Peanuckle on 8/12/2008 at 06:01
What I don't understand is that people are trying to bring Christian morals back into society. The Bible clearly states that the world has to go to shit before Jesus comes back, so we should all be starting nihilist cells and such.
Hidden_7 on 8/12/2008 at 10:01
Nihilists don't believe in anything. Atheists don't believe in god. There's a whole host of other things that people can believe in.
Examples!
Morality
Causality
Purpose
Rationality
Aesthetic Realism
and so on.
As a fun fact these are all things I believe in, even though I'm an atheist. If BEAR has some sort of code or something, for example he treats people with respect because he believes he ought to as opposed to, I dunno, because he happens feels like it, then he's certainly not a nihilist.
I don't have a ton of experience with these positions, but I believe the denial of purpose gifted from some higher power, but the acceptance of the need to construct some sort of personal value is semi-existentialist.
I really honestly can't see why anyone that identifies as a nihilist, and internalizes the tenants of it, in its classical formation, don't just kill themselves. I mean... what's the point? But oh well, there's lots of viewpoints I don't understand.
Tocky on 8/12/2008 at 13:05
A nihilist would never kill the one person they care about.
BEAR aint one. I would stake a body part on it.
Starrfall on 8/12/2008 at 17:48
Quote Posted by Peanuckle
What I don't understand is that people are trying to bring Christian morals back into society. The Bible clearly states that the world has to go to shit before Jesus comes back, so we should all be starting nihilist cells and such.
We already have those, sort of. (
http://www.raptureready.com/)
My favorite is the Elizabeth Taylor timeline. Did you know that before she got married and divorced a bunch of times gas only cost 27 cents a gallon? I think the lesson is CLEAR.
Here's 101 reasons why we're in the end of times in case you wanted to be sure (it's because of vegetarians and tattoos): (
http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=27867)
Shoshin on 8/12/2008 at 20:25
Quote Posted by Hidden_7
Nihilists don't believe in anything.
"We believe in nothing, Lebowski. Nothing. And tomorrow we come back and we cut off your chonson."
BEAR on 8/12/2008 at 21:44
Ironically I think that was actually my first impression of nihilists. You stopped short of my favorite quote, I won't bother because I don't think I can spell it.
fett on 8/12/2008 at 22:31
Quote Posted by Starrfall
We already have those, sort of. (
http://www.raptureready.com/)
My favorite is the Elizabeth Taylor timeline. Did you know that before she got married and divorced a bunch of times gas only cost 27 cents a gallon? I think the lesson is CLEAR.
Here's 101 reasons why we're in the end of times in case you wanted to be sure (it's because of vegetarians and tattoos): (
http://www.rr-bb.com/showthread.php?t=27867)
Heh. I know one of the guys that writes for that website (rapture ready - Terry James). The scary thing is that the Bible, especially OT does actually predict much of what's happening politically and internationally today with startling clarity. Everything from Russia's current situation, to Israel's economic status (even a really REALLY accurate list of the main food products it exports - which would have been impossible in the day it was predicted, etc.).
Starrfall on 8/12/2008 at 23:04
You can say the same about Nostradamus.
Hidden_7 on 9/12/2008 at 07:44
Quote Posted by Tocky
A nihilist would never kill the one person they care about.
Yeah, this is the bit I just don't get about nihilists. Why DO they care about themselves? I mean, let's break it down.
Don't believe in God, afterlife, punishment, whatever. No trying to avoid hell reason for avoidance of suicide
Don't believe in an objective morality, there's no sense in which it would be "wrong" either in a greater metaphysical sense, or as a wrong perpetrated against the people who care about them.
Don't believe in any sort of purpose, constructed or otherwise, to life. So there's no sense in that living is a noble defiance, that there's some meaning that can be cobbled together out of just living.
Now, given that, why stick around? I guess because you get some enjoyment out of life, but most nihilists seem to be a pretty dour sort, but even if they aren't. Even if they love every minute of life, it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't add to any sort of tally after they die, it's an ultimately insignificant blip that always ends the same way. And they can't say that the journey has value, because, well... it doesn't.
Given that there's absolutely no value to be derived out of life, save meaningless fleeting pleasures, given the vast amount of effort living requires to obtain said pleasures, and given that they amount to nothing it seems odd that one wouldn't just elect to speed the inevitable conclusion.
But that's just me.
fett on 9/12/2008 at 13:59
Quote Posted by Starrfall
You can say the same about Nostradamus.
Common misconception. If you take the whole of OT prophecy (scripture that was intended as prophecy, not scripture that modern evangelicals label as such) its accuracy is somewhere in the 80% range with the another 10% looking very likely in the near future. Nostradomus is down around the 20-30% range, and Cayce comes in around 10-15%.
