is … yes. With a twist. It’s a great explanation of this concept - and worth the few minutes!
How an Infinite Hotel Ran Out of Room
The Recommendation
Today’s Recommendation is The Big Lebowski (1998). Written, directed and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi and John Turturro, the film is a crime comedy centred around Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski. Mistaken for another Jeffrey Lebowski, The Dude becomes involved in a kidnapping plot which goes awry when one of his friends decides to keep the ransom money. Though released to mixed reviews, the film has become a cult favourite and in 2014 was included in the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry for being ‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.’ The inspiration for inclusion in today’s Bus Stop is because of Uli, Franz and Kieffer5 - a group of German nihilists (and their ferret) The Dude encounters.
The Big Lewbowski (1998) Trailer
The Big Lebowski streams on various platforms.
The Sounds
Today’s playlist is composed of five tracks with nihilistic tendencies: ‘Hurt’ (Johnny Cash, 2002), ‘Santa Monica’ (Everclear, 1995), ‘It’s The End of the World as We Know It and I Feel Fine’ (R.E.M., 1987), ‘Killing an Arab’ (The Cure, 1980) and ‘All We Ever Wanted Was Everything” (Bauhaus, 1982). Great tracks, all. Enjoy!
The Thought
Today’s Thought is from Ivan Turgenev’s sixth and final novel, Virgin Soil (1877).6
‘If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.’
If you have a thought on this Thought - or any part of today’s issue - please leave a comment below:
And that’s the end of this Stop - I hope you enjoyed the diversion!
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Until the next Stop …
Nihilism is a topic beyond the confines of a single issue of The Bus, not least because an in-depth look would take us into topics as diverse as Buddhism, Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche and Heidegger - before moving into the later 20th century and beyond. So, I’ve only skimmed the very surface of its lake. However, if you’re interested, I’d suggest looking around a bit - there is some really good information out there about this very misunderstood system of thought. You could start with the sources for today’s Stop, which include: Nihilism (Britannica), What Nihilism is Not (MIT Press), Turgenev (Britannica) and Meaning of Life (Nihilism) (Stanford).
In the Middle Ages it was used to denote forms of heresy, and existed in some forms of German philosophy in the 18th century.
And arguably only continues to intensify - a reality to which anyone who works with teenagers and/or socially-engaged young people can attest.
Film - and art in general - reflects the anxieties and tensions of its time. Take, for example, the horror genre: vampire (and blood-related) films become popular when blood-borne diseases appear, zombie films appear when social unrest occurs, etc. And two recent films - Don’t Look Up (2021) and the 2022 Oscar winner Everything Everywhere All at Once are both very nihilistic.
Who is played by Flea, founding member and bassist of The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Turgenev is a future scheduled Bus Stop, but in the meantime you can find out more about him here: Turgenev (Britannica).
Yah, vee believe in nussing!
I thought that believing in nothing would make me a denihilist.