Nihilism

In a postmodern world it is worth contemplating in what we can put our faith. Does culture, religion, or God merit our trust? Or is this a world of mechanical and biological evolutionary processes void of any meaning and purpose? The Sunset Limited, “a novel in dramatic form,” by Cormac McCarthy, is a dialogue between two persons who approach each other from opposite worlds to answer these questions. Black, a born-again believer and ex-con, and White, a nihilistic college professor, attempt to determine

The use of language is woven into such a dynamic doctrine in Thus Spoke Zarathustra that it speaks mountains of Nietzsche’s genius. The aspect of two voices speaking as one shows a grasp for the written word that few have accomplished. With metaphors abound and a deep understanding of literary masterpieces, Nietzsche portrays the world that we live in with such grace. The literal translation of the book takes a highly spiritual stance, but in between the lines there is such depth of knowledge and

Facing Fear People throughout the world have good and bad days; sadly, bad days are just bound to happen. But what if that could change? What if we only have the good days? Would we always be happy? No. Even if one person is happy, there will be some other person who is negative. Everything about that person is negative, the energy they produce, and the vibes they release, and these characteristics can be detrimental to other people’s health. The main people in the world who are the root of negativity

“The Waste Land” changed the course of poetry and all forms of expression for good. As a benchmark of modernist poetry, T.S. Eliot's poem used World War I as motivation and put to words the destruction of the world and the minds of so many humans around the world. The ideas in the poem contrast the images put forth and force the reader to feel the chaos, pessimism, confusion, and collapse of human values that modernists know. After the war, the world was totally different and never was the same.

Meursault experiences the world as it happens around him, he cares not to look towards the future nor does he lament the past. Meursault lives in the present, however, he does not see the present as most do. Instead of having strong emotions and feelings Meursault looks at the present through cold logic and does not attach feelings to anything or anyone. Meursault even goes as far as killing someone yet feeling no remorse for doing so, he views his own arrest and trial as more of an inconvenience

If a zebra is marked with a big red “X”, not only does the herd outcast it but it is also the likely candidate to be the lion’s meal. Being in a herd seems beneficial for survival but it comes with costs that may not be worth it. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche, Zarathustra describes being part of a herd, along with many other actions, as life-denying. His concerns are ethics and living well. In the prologue, Nietzsche tells the story of how Zarathustra went up a mountain and spent

19th century philosopher once said, “beliefs and values are only worth having if you are willing to put them up to scrutiny.” The Joker does validate Nietzsche’s argument by putting the citizens in situations that questions their morales. The term nihilism argues that there is no such thing as objective knowledge, because everything people know is filtered through perception. What this leaves others with is subjective knowledge rather than absolute certainty. There is an important

Gardner’s Grendel exhibits a contradictory novel, where the characters show views that both agree and disagree with a nihilistic view on the world. Despite the opposing beliefs presented throughout the tale, the overall work seems to be a refutation of nihilism for humanity. The story opens with Grendel as he approaches his twelfth year of his “idiotic war” (5) with the Danes in their hall Heorot, and he muses over his past and journey to his current point. When a younger, more curious Grendel first leaves

the overall theme of the novel, nihilism and existentialism. Nihilism being, total rejection of established laws and institutions and existentialism being, the individual's unique position as a self-determining agent responsible for the authenticity of his or her choices. This theme increasingly began to relate to the structure as the book progressed, due to each season and sign challenging Grendel’s overall philosophy about life, thus introducing the belief of nihilism and existentialism. In the beginning

The safety of our society is how safe we are from crimes like homicide, harassment, etc. This aspect of our society is vulnerable to nihilism because of the rise of fake news. One example is referenced from a PBS Newshour article written last year of a crazed gunman believing that a pedophile ring ran by the government was stationed at a pizza place called, Comet Ping Pong. The gunman