Are you cynical enough to doubt the inherent purpose of life, but too optimistic to fully commit to the empty void that is nihilism? Well I have the philosophical theory for you, existentialism. Existentialism and nihilism share some important concepts. One of those is that life has no inherent meaning. However they also have a key difference that sets them apart and makes existentialism the more preferable outlook.
The literal definition of nihilism is extreme skepticism maintaining that nothing in the world has a real existence. The core values of nihilism revolve around the idea that there’s no meaning to life. The nihilist is like the ultimate pessimist. The nihilist believes that nothing matters, that everything from the values in society, such as morality, to human life itself, is insignificant and meaningless. To the nihilist, there’s no order in the world. They stand for nothingness. The nihilist believes that we live and we die and that’s all there is to it. This theory is pretty bleak. While there’s different forms of nihilism, they have the same core principles for the most part. An example of a pop culture character that follows this belief would be Rick, from the show Rick and Morty.
Some view existentialism as a branch of nihilism, but I’m going to consider it a separate entity to better emphasize the difference. Like the nihilist, the existentialist believes that there’s no inherent meaning to life, however the key difference is that the existentialist believes that we as individuals have the power to create our own meaning in life. Nihilism is pretty synonymous with atheism, but that’s not necessarily the case with existentialism. A lot existentialists consider themselves theistic. This means that there could be a God that created the universe, but that God didn’t create the universe with any inherent meaning in mind. To the existentialist, there’s no divine order or template on how you should live. We as individuals create our own definition of what it means to live, and our purpose in life, and we do this based on the values we choose to accept. This gives existentialists the belief that we all have total freedom in the world, which can be a scary concept. The existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre believed that the people we look to for answers, are people like us that are also looking for answers, and had to figure out their own way to live. The meaning of life is an individualized thing, we all have different answers, and no one else can define it for us. Therefore any meaning your life has, is created by you, and his conclusion is that we should all strive to live authentically. Meaning that we live life based on our own beliefs of meaningfulness and morality. An example of an existential pop culture character, is Bojack Horseman.
Existentialism is all about trying to create your own meaning in a meaningless world. While nihilism is about accepting that there is no meaning. In a way it’s like existentialism is just a step to full blown nihilism. As an existentialist, it can sometimes feel like you’re holding the weight of crushing despair and nothingness at bay with the values, and purpose that you choose to accept. If you’re struggling to find your purpose in life, it’s easy to allow become pessimistic and allow yourself to feel like nothing you do matters. That being said, the nature of existentialism has its positives too.
The thing I like about the concept of existentialism is the freedom and accountability that it forces you to have. With nihilism, you embrace the idea of nothingness, which takes the responsibility off of you and puts it on the universe as a whole. You might think that this would leave you to feel more free, but really it would leave you feeling like a slave to the universe, like you’re powerless to stop whatever happens to you in life. With religion, you embrace God, which takes the responsibility off of you and puts it on to God. You look at God to answer your various questions about your meaning and purpose in life. Even though they seem like two very different concepts, religion and nihilism aren’t that different. Both concepts can leave you feeling like you’re powerless to change your fate. With existentialism it’s different. You have to find the answers for yourself. You have to create your own purpose, moral code, and values. This gives you a sense of freedom, which can lead to you feeling more optimistic because you feel more in control of your own life and happiness.
Existentialism resonates with me because it forces me to think for myself, and be authentic in a way that other philosophical concepts don’t. Existentialism requires a level of introspection that I appreciate. You have to figure out what’s important to you, and what you believe in for yourself. With existentialism, no one else’s thoughts matter when it comes to your own beliefs, and how you think you should live your own life. While all life ends in death, existentialism gives you a level of autonomy in life that other concepts don’t which is why I think it’s the best.
Check out these videos on nihilism and existentialism:
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