We Are Condemned To Be Free; You Should Be An Existential Nihilist
Today, we're going to be talking about a philosophical concept called existential nihilism. This idea asserts that life lacks objective meaning or purpose, and it can be really tough to wrap your head around. But don't worry, we're going to break it down and see if we can find a way to make sense of it all. So if you're feeling lost or uncertain about the purpose of your life, this video is for you. Let's get started.
Hi there! Have you ever wondered where our belief in the spiritual or the divine comes from? Well, it turns out that this is something that has been with our species for a very long time. In fact, the oldest burial rituals that we know of date back to around 100,000 to 130,000 years ago. This suggests that our ancestors were concerned with the dead and their dignity, and that these beliefs have been a significant part of human history. And it's not just humans that seem to have this drive to understand the world and their place in it - it looks like this might have been something that we shared with our extinct cousins as well.
The name Francis Bacon may sound familiar to you. He was a philosopher and statesman who lived during the 16th century, and he's known for his ideas about how we gain knowledge about the natural world. Bacon believed in something called empiricism, which is the idea that we learn about the world through observation and experiment. This was a big departure from the way that people thought about things before, when they would start with what they believed to be the revealed truth from holy texts and then try to find evidence to support it. If something didn't fit with what was written in the texts, it was labeled as heretical and just ignored, and sometimes even suppressed and persecuted. This is why Bacon's ideas are so important - they formed the basis for the scientific method that we use today to understand the world around us.
The Age of Enlightenment was a time when people started using the scientific method. Empiricism helped people come up with naturalistic explanations for things that had previously been attributed to a higher power. As a result, a lot of people started to question the traditional religious beliefs of the time. Even though some people like Voltaire were very critical of organized religion, they still believed in the idea of some kind of impersonal force or higher power. So, even though the Enlightenment was a time of change and challenge to traditional religious beliefs, it wasn't a complete rejection of the idea of a higher power.
You might have heard of a philosopher named Nietzsche, who lived around the time when people were starting to use the scientific method. Nietzsche was worried about what would happen now that people were using science to explain things that had previously been attributed to a higher power.
“God is dead. God remains dead, and we have killed him. Who will wipe this blood off us? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Friederich Nietzsche, 1882.”
People had been asking questions about the first cause, or the beginning of the universe for a long time, and Nietzsche was worried about what would happen now that the answer seemed to be "we don't know." And not just that - there seemed to be no answer at all. Nietzsche was just one of many people who were trying to figure out what it all meant.
It's kind of like stumbling around in a dark room, trying to find the light switch, but it just isn't there. This idea has come about as a result of all the knowledge that we've accumulated, and it's the logical conclusion. Some people might not like this idea, but that doesn't change the fact that it's true. There's no way around it - there are no ifs, ands, or buts. It's the reality that we're faced with.
So, how have people tried to deal with the fact that life lacks meaning and purpose? One way that people have tried to cope with this is by making a 'leap of faith.' This idea was first proposed by a philosopher named Kierkegaard, who is considered to be the first existentialist. According to Kierkegaard, there are some things that we have to believe in even if we don't have any evidence for them. Reason can only take us so far, so sometimes we have to rely on faith to fill in the gaps. For Kierkegaard, this meant believing in God. But this doesn't really address the issues that come up with existential nihilism. We can be more or less justified in the things that we believe based on faith. For example, it would be harder to justify believing in an immaterial being that doesn't interact with our universe than it would be to justify not believing in that kind of being. If something has no effects, it's kind of like it doesn't even exist. In contrast, the belief that the universe follows certain laws and patterns does have consequences. We can't completely rule out the possibility that the universe and everything in it came into existence last Thursday. However, it's more reasonable to believe that physicalism, the idea that everything is ultimately made up of physical matter, is true than it is to believe that the world suddenly appeared last Thursday at 9:15 AM.
Okay, so we've ruled out the idea of making a leap of faith as a way to deal with the fact that life is meaningless. What are we supposed to do now? Well, the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre had an interesting idea about this. In his book 'Being and Nothingness,' he famously said that 'existence precedes essence.' What did he mean by this? According to Sartre himself: 'Man first of all exists, encounters himself, surges up in the world – and defines himself afterwards.' In other words, Sartre is saying that we don't have any predetermined essence or nature. We're just nothing at first, and it's only through our actions in the world that we become something. As Sartre put it: 'To begin with he is nothing. He will not be anything until later, and then he will be what he makes of himself.' So, according to Sartre, we're defined by the choices that we make.
According to Sartre, not only do we have to give up the idea of a higher power, but we also have to let go of the idea of being determined by anything else. Without some kind of ultimate authority to guide us, we're left to make our own decisions about what to do and what the purpose of our lives is. Each of us has to be responsible for ourselves.
When we realize this, it becomes clear that there's no reason things have to be a certain way. Things like the Church, our political and social institutions, our cultures and traditions, and even our morality aren't set in stone. We have the power to change them if we want to. The only absolute limits are the laws of nature.
To put it another way, with great freedom comes great responsibility. We can't just use the excuse that we were just following orders when we're accused of doing something wrong, like abuse, oppression, or being hateful. The Nuremberg defense won't cut it. This is what Sartre meant when he said that humans are 'condemned to be free.' We have to take responsibility for our own actions.
It is important to note that we have focused on the ideas of European philosophers and concepts from the Western philosophical tradition. While these ideas and perspectives are valuable and worth exploring, it is important to recognize that the search for meaning and purpose in life is not limited to any specific cultural or geographic context. There are many other philosophical and cultural traditions that offer valuable insights on this topic.
One non-Eurocentric perspective is the Buddhist concept of anatta, or the belief that there is no fixed, permanent self. According to Buddhist teachings, everything is constantly changing and impermanent, including our thoughts and feelings. This can be seen as a way to cope with the meaninglessness of the universe, as it suggests that our sense of self and our need for meaning are themselves illusions. Instead of trying to find a fixed point of meaning, we can focus on cultivating mindfulness and living in the present moment. This can help us find a sense of purpose and fulfillment despite the lack of ultimate meaning in the universe.
“The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn’t the search for meaning, it’s to just keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually you’ll be dead.”
We have talked about the concept of existential nihilism and how it can be a tough pill to swallow. We've seen that the scientific method has led us to reject some of our traditional beliefs, and this can leave us feeling like life lacks meaning or purpose. But we've also seen that we have the power to create our own meaning in life. We have the freedom to choose our own actions and shape our own destiny. This means that we have to take responsibility for ourselves and make the most of the time we have. So don't be afraid to take control and make your life mean something.
Well, that's it for this video! I hope you found it helpful and that you feel more equipped to tackle the challenge of creating your own meaning in life.
Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this video, give it a like and consider subscribing to the channel for more content like this. I’ll see you in the next one!
