• Best of luck to the class of 2024 for their HSC exams. You got this!
    Let us know your thoughts on the HSC exams here
  • YOU can help the next generation of students in the community!
    Share your trial papers and notes on our Notes & Resources page
MedVision ad

Nihilism (1 Viewer)

biopia

WestSyd-UNSW3x/week
Joined
Nov 12, 2008
Messages
341
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Back in year 10, we had to study Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'. Nearly all prior discussions to actually watching the movie revolved around how I believe the individual can do nothing to stop climate change. My teacher flat out called me a nihilist lol :p
Literally, as soon as the film was over and the credits were rolling, she asks me "So, what do you think of climate change now? Still a nihilist?"
I couldn't help but laugh lol...
 

ClockworkSoldier

Clockwork Army
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
Messages
1,899
Location
Melbourne
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
Back in year 10, we had to study Al Gore's 'An Inconvenient Truth'. Nearly all prior discussions to actually watching the movie revolved around how I believe the individual can do nothing to stop climate change. My teacher flat out called me a nihilist lol :p
Literally, as soon as the film was over and the credits were rolling, she asks me "So, what do you think of climate change now? Still a nihilist?"
I couldn't help but laugh lol...
Haha. Wtf?

Dumb teacher or what?
 
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
3,411
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Uni Grad
2013
I believe that morality does inherently exist and that there are right and wrong choices, the right choice being logically preferable.
 

ClockworkSoldier

Clockwork Army
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
Messages
1,899
Location
Melbourne
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
I believe that morality does inherently exist and that there are right and wrong choices, the right choice being logically preferable.
I agree that there are morals imbedded in the human concience.

But do you agree that it is possible that the moral system that is accepted by society could have been originally conceived by human beings?
 

Ethanescence

Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2007
Messages
439
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
N/A
Personally, I think nihilistic existentialism is flawed in the sense that proponents of such philosophy are objectively viewing meaning and purpose as some "universal truth". In other words, they think the meaning in life is some definite rule or guideline. And because no such "universal truth" actually exists in reality, they subsequently impose their own subjective nihilism upon life and thus view it as meaningless and pointless.

However, I feel that the individual creates their own subjective meaning and purpose in life, whether that be believing that life is meaningful because of creation by a supreme diety (e.g. theistic existentialism), or meaning formed purely from life experiences (e.g. atheistic existentialism), or no meaning at all (e.g. nihilistic existentialism).

Meaning or purpose in life is subjective and really comes from the individual creating meaning and purpose in their life, rather than the individual searching for meaning and purpose in an objective manner.

Searching for meaning or purpose in life in an objective manner is essentially defeating the significance of human consciousness - the ability to experience reality in an absurd, self-aware manner. Why do people search for meaning or purpose as though it is some innate or forbidden secret of the universe? Meaning and purpose are merely constructs of the human mind, and therefore can only be satisfied through individual subjectivity.
 
Last edited:

shuttle_bus5

Active Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
1,055
Location
Newcastle
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
I agree. I'd also call mysef Nihilist to a degree.
Why Nihilism fails? Do your own research, its easy enough.
Why religion fails?
Let me give you a quick list.


The crusades
The holy wars
Exile of gays
Barbaric behaviour by muslims
Terrorism eg every terrorist attack in history
Covering women from head to toe
Forcing intelligent design bullshit down children's throats
No contraception
Christians thinking they are somewhat better then everyone else


Just to name a few
 
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
3,411
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Uni Grad
2013
I agree that there are morals imbedded in the human concience.

But do you agree that it is possible that the moral system that is accepted by society could have been originally conceived by human beings?
As opposed to it being there since the beginning of time?
 
Joined
Dec 18, 2007
Messages
3,411
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Uni Grad
2013
I believe that it is POSSIBLE that it was originally conceived by humans, yes. No way of telling for sure though.
 

Name_Taken

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Messages
846
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
Why religion fails?
Let me give you a quick list.


The crusades
The holy wars
Exile of gays
Barbaric behaviour by muslims
Terrorism eg every terrorist attack in history
Covering women from head to toe
Forcing intelligent design bullshit down children's throats
No contraception
Christians thinking they are somewhat better then everyone else


Just to name a few
Your blatant ignroance offends me, and inadvertently acts to reudce what little legitimacy the athiest cause has to begin with.
 

boganxcore

Member
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
690
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
I believe that morality does inherently exist and that there are right and wrong choices, the right choice being logically preferable.
mate, arent you an athiest?

so where do these inherent morals come from?


not having a go at you or anything, just trying to understand where you are coming from
 

CecilyMare

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2009
Messages
717
Location
Transylvania
Gender
Female
HSC
2011
I believe the new testament also paved way for what our law is now like, and i think it's pretty decent

Also Christianity wasn't so 'satanic' or godlovesyoumoreifyouhavemoney or homophobic in the old ages, it's just what evangelist Christians have warped it to how it is like today. In fact it was the opposite, and influenced Marxism which involved even distribution of wealth, and also, owning more than what you need when others had far less, was considered a sin.

I think that's pretty swell of christianity.
 

Name_Taken

Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Messages
846
Gender
Male
HSC
2011
Mate those are facts
Lol...

I'm only going to deal with one, the easist one (out of laziness on my part), and the one in which you have made the most sweeping generalisation immaginable.

Terrorism is not caused by the basis of religion. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror (violence, or threats of violence etc) especially as a means of coercion. In isolated cases, religion has played a varying role in the shaping of a would-be terrorist's beliefs (which inspire him to bring about social reform) but to blame terrorism on religion is ridiculous, or to infer that religion promotes terrorism is equally so.

Terrorism is conducted to bring about political/social change/reform. It represents a failure of negotiation and democracy. One hardly has to be religiously inspired to be a terrorist.

Now, take contraception for example, how does the Catholic Church's (I'm assuming this example is an attack on Catholicism specifically) stance on contraception demonstrate the "failure" of religion as a legitimate force in society?
 
Last edited:

shuttle_bus5

Active Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2009
Messages
1,055
Location
Newcastle
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Lol...



Now, take contraception for example, how does the Catholic Church's (I'm assuming this example is an attack on Catholicism specifically) stance on contraception demonstrate the "failure" of religion as a legitimate force in society?
Did you not hear how the pop forbid the idea of sending condoms to africa to stop the spread of aids as it violated 'natural law'.
Pretty big fail in my opinion
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 1)

Top