A commonly parroted notion is that nihilists are by nature some kind of licentious monster or serial killer. Of course, I intend to contend with that assertion. While some people I've met over the years have at least had the sense to not outright accuse nihilists as collectively being evil or morally aimless, but they still were distinctly unsettled. Unsettled in such a manner that I couldn't help but feel like they had these visions of Dante-esque orgies (or worse) in their mind's eye whenever they dwelled on the nihilist-in-question's beliefs.
Nietzsche is sometimes mistaken for a nihilist, but his general thoughts concerning nihilism is that it was the next stage for human development yet something to work past. What Nietzsche really wanted was a completely post-human/ubermensch redux of philosophy that would somehow be pure/true due to its separation from human concerns / history / culture / beliefs / morals / ethics. While I don't share his infatuation with a "post-human philosophy", he was very good at slicing and dicing. Nietzsche's deconstructive/analytical abilities are frequently hailed as being some of the best in human history, and yet, the majority of intellectuals, philosophers, and auto-didacts don't seem to apply the tools and knowledge that he offered.
One thing in particular that I refuse to do is to separate my humanity from my philosophy. That's not to say that sentimentality will supersede rationality or truth, but rather that I recognize being human as a fact of my existence and that any philosophical/moral truth which ignores this fact is more or less irrelevant.
The looks I get from people who've known or spoken with me for some time, when I tell them I'm a nihilist are usually more surprised than from those who are perfect strangers. There's a very real cause and effect going on here. The people who've had the opportunity to interact with me assume for various reasons that I've got a very strong sense of value. This isn't necessarily a mistake, there are many things I hold dear.
What it is that makes me a nihilist, what distinguishes me from the average person, is that I separate absolute universal value from my personal valuations. Some would call that subjectivism as *opposed* to nihilism, but this is incorrect. I assert, as all nihilists do, that nothing *actually* has value.
That doesn't change the fact that I'm a human living a human life in a human society and that I intend to make the very best of it. To my mind, getting people to understand and respect nihilism as a legitimate moral/ethical outlook is every bit as an issue for me as it is to get the general public to respect atheism as a legitimate viewpoint.
Where Nietzche ties into this, is in how I texture and describe how I handle the cognitive dissonance of valuing things that I know to have no value. The best and most universal analogy that I can muster is also the simplest. Everyone (anecdotally speaking) has had some kind of stuffed animal/thing that they clung to as an infant. In my case, it was Snuggles the bear (yes, the fabric softener).
To most people, in particular people not of my generation, Snuggles the Bear holds no meaning nor value for them. Just a corporate mascot. For myself and anyone else who had a parallel experience in their childhood, Snuggles is a source of a nostalgic smile and a reminder of a distant childhood.
The difference, is aesthetic. Value is aesthetic. Fashion is about what we value in adornments and clothing, which is aesthetic. Music is about what we aesthetically value in the chords and notes of musical compilations. Aesthetic is value, value is aesthetic. The human experience forms the basis of our aesthetic which forms the basis of what we value.
Contrary to what some say, this doesn't diminish values or morals at all. Quite the opposite. Instead of values and morals being some universal absolute carved-in-stone rules with no relevance to the present human experience, you develop an outlook on life that draws from and feeds into your memories, happy, sad, fearful, and angry alike.
Instead of the path we take in life being based on abstractions from on high with no concern for human worries, human passion or desire, or human circumstances, what we value can be based on matters of personal taste and integrity. For me, being a nihilist is about being human and embracing being human. It's about embracing the life that has formed my mind thus far.
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