Morality, ethics, duty towards our fellow humans, the pursuit of happiness. These are principles whose worth humans have debated for centuries. With Stoicism, morality and ethics are paramount. They come from within, not from the Bible or religious teachings, although a Stoic can be religious or spiritual if they choose.
Where does a Nihilist stand on these ideals? Let’s look at this largely misunderstood philosophy and see how it compares to Stoicism.
The philosophy of Nihilism
An overview
Put simply, Nihilists believe that everything is meaningless. Not just everything in life, but also life itself. They’re atheists who reason that ethics, morality and even a political viewpoint aren’t worth pursuing or expecting from others, unless it’s a personal choice. The attitude is that we’re all doomed to extinction, so why bother? A Nihilist believes in finding their own way to make life worth living or to just live it out while eschewing societal norms.
Reasons for optimism
Nihilists are often confused with pessimists. However, there are optimistic Nihilists. Many find a lightness and freedom in believing there is no meaning to life. Unbothered by society’s expectations, they focus on the moment in front of them. Right now is all we have. Make the best of it and do what makes you happy, or don’t do anything at all.
Questions big and small
There is also a potential dark side to Nihilism. For instance, if life has no meaning, is murder wrong? Without morals and ethics, where is the reasoning that opposes killing an innocent person?
This isn’t to suggest that Nihilists embrace the concept of murder for no reason. However, this is the type of philosophical question that a Nihilist ponders. And it’s precisely this type of debate that, seen through a religious lens, gives Nihilism a mistaken and narrow definition.
No hell below us. Above us only sky.
John Lennon, “Imagine”
The Nihilist agrees that answers to the big questions of the universe may exist, but they also think we’ll never know the answers, so it’s pointless to ask. Science doesn’t matter. It’s futile. We’ll all die and the sun will burn out, and therefore there’s no significance to anything.
Minding your own business
A genuine Nihilist doesn’t bother with the issues of the world. It’s considered a waste of time to argue over political differences or debate whether to build a high-rise on protected land. These are more meaningless things that people “waste” their lives on.
If we believe in nothing, if nothing has any meaning and if we can affirm no values whatsoever, then everything is possible, and nothing has any importance.
Albert Camus, The Rebel
The nihilists are coming!
Friedrich Nietzsche, the son of a Lutheran pastor, famously wrote, “God is dead.” The great philosopher wasn’t promoting Nihilism, though. His deep interest in human values prompted him to write about how to navigate in an increasingly Nihilistic world. The death of God was a metaphor for the dissolution of religious faith in people’s lives.
Stoicism vs. Nihilism
When looking at Stoicism vs. Nihilism, a deeply religious onlooker might conclude that like Nihilists, Stoics also believe life has no meaning. However, Stoics aren’t always atheists. Many Stoics are religious or spiritual. And even if they’re not, Stoics believe deeply in virtues and morals. Living a virtuous life is what gives a Stoic purpose.
Nature has meaning
Stoics believe that our lives are a part of the natural order of the planet. We’re an element of the ecosystem and our lives do have meaning. In recent years, we’ve all been schooled in the importance of bees and what would happen if they went extinct, and Stoics know that every plant and living being has a necessary role on Earth. Stoics believe that humans should live as nature intended, with respect for its laws.
Holding onto virtues
Stoics are focused on conducting themselves in accordance with the four virtues: courage, wisdom, justice and temperance. And they adhere to those virtues in spite of what’s going on around them. That means aiming to be unfailingly kind, empathetic and helpful, and by doing so, creating meaning in life.
Stoicism’s similarities to Nihilism
The Stoic notices people who wish away circumstances they perceive as negative, but they don’t intervene. Instead, they lead by example and understand that it’s not theirs to decide how others should live. In that way, they’re similar to Nihilists, but for distinct reasons. The Nihilist doesn’t care (it’s meaningless), while the Stoic knows they can only change themselves.
Stoics also have a more hands-off approach to the bigger problems of life unless they have direct involvement; for example, if it’s part of their job. Justice is also an important part of being a Stoic. but so is “live and let live.” That’s another characteristic that Stoics and Nihilists share.
Our life should observe a happy medium between the ways of a sage and the ways of the world at large; all men should admire it, but they should understand it also.
Seneca
Like Nihilists, Stoics also focus on the here and now and accept the circumstances of their lives. That’s not to say that a Stoic wouldn’t take steps to change unfavourable conditions, but they wouldn’t spend time plotting against a perceived cause. Stoics also understand that situations are neutral. It is our human evaluation of them that decides whether they’re good or bad.
Nihilism vs. Stoicism: The role of meaning
Humans enjoy their information in a bite-sized portions, but philosophies are rarely explained that simply. When Nihilism and Stoicism are boiled down to a few words, their nuances get lost. Taken in one-sentence overviews, Nihilism and Stoicism are far apart on the theoretical spectrum. On the other hand, a micro-view of the two philosophies shows there are overlaps when it comes to rooting your life in the present moment, minding your own business and staying out of issues that are out of your control.
After that, Nihilism and Stoicism go their separate ways. One, with a future in a meaningless existence, whose details are determined on an individual basis. The other, bound by the four virtues they believe will lead to a well-lived and purposeful life.
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