Who is a nihilist in simple words, definition. Who are nihilists: description, beliefs and examples of famous personalities Nihilists in life

Trying to understand their place in life, its meaning, people daily create new theories. And many of these theories find their wide audience. From the 19th century to the present day, the course of nihilism has gained great popularity. But many still do not know who the nihilist is?

But who are they? nihilists how this trend entered world philosophy, and what directions of it have gained popularity today.

To understand this issue, you must first understand what nihilism is: "Nihilism is emptiness, the absence of ideals of the previously created, not the perception of ethical and moral principles."

That is, this philosophy calls into question (and usually completely denies) the values of the people, ideals, culture and morality. It carries negativity to many aspects of society, as well as a selfish attitude towards other people.

Nihilist is

A nihilist is a person who does not accept cultural and moral values taken in the environment. The very concept of "nihilist" from the Latin "nihil" in translation sounds like " nothing". He does not recognize authorities, does not perceive any principles. In addition to the fact that he does not agree with the values of society, he does not accept the meaningfulness of human existence. His thinking is skeptical, selfish and purely critical.

Delving into the dictionary and into the origins of the word, we can find the following information about who a nihilist is - this is an individual who:
1. Does not accept the meaning of human existence;
2. Refuses authority;
3. Refutes ideals, morals and spiritual values.
4. Carries selfish character traits.

The nihilist reacts to all manifestations of existence in society, showing defensive reaction as disagreements. Very often, their denial develops into mania. The ideals of a person become ghosts that interfere with living among other people.
One of the main causes of nihilism is selfishness. Their statement is: everything creative is unnecessary nonsense that does not carry meaning. Psychologists say that such individuals do not see the point in the existence of life on earth.

Nihilism gained its popularity by the end of the 19th century. It was interconnected with the ideas of the philosophers Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche and Oswald Spengler. But it is worth noting that the first nihilist is Max Stirner.

Max Stirner attributed egoism to an absolute good, for him any morality is a ghost, in his opinion, people should let these ghosts go. Denying everything in his path, Stirner justified the murders, nevertheless making a note: "to kill, but not torturing." Arthur Schopenhauer accepted only the will, which, in his opinion, perished at the beginning of everything.
Oswald Spengler believed that nihilism is the conclusion of citizens weary of life, who have no further life.

Nihilism is a philosophical concept, but psychology, which emerged as an independent science from philosophy, is also actively studying the features of this phenomenon and the consequences of nihilism. The nihilist denies values, ideals. It is obvious that it is not easy to live in society with such opposition.

There is no unambiguous understanding of the essence of the phenomenon and a theoretical approach to it:

For some people, this is a way of life and a style of thought, self-realization, a manifestation of individuality, defending one's point of view, and searching for something new.
For others, nihilism is caused by violations in and adaptation of the individual.

Nihilism is most common in and around. What do these categories have in common? The need for self-expression, self-actualization, independence and opposition (excommunication from parents). For some, nihilism fades with age, while others retain a rebellious spirit for life. What is it: features or consequences of psychological problems?

Nihilism is classified and considered in a narrow sense, for example, in matters of the denial of religion or state-established rights. In addition, social, moral, cultural and other types of nihilism are distinguished. In the context of this article, it is not appropriate to consider the classification in detail, it is important to talk about the problem itself in a broad sense and its consequences for the individual. From the position of psychology, one type is interesting - demonstrative nihilism.

Demonstrative nihilism (youthful, adolescent)

The psychological syndrome of demonstrative nihilism occurs in adolescence, however, due to the peculiarities of personality development, its signs can also manifest themselves in more mature years.

Demonstrative nihilism involves the cultivation of originality and originality, the purposeful creation of an image "not like everyone else", a blind denial of all norms and standards of behavior and thinking. The demonstrative nihilist is poorly oriented in his own, he does not know his own characteristics at all, but he knows that he always needs to go against society. In this case, nihilism can hardly be called a worldview and philosophy of personality. This is a deviation in behavior, a violation of socialization and self-identification.

The demonstrative nihilist openly and covertly enters into disputes, polemics. Most often, a nihilist presents himself in a negative way, disputes from the everyday level move to the level of ideas, culture, values.

Each movement, deed, element of clothing, word of the nihilist is demonstratively opposed to those around him. Behavior is not only defiant, but also extravagant. Often extravagance borders on asociality. Those around, in turn, fix attention only on these aspects of the personality, which further consolidates in the self-consciousness of the nihilist the image he demonstrates of “not like everyone else”, a provocative, outrageous person.

Without correction, the help of a psychologist, such behavior turns into crimes, alcohol addiction, sexual promiscuity, etc. Each time it will be more and more difficult for a person to shock, the boundaries between social and antisocial behavior will be more and more blurred.

Who is a nihilist

The term "nihilism" is more often used in the field of politics, where it means "recognizing nothing." But in a broad sense, it is also used in relation to youth movements, and in relation to adolescents, and in relation to the worldview of a particular individual.

The nihilist denies social moral norms and values (love, family, health), patterns of behavior, the established civil law regime. Sometimes a nihilist finds like-minded people, but with them (or without them) he finds himself cut off from real life in society.

The nihilist denies everything, even the very value of human life. He does not recognize, does not trust anyone and does not obey. Nihilism involves the rejection of modern laws and standards of life, but at the same time, the nihilist may well be guided by the orders of other communities. However, even more often the nihilist propagates his own norms of life.

The nihilist is characterized by cynical thinking, smirks, sarcastic statements and ridicule, provocations, irony, impudent behavior. He often talks about how he is "pissed off" by humanity and the very structure of the world.

Reasons for nihilism

The nihilist becomes the one who feels pressure, the need to obey, the unsatisfied need for self-realization. All people live in the same society, why then are some able to declare themselves within the framework of classical principles, while others come into confrontation with society?

The roots of nihilism go back to childhood, in which someone greatly offended the child. So he is angry at everyone, hates the whole world, denies everything in the world and despises. But in fact, he is angry and offended only by one specific person (someone from childhood), but.

Disappointment in the world and growing up, lack of and misunderstanding of one's existence are additional causes of nihilism. It is worth noting that they follow from the previous reasons.

Denial is a protective mechanism of the psyche, with the help of which a person tries to maintain health in a traumatic situation. What parents raise a nihilist:

demanding and forbidding;
overprotective;
passive, detached, emotionally cold.

Any childhood perceived by a child as difficult and dangerous has the potential to form a nihilist. An adult nihilist occupies a borderline position: on the one hand, he tries to escape from the past, denies it; on the other hand, he relies on the experience of the past and negatively evaluates the present with the future (he sees the same evil and danger in them).

Awareness of the conditionality of human freedom, which occurs in adolescence, provokes the existential beginning of nihilism. When a person understands that he simultaneously feels the need for freedom and individuality, but at the same time wants to be involved in society, then an internal conflict develops with attempts to find a golden mean, to be a free and independent person within society, a group of people. With an inadequate resolution of this conflict, a desire arises to destroy oneself and the world through denial, that is, nihilism.

Afterword

The nihilist, as a rule, is not understood by the surrounding people, which is why he withdraws into himself. He becomes a hostage to his own conservatism and categoricalness, obsession with his own. Personality develops only in the process of social activity, respectively, the nihilist does not develop.

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. People, trying to understand the meaning of life and their place in it, constantly create new theories (approaches), some of which are widely used.

One of the odious approaches is nihilism, which gained particular popularity in the second half of the 19th century (remember Bazarov from Fathers and Sons).

But who are the nihilists, why is their approach not productive, how did this trend appear in philosophical thought, and what types of nihilism (legal, social) are popular now.

What is nihilism and the history of its origin

Nihilism in simple words is nothing, emptiness destruction ideals of previous generations, the denial of moral and moral principles.

Filling the void is not within the scope of the interests of nihilists, so their philosophical ideas are negative, since offer nothing in return. Nihilism flourishes on the basis of the devaluation of life, the loss of its meaning and purpose.

"Nihilism is a pose, not a doctrine."
Carlos Ruiz Zafon. "Angel Game"

V. Dahl in his dictionary gave a capacious and witty definition of nihilism:

"... an ugly and immoral doctrine that rejects everything that cannot be felt."

The term "nihilism" (from the Latin nihil - nothing) came from the Middle Ages, as in the XII century they called one of the heresies which denied the divine-human nature of Christ.

The word itself has been used in European languages since the 18th century in the sense of negating the norms accepted in society. Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi introduced the term into philosophy in 1799 in Sendschreiben an Fichte.

A nihilist is a person who denies without offering

The boom of nihilism occurred in the second half of the 19th century and is associated with the philosophical ideas of the Germans Arthur Schopenhauer, Friedrich Nietzsche and Oswald Spengler, although their compatriot Max Stirner (1806-1856) is considered the first nihilist.

Russian nihilists

In Russia, the question "What is nihilism?" responded both positively and negatively. M.A. Bakunin, P.A. Kropotkin, D.I. Pisarev are the famous Russian nihilists of the 19th century.

On Russian soil, this worldview acquired its own characteristics - in order to explain the socio-social processes, our nihilists tried rely on Darwin's theory, therefore, described from the standpoint of Darwinists. Man is an animal, therefore he lives according to the laws of the struggle for the existence of the species.

The ideas of nihilism were in the air, and the novel by J.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons", published in 1862, produced in society furor. Now everyone knows who a nihilist is.

The prototype of the hero of Bazarov, according to the memoirs of Turgenev himself, was a young provincial doctor who struck him, whose ideas made a strong impression on the writer. Turgenev tried to capture the essence of a person with a similar mindset and describe this phenomenon in the image of Bazarov the nihilist.

An active person appears before the reader, a fighter who puts himself in opposition to everyone and everything. He is not interested in the opinion of others about himself, Bazarov harsh and unceremonious, he gives an amazing definition of art, religion and philosophy - "nonsense, rot, art."

From such an attitude to life, Bazarov's worldview is born. philosophy that denies all established human norms and ideals and accepting only scientific facts.

“A nihilist is a person who does not bow to any authority, who does not accept a single principle on faith, no matter how respected this principle is surrounded.”
I.S. Turgenev. "Fathers and Sons" (lyrics by Arkady Kirsanov)

Bazarov denies the spiritual principle in man, he refers to him as a biological species - no more:

"One human specimen is enough to judge all others."

Turgenev sympathizes with his hero, tries to understand how such a philosophy is born in people, but does not share such views. The novel is based not only on the external conflict between fathers and children, Bazarov and the noble society, but also on the deep internal conflict of the hero himself.

A nihilist is a person who trying resolve social conflict by denying the value of the old world order, which he considers untenable due to the injustice reigning around him. But denying it does not offer nothing in return.

After Turgenev's novel, images of nihilists filled Russian literature - from Chernyshevsky's clearly positive heroes to anti-heroes in Dostoevsky, Leskov, and others.

Nihilists began to be called revolutionary-minded raznochintsy and young people, students who opposed the noble-serf principles of building society in Russia at that time.

Types of nihilism in modern society

After the boom of this approach to life in the 19th century, thinkers of the 20th century turned to the disclosure of this phenomenon - Martin Heidegger, Herbert Marcuse, Nikolai Berdyaev, Semyon Frank, Albert Camus.

"Any being is born for no reason, continues by weakness and dies by accident."
Jean-Paul Sartre on the essence of nihilism

At the moment, it is customary to single out several main areas of nihilism, depending on the nature of the values that are denied.

Brief Summary

Modern society is still the same influenced by nihilism. What does this mean? Morality, morality, concepts of honor are blurred, ignored, slogans are proclaimed that contradict generally accepted norms and laws.

Every day we encounter these manifestations on the street, at home, watching TV. The danger of this approach is that, by combining with radical, anarchist and other extreme ideas, becomes destructive.

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Concept definition

Although the word nihilist is often heard, not everyone knows what it means. Similar to Latin, translates as "nothing". This is a person who is in a certain trend, subculture, denies the ideals, norms accepted by society. Nihilists can be found among creative individuals who have a non-standard type of thinking, they can be heard about in mass media sources, in literary works.

The nihilist denies stereotypes, morals and rules. Such a worldview position is contradictory, often conflicting. It has the right to exist, however, is not approved by society.

in different historical eras the definition of nihilism had somewhat distinctive meanings. For the first time they started talking about him in the medieval era, nihilism was considered as a certain doctrine, which was represented by Pope Alexander III. In Germany, this term was used by the writer Yakubi, who considered it as a philosophical direction. Nietzsche was a nihilist, he was convinced of the failure of the Christian God, he opposed the ideas of progress.

Today you can find both adherents of nihilism and its opponents. Someone in this phenomenon sees a pathological condition, and considers opposition to it necessary, someone is an adherent of this idea.

Nihilists do not believe in such values as art, love, nature. However, human morality is always based on such concepts. Each individual must be aware that there are values in the world around him, without which it is not possible to live. Namely, love for people, for life, the desire to receive satisfaction from one's existence, to be happy. A person who is fond of nihilist views may eventually realize the fallacy of his opinions, the incorrectness of his judgments.

Nihilists can deny the spiritual life family values, moral principles. They do not want to recognize the concepts included in the foundation of the existence of society. Each person must understand that these foundations are important for a normal existence among people.

Varieties

Worldview position, philosophical views. Describes constant doubts, inconsistency of generally accepted values, ideals, morality, norms and culture.
Metaphysical. Confidence that the presence of objects in the real world is not required.
Legal. Denial of human duties, rights in passive and active manifestation, established norms, laws, rules of the state.
Mereological. Negation of objects that consist of particles.
Epistemological. Absolute denial of any knowledge and teachings.
Moral. Denial of immoral and moral aspects of society.
Youthful nihilism. Starting from adolescence, a young person has a desire to understand himself, his own, to decide on way of life. It is not rare that a teenager begins to deny a certain phenomenon. This behavior is known as youthful nihilism. He, like youthful maximalism, is an ardent denial accompanied by vivid emotions. This type of nihilism can be found not only in adolescents and people of adolescence, it is also likely to manifest itself in various areas, in particular, in culture, knowledge, religion, public life, rights, people different ages if they are overly emotional.
Cultural. Rejection of objectionable cultures. For example, such a trend as counterculture was known, which denied the development of any culture other than the avant-garde.
Geographical. There is a denial of geographical characteristics, directions. This type of nihilism is a new definition. Sometimes it is called false, wrong.
Religious. Characteristic opposition to religion, the denial of the values of society, spirituality. Criticism is accompanied by lack of spirituality. So a nihilist can easily be called a cynic. Such a person, pursuing his selfish goals, can slander about religion.
Social. A broad definition that manifests itself in such events:

rejection of reforms;
unwillingness to follow innovations;
dissatisfaction with political currents;
unwillingness to conform to Western patterns of behavior;
rejection of a new way of life;
unwillingness to comply with the transformations;
hateful attitude, sometimes enmity towards the institutions of the state.

Pros and cons

We have already considered that nihilism is a negative attitude of an individual to some views, values or ideals. This phenomenon is a form of worldview, a model of behavior in society.

The benefits include:

the ability to manifest one's own individuality;
search for new solutions, the likelihood of discoveries;
the opportunity to declare one's identity;
the ability to defend one's opinion.

It is worth considering the negative points this direction, namely:

limited views, the inability to go beyond the framework;
categorical judgments, which is harmful to the nihilist himself;
misunderstanding that is caused by others, the absence of normal friends and associates.

Now you know what the concept of nihilism and nihilists means. Although nihilism is not a new phenomenon, there are still no answers to many questions affecting it. An individual person can interpret the meaning of this term in different ways, some treat nihilism as a disease that does not allow them to live normally in society, while others treat it as a panacea.

Philosophy: Encyclopedic Dictionary. - M.: Gardariki. Edited by A.A. Ivina. 2004 .

NIHILISM

(from lat. nihil - nothing), in a broad sense - the denial of generally accepted values, ideals, moral norms, culture, etc. Sometimes this negation was undertaken with the aim of affirming and exalting c.-l. other values (for example, the denial of culture in Rousseauism, accompanied by a call for the revival of natural morality). AT Russian culture 2nd floor. 19 in. nihilists were called representatives of the radical movement of the raznochintsev of the sixties, who denied the obsolete social foundations of serfdom. Russia and religious ideology, preaching and atheism. Subsequently, the term "N." was used by the reaction to characterize all revolutions. forces of the 60s and 70s gg., which were attributed to, immoralism, anarchism. AT app. Philosophy, the concept of N. appeared in Jacobi, in the socio-cultural meaning was used by Nietzsche, who understood by N. the illusory nature and inconsistency of traditions. ideals bourgeois society. Kierkegaard considered the source of N. Christianity and the spread of "aesthetic." attitude. At Spengler, N. denoted a line modern European culture experiencing a period of "decline" and "senile" forms of consciousness, which in cultures others peoples allegedly inevitably followed the state of higher prosperity. Heidegger considered N. the main movement in the history of the West, which could have a world catastrophe as its final consequence.

Philosophical encyclopedic dictionary. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Ch. editors: L. F. Ilyichev, P. N. Fedoseev, S. M. Kovalev, V. G. Panov. 1983 .

NIHILISM

NIHILISM(from lat. nihil - nothing) absolute negation ( cm. NEGATION). This term, introduced by Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi in his "Sendschreiben an Fichte", became a common expression thanks to I. S. Turgenev's novel "Fathers and Sons" (1862). Theoretical nihilism denies the very knowledge of truth ( cm. AGNOSTICISM). Ethical nihilism rejects values and norms of behavior, and, finally, political nihilism opposes any social order, no matter how it is brought to life. Often it is only an extreme reaction against dogmatism, the lack of content of which has become apparent. Nietzsche means the word "nihilism", borrowed from Turgenev, associated with a reassessment of the highest values, precisely those values that alone fill all the actions and aspirations of people with meaning. Nietzsche puts the following meaning into this: there is nothing more to live in and to strive for. It becomes clear that all these aspirations are completely futile. Nihilism is especially prevalent in times of crisis in social historical development. cm. also NOTHING.

Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. 2010 .

NIHILISM

(from Latin nihil - nothing) - in the broadest sense of the word social morals. a phenomenon expressed in the denial of generally accepted values: ideals, moral norms, culture, forms of societies. life; in the bourgeois Western European philosophy - awareness of the social and spiritual crisis bourgeois. society, as a crisis of all former ideals, resulting in a denial of the meaning of human. activities. Although the concept of "N." appears even in F. Jacobi (see "Sendschreiben an Fichte") in his really cultural-historical. meaning first appears in Nietzsche, who defines N. as follows: "What does nihilism mean? The fact that the highest values lose their value. There is no goal. There is no answer to the question" why "? " (Poln. sobr. soch., v. 9, M., 1910, p. 9). N., as Nietzsche rightly notes, acts as a reaction to the traditional liberal form of bourgeois. ideology, to-paradise is trying to maintain the illusion of the bourgeoisie. civilization, trying to present it as the implementation - or towards the implementation - of those ideals that were proclaimed in the era of the bourgeois. revolutions. N. affirms the illusory nature of these ideals and their incompatibility with reality. "Christianity, the abolition of slavery, rights, philanthropy, peacefulness, truth: all these great words have value only in the struggle, as banners, not as realities, but as magnificent names for something completely different (even opposite!)" (ibid., p. 53). Welcoming N., since the latter "destroys all illusions," Nietzsche tries at the same time to overcome him. Nietzsche called this his attempt "the experience of reassessing all values." According to Nietzsche, the immediate cause that caused N. is the "deification of the world", the decomposition of the Christian religion, the beginning of which coincided with the birth of bourgeois society and the complete completion of which marks its end. "God is dead," says Nietzsche (see "Thus Spoke Zarathustra", St. Petersburg, 1913, p. 329), his death immediately revealed that all that morality. world order, to-ry rested on religion. foundation, lost its support: it turned out that man himself created this world order, and therefore, he himself can destroy it. However, the disintegration of religions consciousness is, according to Nietzsche, only the immediate. the cause of the nihilistic mentality. Its deeper source is to be sought in Christ itself. religions, to-paradise split into otherworldly -, and this worldly - untrue. After the “artificial” of this “higher” world is revealed, we are left with only the “rejected” world, and this higher disappointment is put on account of its worthlessness (cf. there). So, the very emergence of Christianity was a potential emergence of N. Nietzsche interprets Christianity broadly, linking its appearance with the era of Socrates and Plato, when for the first time the doctrine of two worlds arises - the moral, true world, and the world of this world, transient and untrue, - the doctrine, in the basis of which, according to Nietzsche, is the desire to oppose fate. Thus, with Christianity, Nietzsche essentially identifies the entire worldview of the new time, since it only changed the old Christs. ideals, but left untouched the main thing: the desire to achieve the highest goal of mankind. Nietzsche speaks in this sense of "the continuation of Christianity by the French Revolution" (see ibid., p. 59), of the transformation of Christ. ideas into the doctrine of the progressive development of society, about " modern form Christianity" - socialism. To put an end to Christianity - with its "division of the world into and meaning" - means, according to Nietzsche, to put an end to N., which will lead to the triumph of a new era, the era of the "superman", for which there is no more "good and evil", because there is no bifurcation of the world into "true" and "false" (the immoral Nietzsche later served as one of the sources of the ideology of German fascism). Kierkegaard also noted the same spiritual phenomenon, which Nietzsche designated as N., calling its “despair.” Unlike Nietzsche, Kierkegaard expresses the brewing crisis of the worldview of the new time in the form in which it is perceived by religious consciousness, and sees the source of N. not in the “spirit of Christianity,” but, on the contrary, in the absence of truly Christ. Describing "despair" as the "deadly disease" of the epoch, Kierkegaard compares it for clarification with "...intellectual illness - doubt... Despair - something deeper and more independent... It is an expression of the whole personality, but - only thinking" ("Entweder-Oder", Köln, 1960, p. 769-70). "Despair", according to Kierkegaard, like N. in Nietzsche, paralyzes a person, because in this state it turns out that all of it has no meaning. However, unlike Nietzsche, Kierkegaard declares that the source of "despair" is not religious, but "" worldview, which he characterizes as: 1) natural in the moral (spiritual); 2) pagan as opposed to true Christian; 3) natural attraction as opposed to free choice; 4) preference for nature. the beginning in man - the mind, the supernatural beginning - the will; 5) striving for unity. goals - enjoyment and confession of unities. religions are religions of beauty. Within the "aesthetic", i.e. "natural" attitude to life, according to Kierkegaard, the question of freedom cannot be raised (to-paradise is finding oneself by choosing oneself by the decision of the will), for the "aesthetician" who makes the main. the motive of their behavior is aesthetic. , only loses itself and as a result comes to "despair" (ibid., pp. 747–48). Although the model is aesthetic. attitude to life, Kierkegaard chooses the worldview of the Jena romantics (see Romanticism), in essence, he considers the entire modern world to be "aesthetic". culture (new philosophy - see "Die Krankheit zum Tode", Fr. / M., 1959, S. 76 - and even Protestant), including that historical. tradition, which led to its emergence. The term "aestheticism", therefore, is the same symbol as the Nietzsche term "". (Thus, Kierkegaard calls "aesthetician" even the representative of the "ethical" trend in ancient Greek philosophy, Socrates, since the latter did not understand that ethics should be based on the "will, willfulness" introduced by Christianity). As, according to Nietzsche, all antecedents. culture leads to N., and, according to Kierkegaard, "pagan aestheticism" always carries a "deadly disease" - despair. However, overcoming the socio-political and spiritual crisis, both thinkers are looking for in opposite directions: if Nietzsche calls to return to "genuine paganism" ("eternal return"), interpreting it as a force, as a "worldview of inequality", tragic. "love of fate," then Kierkegaard suggests looking in "authentic Christianity," which has never been achieved and can be reached only through the deepest despair. Attempts modern. bourgeois bringing Kierkegaard and Nietzsche closer together are justified only in the sense that both of them expressed the crisis of the bourgeoisie. culture and tragedy. position of a person who grew up in the bosom of this culture.

The term "N." was used by the reaction to characterize all revolutions. forces of Russia in the 60–70s. 19th century, vulgar materialism, anarchist were attributed to Crimea. denial of civilization. In this sense, the term "N." used in the office documents [reports of the 3rd department (see I. S. Turgenev, Central archive, M., 1923), materials of the Nechaev trial], reaction. journalism ("Rus. Vestnik"), in "anti-nihilistic" novels (Leskov, Krestovsky, Pisemsky, Dostoevsky). From the 70s. term "N." used in foreign bourgeois. historiography for tendentious characterization of advanced Russian. societies. thoughts (Oldenburg K., Der Russische Nihilismus von seinem Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart, Lpz., 1888; Jarmolinsky A., Road to revolution. A century of Russian radicalism, L., 1957).

Lit.: Lenin, V.I., Persecutors of Zemstvos and Annibals of Liberalism, Soch., 4th ed., vol. 5; his own, About "Milestones", ibid., vol. 16; his, Another campaign against democracy, ibid., vol. 18; [Katkov M.], About our N. Regarding Turgenev's novel, "Rus. Vestn.", 1862,; Herzen A.I., Letter to I.S. Turgenev 21 April. (1862), in the book: Poln. coll. op. and letters, vol. 15, P., 1920; Alekseev A.I., On the history of the word "N.", in the book: Sat. Art. in acad. A. I. Sobolevsky. Art. in Slavic Philology and Russian. literature, M.–L., 1928; Saltykov-Shchedrin N., Street Philosophy, Poln. coll. op. in 20 vols., v. 8, M., 1937; Antonovich M., Asmodeus of our time, in his book: Izbr. articles, L., 1938; Kozmin B.P., Two words about the word "N.", "IAN USSR. Department of Literature and Language", 1951, vol. 10, no. four; Chernyshevsky N. G., Lack of money, Full. coll. soch., v. 10, M., 1951; Batyuto AI, On the question of the origin of the word "N." in the novel by I. S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons", "IAN USSR. Department of Literature and Language", 1953, vol. 12, no. 6; Belinsky V., [Rec. on] Provincial nonsense..., Full. coll. soch., vol. 2, M., 1953; Turgenev I., Lit. and worldly memories, Sobr. soch., vol. 10, M., 1956; Pisarev D. I., Realists, Soch., vol. 3, M., 1956; Pustovoit P. G., Roman I. S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons" and the ideological struggle of the 60s. XIX century., M., 1960; Demidova N. V., D. I. Pisarev and N. in the 1960s, Vestn. Leningrad State University. Ser. Economics, Philosophy and Law, 1965, No 5; Cyževskyj D., Literarische Lesefrüchte, "Z. für slavische Philologie", 1942–43, Bd 18, Η. 2.

A. Novikov. Leningrad.

Philosophical Encyclopedia. In 5 volumes - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia. Edited by F. V. Konstantinov. 1960-1970 .

NIHILISM

NIHILISM (from lat. nihil - nothing) - in a broad sense - the mindset associated with the installation of the denial of generally accepted values, ideals, moral norms, culture. The term "nihilism" is found in European theological literature already in the Middle Ages. In the 12th century one of the church heresies, speaking from the position of denying the dogma of the divine-human nature of Christ, was called "nihilism". In the 18th century the concept of “nihilism” as an analogue of the denial of generally accepted norms and values is fixed in European languages (in particular, a similar term “nihilism” is recorded in the Dictionary of New Words in the French Language, published in 1801).

In Western philosophy, the term "nihilism" appeared in the 2nd half. 19th century and became widespread thanks to the conceptual constructions of A. Schopenhauer, F. Nietzsche, O. Spengler and a number of other thinkers and philosophers. Schopenhauer created a nihilistically colored doctrine of "Buddhist" indifference to the world Spengler considers nihilism as distinguishing feature contemporary era, characterized by the decline European culture, experiencing a period of its own decline, its transformation into a standardized, impersonal civilization. In Nietzsche's philosophy, nihilism grows into a comprehensive concept that sums up the entire European historical and cultural development, starting with Socrates, who put forward the idea of the values of reason, which, according to the philosopher, was the first cause of Zhgilism, which then developed on the basis of the “moral-Christian interpretation of the world ". “The most dangerous attempt on life” Nietzsche considers all the basic principles of reason formulated in the European philosophical philosophy, purpose, truth, etc. Under “slander on life”, he sums up Christianity and its entire history, leading to its self-denial through the development of a kind cult of intellectual honesty. Thus, a stable nihilistic culture in Europe is formed due to the fact that the “true world” traditional religions philosophy and morality loses its vitality, but at the same time life itself, the earthly world does not find its own values, its real justification. According to Nietzsche, nihilism corresponding to this global situation is not an empirical phenomenon of culture and civilization, even if it is very stable. Nihilism is deep in the whole history of Europe, a kind of fatal “anti-life”, which paradoxically became the life of its culture, starting from both its rational Hellenic and Judeo-Christian roots. The incredible decline in the dignity and creative power of the individual in the modern mechanized era only radicalizes this logic and forces us to raise the cardinal question of overcoming nihilism. Nietzsche emphasizes that nihilism is not limited to the “death of the Christian God”, for all attempts to replace Him with the help of conscience, rationality, the cult of the public good and the happiness of the majority, or the interpretation of history as an absolute end in itself, etc., only increase the disturbing symptoms of nihilism, “of this very creepiest of all guests.” The attempt to escape from the “collapse” of higher values by restoring their secularized imitations, I-biiuie resolutely exposes, pointing to the “physiological” and vital-anthropological roots of nihilism. In this regard, the modern, according to Nietzsche, is only the apogee of the indicated refinement and fall of the human type, bringing the nihilistic tendency to its extreme forms.

In the concept of nihilism in Nietzsche, one can distinguish features of both its formal similarity with the idea of communism in Marx (even the metaphors of a “ghost” roaming Europe coincide), and a meaningful echo with the theme of “forgetfulness of being” in Heidegger, who gave his reading of the concept of nihilism in Nietzsche . Both the “forgetfulness of being” (Heidegger) and the decadence of the vital force (Nietzsche) start in the same way with Socrates and develop in parallel in Platonism and in the tradition of metaphysics in general. In both cases, the common marker of overcoming this “fate of Europe” is the prophetically preached return to mystical-Dionysian and pre-Socratic Greece. The originality of Heidegger in the interpretation of nihilism, this frightening “fate of the Western peoples”, is that he considers it in the light of the problem of nothingness as a “veil of the truth of the being of being”. According to Heidegger, Nietzsche's interpretation of nihilism is that he "is not able to think about the essence of Nothing" (European nihilism. - In his book: Time and Being. M., 1993, p. 74). And therefore, secularization, together with disbelief, is not the cause of nihilism, Heidegger believes, but its consequences. Nietzsche cannot understand nihilism independently of the metaphysics he criticizes, because in his analysis he himself proceeds from the idea of value, thinking “the essence of being ... in its disruption” (ibid., p. 75). As a result, he remains within the limits of nihilism and metaphysics, being, however, "the last metaphysician." Unlike Nietzsche, Heidegger connects nihilism with the project of the New Age with his idea of an autonomous self-legislative subject leading to the Cartesian mechanism necessary to assert the dominance of nihilistic man over the Earth.

According to Camus, modern nihilism begins with the words of Ivan Karamazov, “everything is permitted”, since there is no God. The concept of nihilism is analyzed by him in connection with the theme of “metaphysical rebellion” (la révolte), and the romantics, Stirner, Nietzsche, Dostoevsky act as milestones in its history. “Nihilism,” Camus emphasizes, “is not only despair and denial, but above all to them” (L "homme révolte. - “Essais”. P., 1965, p. 467).

A new stage in the interpretation of the concept of "nihilism" in the social and political thought of the West was opened in the 1960s. and is associated with the names of G. Marcuse, T. Adorno and other followers of the Frankfurt school. In Western philosophy, in the worldview of the “new left” and the artistic avant-garde of the 1960s and 70s. the concept of nihilism turned out to be closely connected with the Freudian-inspired idea of the potential independence of the natural “I” from its overwhelming culture, with the anarchic protest of left-radical and avant-garde circles against the “repressive culture” and “one-dimensionality” of the individual. Nowadays, the concept of nihilism is widely used by critics of modern civilization as a whole or its individual aspects, for example. Austrian philosopher and publicist W. Kraus, who distinguishes between socio-political, psychological-neurotic and philosophical nihilism, and all its types mutually support each other, increasing their negative consequences and thereby creating something like a vicious circle of nihilism. Various forms of nihilism, according to Kraus, are associated with the decline of guilt and personal responsibility in the age of the dominance of the scientific and technical picture of the world, as well as with the fact that in the structure of the inner world modern man the influence of the super-“I” is not enough as a counterbalance to the unbridled desires of the individual. Modern nihilism, according to Kraus, is the traditional nihilism described in the philosophy and literature of the 19th century, plus its neurotic manifestations, which are largely characteristic of today. New idolatry, eg. market, also leads to the intensification of a variety of nihilistic tendencies that threaten human freedom, dignity and survival.

Lit.: Marciise H. One-dimensional Men. Boston, 1964; Idem. Essay on Liberation. Boston, 1969; Nihilismus. Die Anfange von Jacobi bis Nietzsche, hrsg. von D. Arendt. Koln, 1970; Der Nihilismus als Phänomen der Geistesgeschichte, hrsg. von D. Arendt. Darmstadt, 1974; Denken im Schatten des Nigilismus, hrsg. von A. Schwan. Dannstadt, 1975; Weier W. Nihilismus. Paderbom, 1980; Kraus W. Nihilismus heute oder die Geduld der Weltgeschichte. W, 1983.

NIHILISM IN RUSSIA. In Russia, the term "nihilism" was first used by N. I. Nadezhdin in an article published in 1829 in Vestnik Evropy, entitled "A host of nihilists." Somewhat later, in the 30s and 40s. 19th century, it was used by N. A. Polevoy, S. P. Shevyrev, V. G. Belinsky, M. N. Katkov and other Russian writers and publicists, while using the term in various contexts. Both positive and negative moral connotations have been associated with it. M. A. Bakunin, S. M. Stepnyak-Kravchinsky, P. A. Kropotkin, for example, put a positive meaning into the term “nihilism”, not seeing anything bad in it. The situation changed in the 2nd half. 19th century, when the term "nihilism" acquired a qualitatively new and quite definite meaning. Nihilists began to be called representatives of the radical direction of the raznochintsy-sixties, who preached a revolutionary worldview, denied social (inequality of estates and serfdom), religious (Orthodox Christian), cultural (“official philistinism”) and other official foundations of society before and after the reform of Russia, generally accepted canons of aesthetics and preaching vulgar materialism and atheism. Distinctive feature Russian nihilism is an attempt in the field of understanding social phenomena to rely on the natural science theory of Darwinism and extrapolate its methodology to the processes of evolution of society (man is an animal; - the main organic world; the triumph of the species is valuable and important, but there is a value that does not deserve attention). The mouthpiece of a similarly understood nihilism in Russia early. 60s 19th century becomes the journal "Russian Word", in which D. I. Pisarev played a leading role. At the same time, however, Pisarev himself ignored the term “nihilism” and preferred to call himself and his like-minded people “realists”.

Such an interpretation of the term “nihilism” became widespread with the publication in 1862 of the novel “Fathers and Sons” by I. S. Turgenev, the main character of which, the “nihilist” student Bazarov, defended that “at the present time, denial is most useful,” and acted with destructive criticism of the social structure, public morality, the way of life of the ruling strata of Russian society. Subsequently, Russian literature gave a whole gallery of images of nihilists from Rakhmetov and Lopukhov in the works of Chernyshevsky (where the images of nihilist revolutionaries were written out with great sympathy) to obvious anti-heroes in the novels of Dostoevsky, Pisemsky, Leskov and others. 19th century the term "nihilism" was actively used by right-wing conservative journalism to characterize representatives of revolutionary populism in the 1860s and 70s. and the Russian liberation movement as a whole.

A new page in the history of the interpretation of the phenomenon of “Russian nihilism” was opened in the first decades of the 20th century. S. L. Frank and N. A. Berdyaev. Frank in his article “The Ethics of Nihilism” (collection “Milestones”, 1909) declared “nihilistic moralism” to be the main feature of the spiritual physiognomy of the Russian intellectual, called Peter I the first Russian nihilist, and characterized the Bolsheviks as an expression of “universal negation”. Describing Russian nihilism, Berdyaev distinguished between its narrow (“emancipation mental movement of the 60s”) and broad (currents of thought that deny “God, soul, norms and higher values”) meanings (“The origins and meaning of Russian communism”). Considering Russian nihilism as a fundamentally religious phenomenon, Berdyaev, however, defines its origins in a contradictory way, considering them either Orthodox or Gnostic. Nihilistic, declared in the images of Bazarov, Rakhmetov and others, being transformed in the course of historical development, continues in Russian communism, where, in particular, it acquires some features of theomachism in the spirit of vulgarized Nietzsche, for example. M. Gorky.

Nihilism in Russia is not an ideology or worldview; it is a specific socio-psychological, as an unreflexed, special way of responding to the most diverse phenomena of social life, characterized by hypertrophied categoricalness, “totality” of denial, non-dialectical denial, when nothing positive, rational is recognized and accepted in the denied phenomena; nihilism, as a rule, is expressed in pejorative, accusatory and even abusive terms; he is hostile to any compromise. There were nihilists of one kind or another in the most diverse social movements and currents of thought, but Ch. about. nihilism was characteristic of the extreme left and right radical directions. In the radical left and revolutionary circles of the 19th century. nihilism was most clearly manifested among the publicists of the Russian Word, headed by Pisarev, and in the “anarchist” movement, in the 20th century in anarcho-syndicalism and in such an anti-intellectual movement as “Makhaevshchina” (V.K. Makkhaisky and others) , in the first years of Soviet power in the proletarian movement. On the right flank of the spectrum of social movements in Russia in the 19th century, clearly nihilistic ones were especially characteristic of the speeches and writings of the editor of the obscurantist journal of the 1940s. “Mayak” by S. O. Burachek, publisher of a no less obscurantist journal of the 1960s. “Home conversation” by V. I. Askochensky, for Konstantin Leontiev, ideologists of the Black Hundred movement of the beginning. 20th century.

Lot.: Katkov M. About our nihilism. Regarding Turgenev's novel, - "Russian Messenger", 1862, No. 7; GogotskyS. Nihilism, he is. philosophical lexicon, vol. 3. K., 1866; De Poulet M. Nihilism as a pathological phenomenon of Russian life. - "Russian Bulletin", 1881, No. 11; Peony I. Nihilists and Nihilism. M., 1886; Strakhov IN From the history of literary nihilism 1861-65. SPb., 1890; Achekseev A.I. To the history of the word “nihilism” .- In the book: Collection of articles in honor of Acad. A. I. Sobolevsky. Articles on Slavic philology and Russian literature. M.-L., 1928; Borovsky V. V. Bazarov and Sanin. Two nihilisms. - Works, vol. 2. M., 1931; Stepnyak-Kravchinsky S. M. Nihilism.- He is. Underground Russia. M., I960; Novikov A.I. Nihilism and the Nihilist. Critical characterization experience. L., 1972; Dostoevsky F.M. Mr. Shchedrin, or the Schism in the Nihilists.- Collected. op. in 30 volumes, v. 20. L., 1980; Kozychin B.P. Two words about the word “nihilism”, - He. Literature and history. Sat. articles. M., 1982; Karlowisch N. Die Entwickelung des russischen Nihilistus. B., 1880; Oldenberg K. Der russische Nihilismus von seinen Anfängen bis zur Gegenwart. Lpz., 1888; Coquart A. Dmitri Pisarev (1840-1868) et idéologie du nihilisme rosse. P., 1946; Hi/igley R. Nihilists. Russian Radicals and Revolutionaries in the Reign f Alexander 11 (1855-81), 1967; Lubomirski J". Le nihilisme en Russie. P., 1979.

Dictionary foreign words Russian language

Nihilism- Nihilism ♦ Nihilisme A nihilist is a person who doesn't believe in anything (nihil), even in what is real. Nihilism is a kind of negative religion - God died, taking with him everything that was considered the fruit of his creation - being and value ... Philosophical Dictionary of Sponville

nihilism- a, m. nihilisme lat. nihil nothing. 1. Denial of social values (any norms, principles, laws) created by mankind; complete skepticism. BAS 1. 2. Direction in the Russian environment. commoners of the sixties, sharply negatively ... ... Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

Nihilism- (лат. nihil – ештеме) – қоғамдағы жалпы қабылданған, бірақ бөгде (жат), социумде өмірді өндірудің өздерінің күндері біткен формалары немесе жазалайтын (репрессивные), тұлғадан тыс және қоғам индивидке зорлап таңған (енгізген) императивтер ретінде … Philosophical terminderdin sozdigі

- (lat. nihil nothing) originally one of the characteristic features of Buddhist and Hindu philosophy. According to their inherent N. (or pessimism), in this world, in principle, there is no primordial reality, because it has no name and form; ... ... History of Philosophy: Encyclopedia

- (from the Latin nihil nothing), denial of generally accepted values, ideals, moral norms, cultural traditions, etc. Receives special distribution in crisis epochs of socio-historical development. In Russia, the term nihilism received ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

Skepticism, negation Dictionary of Russian synonyms. nihilism n., number of synonyms: 3 denial of social values ... Synonym dictionary

Nihilism- (from the Latin nihil nothing), denial of generally accepted values, ideals, moral norms, cultural traditions, etc. Receives special distribution in crisis epochs of socio-historical development. In Russia, the term "nihilism" received ... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

- (from lat. nihil nothing) denial of generally accepted values: ideals, moral norms, culture, forms of social life. Receives special distribution in crisis epochs of socio-historical development. In Russia, the term has become widespread ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

NIHILISM, nihilism, pl. no, husband. (book). 1. The mindset of a nihilist (source). 2. Naked denial of everything, logically unjustified skepticism. Dictionary Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov