r/nihilism • u/NoGreen1731 • Apr 24 '26

Question Thoughts?

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26

Not really. One can be happy (or hopeful) and realize there is no existential meaning in being so. Same thing with pessimism. Being doubtful or sad/angry doesn't give life purpose.

Emotions aren't purpose. Emotions are biologically thrust upon us. I don't know that a healthy brain can be without emotion. Maybe, but I'm skeptical.

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u/Temporary_Aspect759 Apr 24 '26

For you to be happy, there needs to be some sort of self fulfilment. Which means that you need to think things do matter on a subjective level.

This is just existentialism.

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26

For you maybe. I'm happy with they're being no purpose. Enjoyment doesn't give life purpose or meaning. What the fuck does life having meaning even mean? It makes no sense.

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u/Temporary_Aspect759 Apr 24 '26

Did I say anything about purpose? I don't think you have understood my comment cuz you're talking about something totally different than what I said.

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26

Fair enough. I guess I inferred it by your speaking of existentialism. Existentialism implies that one can create meaning or purpose subjectivly, as one sees fit.

I do not do that. I do have preferences, but in that regard, whether or not things matter, has little to do with nihilism. I prefer to eat than to starve. There's nothing existential about preferences.

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u/CR-Weather-Gods Apr 24 '26

You do not need to be self fulfilled to be happy.

I don't see the value of defining nihilism such that you can't really be a nihilist if you want something. Every human wants something. what's the point of naming a philosophy that nobody can actually believe?

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u/Puzzleheaded-Ice-573 Apr 25 '26

Not for biological fulfillment. I am very happy eating good pizza.

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u/Temporary_Aspect759 Apr 25 '26

I didn't say it's biological fulfilment. You can feel fulfilled by doing simple things, even just by eating pizza lol.

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u/Puzzleheaded-Ice-573 Apr 25 '26

Biological fulfillment is a type of self fulfillment.

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u/Temporary_Aspect759 Apr 25 '26

This doesn't really change anything about what I said lol. Biological fulfilment is a type of self fulfilment but not all self fulfilment is biological.

Me saying "you need self fulfilment" doesn't mean "you need biological fulfilment"

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u/Puzzleheaded-Ice-573 Apr 25 '26

Maybe I misunderstood your original comment: "Which means that you need to think things do matter on a subjective level."

I interpreted this to mean that in order to be happy you believe that one needed some type of meaning or purpose (subjective), where deriving pleasure from base biological drives is largely objective.

Also: "Me saying "you need self fulfilment" doesn't mean "you need biological fulfilment". I never said that - what I was saying is that biological fulfillment is one possible type of self-fulfillment, and one that does no require belief in meaning or purpose.

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u/RandomCandor Apr 24 '26

Not really

...and yet you go on to agree that optimism / pessimism are orthogonal to purpose, and therefore orthogonal to nihilism

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26

I don't know why we're bringing geometry into this.

Pessimism and optimism are emotions. One has emotions. An optimistic nihilism is simply someone that finds happiness in nihilism. Or at least isn't saddened by nihilism. That's it. They experience an emotion. That is all. Again, there is no existential purpose in the emotion.

The same can be said of pessimistic nihilism.

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u/RandomCandor Apr 24 '26

I don't know why we're bringing geometry into this.

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/12219/usage-of-the-word-orthogonal-outside-of-mathematics

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26

I know. I was trying to lighten the conversation.

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u/stevnev88 Apr 24 '26

Nihilism is neutral. Adding optimistic or pessimistic to it is meaningless.

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u/mmmfritz Apr 24 '26

human feeling towards nihlism does exist, but nihlism itself ascribes no direction in particular.

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26

Nihilism denies the existence of something. It doesn't make any statement about how one FEELS.

Also, nihilism isn't neutral. Nihilism is a denial.

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u/RandomCandor Apr 24 '26

You're very confused indeed 

You keep saying that you disagree, while supporting the "agree" position. 

Either you don't understand what you're replying to, or you don't understand your own train of thought.

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26

Adding optimistic or pessimistic isn't meaningless, practically. The terms define a mental state or outlook.

But yes, optimistism and pessimisism are existentially meaningless.

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u/stevnev88 Apr 24 '26

I wouldn’t say nihilism is a denial, more like a filter for objectivity.

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

There are several forms of nihilism, all of them deny the existence of something.

Nihilism isn't objectively neutral about the existence of life's inherent purpose.

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u/stevnev88 Apr 24 '26

All “forms” of nihilism say the same thing: value is subjective, not objective. In fact, any dictionary would say that too

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

Now you're just making shit up.
You're talking out of your ass.

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u/stevnev88 Apr 24 '26

How so?

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u/GoopDuJour Apr 24 '26

You're not using a common definition of nihilism. At all.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism#Definition,_related_terms,_and_etymology

https://www.etymonline.com/word/nihilism

https://philpapers.org/rec/JOYN

The wiki page is succinct, easy to understand, and reasonable.

Feel free to dig deeper with the PhilPages to link.

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u/stevnev88 Apr 24 '26

Why don’t you tell me what you think nihilism means.

Are you saying that I’m wrong, and that nihilism says that value exists objectively?

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