nihilists
Believers in nothing
Nihilists are people who believe in nihilism—the philosophical position that life lacks objective meaning, purpose, or value.
The term ranges from serious philosophical commitment to casual dismissal: The nihilists in Dostoyevsky rejected all authority.
In looser use, nihilist describes anyone who seems to believe in nothing or who delights in destruction and negation: He's such a nihilist—he thinks voting is pointless.
Philosophy stressing self-created meaning
- absurdismPhilosophy embracing existence's irrationality
- NietzscheGerman philosopher of will
- Dostoevsky19th-century Russian author
- meaninglessnessLack of significance
nothingness · negation · rejection · nonexistence · dissolution · abnegation · repudiation · disavowal
Absence of substance
- abyssImmeasurably profound depth
- nothingnessComplete absence of existence
- vacuumAbsence of matter
- oblivionComplete erasure from memory
nullity · meaninglessness · hollowness · absence · blankness · chasm · silence · darkness
Distrust of human sincerity
- pessimismExpecting unfavorable outcomes
- despairTotal absence of hope
- hopelessnessState without hope
- fatalismDoctrine of inevitable outcomes
disillusionment · apathy · indifference · bleakness · gloom · defeatism · negativity · misanthropy
Complete disorder and confusion
- disorderAbsence of organization
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- subversionUndermining established authority
- radicalismPursuit of sweeping change
revolution · dissent · iconoclasm · insurrection · mutiny · unrest · disobedience · nonconformity
Lack of firm belief
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- agnosticismDoubt about divine existence
- uncertaintyState of being unsure
incredulity · scrutiny · debunking · suspicion · irreligion · secularism · rationalism · free-thinking
existentialism
Philosophy stressing self-created meaning
- absurdismPhilosophy embracing existence's irrationality
- NietzscheGerman philosopher of will
- Dostoevsky19th-century Russian author
meaninglessness · nothingness · negation · rejection · nonexistence · dissolution · abnegation · repudiation · disavowal · renunciation
emptiness
Absence of substance
- abyssImmeasurably profound depth
- nothingnessComplete absence of existence
- vacuumAbsence of matter
oblivion · nullity · meaninglessness · hollowness · absence · blankness · chasm · silence · darkness · black hole
cynicism
Distrust of human sincerity
- pessimismExpecting unfavorable outcomes
- despairTotal absence of hope
- hopelessnessState without hope
fatalism · disillusionment · apathy · indifference · bleakness · gloom · defeatism · negativity · misanthropy · detachment
chaos
Complete disorder and confusion
- disorderAbsence of organization
- rebellionDefiance of established power
- subversionUndermining established authority
radicalism · revolution · dissent · iconoclasm · insurrection · mutiny · unrest · disobedience · nonconformity · uprising
doubt
Lack of firm belief
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- agnosticismDoubt about divine existence
uncertainty · incredulity · scrutiny · debunking · suspicion · irreligion · secularism · rationalism · free-thinking · inquiry
- believersbeliever, believers, adherent, devotee, theist
- Alexander IIRomanov, Tsar, assassination, serfs, emancipation
- countercultureflower power, flower children, free love, hippie communes, Summer of Love
- nonbelieversatheist, atheists, agnostic, agnostics, nonbeliever
- reformersreformers, reformer, social reformers, social reformer, political reformer
- Russian RevolutionRussian Revolution, February Revolution, Bolsheviks, October Revolution, Lenin
nihilistsidealists
Pursuers of perfect visions
believers · humanists · theists · faithful · true believers
nihilistsabsolutists
Those holding unconditional views
realists · essentialists · objectivists · Platonists · rationalists
nihilistsmoralists
Critics of others' conduct
absolutists · ethicists · Kantians · objectivists · dogmatists