Firstly, let's agree on some terms. These are definitions I generated from Google.
ATHEISM: lack of belief in god(s)
NIHILISM:(since there is a philosophy as well as a historical movement, let's stick with the philosophy) rejection of religious and moral principle, extreme skepticism that suggests that nothing in the world is real or meaningful
Last night (with the help of my da boyfran) I realized that I was a nihilist. Mind you, I've been a nihilist for longer than I realized, so after the epiphany last night, all of a sudden ideas started to define themselves more clearly. The definitions of everything became sharper. I'd always known what nihilism was but never paid much attention to it because of, admittedly, the negative connotations that allowed my brain to brush the philosophy to the side while simultaneously using it to water all my thoughts.
Also, there's the added perk of having a clearer word with which to describe my (lack of) beliefs. YAY LABELS. I'm a writer. I like 'em. :3
Anyway, like a fool I had lumped atheism and nihilism in with one another, as if the two were kind of interchangeable (mind you, this was not a conscious decision, merely a matter of happenstance). It just didn't make any sense that someone could lack belief in god(s) but still potentially believe in spirits, ghosts, aliens, etc. It was an overly simplistic, solipsist view of things, admittedly.
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QUESTIONS: AS AN ATHEIST...
1. do you believe in anything supernatural (ghosts, spirits, magic, etc)?
2. do you consider yourself a nihilist?
3. do you think that atheism and nihilism are similar? Explain.
4. do you think that atheism leads to nihilism?
IF YOU ARE ALSO A NIHILIST...
1. do you think that the meaninglessness of life is actually a bad thing?
2. do you feel like you 'reject moral principle?' Explain
3. was nihilism something you decided upon, or had you always thought similarly and simply discovered that the shoe fit, so to speak?
4. do you think nihilism is simply intense skepticism, or do you believe that it is the belief in nothing?
Let's start there.
ATHEISM: lack of belief in god(s)
NIHILISM:(since there is a philosophy as well as a historical movement, let's stick with the philosophy) rejection of religious and moral principle, extreme skepticism that suggests that nothing in the world is real or meaningful
Last night (with the help of my da boyfran) I realized that I was a nihilist. Mind you, I've been a nihilist for longer than I realized, so after the epiphany last night, all of a sudden ideas started to define themselves more clearly. The definitions of everything became sharper. I'd always known what nihilism was but never paid much attention to it because of, admittedly, the negative connotations that allowed my brain to brush the philosophy to the side while simultaneously using it to water all my thoughts.
Also, there's the added perk of having a clearer word with which to describe my (lack of) beliefs. YAY LABELS. I'm a writer. I like 'em. :3
Anyway, like a fool I had lumped atheism and nihilism in with one another, as if the two were kind of interchangeable (mind you, this was not a conscious decision, merely a matter of happenstance). It just didn't make any sense that someone could lack belief in god(s) but still potentially believe in spirits, ghosts, aliens, etc. It was an overly simplistic, solipsist view of things, admittedly.
-------
QUESTIONS: AS AN ATHEIST...
1. do you believe in anything supernatural (ghosts, spirits, magic, etc)?
2. do you consider yourself a nihilist?
3. do you think that atheism and nihilism are similar? Explain.
4. do you think that atheism leads to nihilism?
IF YOU ARE ALSO A NIHILIST...
1. do you think that the meaninglessness of life is actually a bad thing?
2. do you feel like you 'reject moral principle?' Explain
3. was nihilism something you decided upon, or had you always thought similarly and simply discovered that the shoe fit, so to speak?
4. do you think nihilism is simply intense skepticism, or do you believe that it is the belief in nothing?
Let's start there.
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