Nihilism

Author: Nolen Geertz

Is nihilism the lack of belief in anything, or the belief that our beliefs lead to nothing? The concept of nihilism is ambiguous for most of us, as we often associate it with destruction and violence. To clarify the origins of nihilism, this concise book traces the history of nihilism in Western philosophy, starting with Socrates, passing through René Descartes and David Hume, and ending with Nietzsche, whose ideas have long been associated with nihilism. It then goes on to clarify the meaning of nihilism, reviewing the ideas of philosophers who addressed it in their works, touching on existentialist philosophers such as Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. The book concludes with a chapter on the future of nihilism and its relationship to technology. It asks whether nihilism will continue to exist in our lives in the future, as it has in the past and present.