The Kyoto School's Takeover of Hegel by Suares Peter;

Author:Suares, Peter;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781461634393
Publisher: Lexington Books
Published: 2013-10-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Two

Nishitani

Solidarity with others is cemented through a common set of values, beliefs, and practices. In an individual, a breakdown of solidarity manifests itself as alienation. It may result from a frustration of dependency needs or, at the other extreme, from their suppression. Whatever its cause, the breakdown leads to skepticism toward the system in which the problem originated. At the point where it extends to a rejection of shared cultural elements, alienation shades off into nihilism. The word comes from the Latin nihil, meaning “nothing.” It is sometimes analyzed further into ne hilum: “not (even) a trifle.” “Nothing” eludes definition. As the opposite of the entirety of being, it can be understood only from the perspective of the latter. But the only way to grasp all being is from a vantage point outside of it, i.e., from the viewpoint of “nothing.” Given this logical circle, “nothing” is difficult to represent other than through the phenomena that it is believed to resemble: chaos, disease, and evil.1 Perhaps this is why it is sometimes traced back to devil himself.2 But despite the difficulty of capturing the nature of “nothing,” the phenomenon of nihilism is relatively easy to approach. The concept has a long history and diverse definitions. We shall settle for the following one: nihilism is a denial of the validity of the unifying principle for a positive interpretation of the world, be it God, tradition, or another moral or metaphysical foundation. It implies chaos and the atrophy of the will to life. Multiple principles or interpretations may emerge in the wake of the single one that has been rejected, but they come across as relative and conventional; they lack the binding force of the original. Following the loss of a strong unifying principle, reality itself becomes derealized.

Nietzsche (1844-1900) saw in nihilism a response to uncertainties of terrestrial existence and social oppression. Disillusioned with life but lacking the force to cope with its problems, vulnerable humankind turns away from the here and now and looks for solutions beyond. It seeks salvation in God and a supernatural world. One such world, a repository of truth, beauty and goodness, was conceived in Platonism. Later, that Platonic world became a model for Christianity. In this manner, Nietzsche equates nihilism with the devaluation of life and the attendant need for compensatory beliefs. He counts Platonism as the first nihilistic ideology. But he regards anti-Platonism as equally nihilistic. Its high point is the discovery that “God is dead.”3 Under the pressure of this positivist realization, the supernatural realm loses its credence; religious goals are discredited as unattainable and slide into obsolescence. Former adherents become disillusioned and develop a passive attitude of not wanting to want, or the will to nothing.4 Nietzsche’s classic definition of nihilism reads: “What is the meaning of nihilism?—That the top values devalue themselves. There is no goal. There is no answer to ‘What for?’”5

Heidegger takes up the theme of nihilism in his two-volume work on Nietzsche.6 He locates the cause of its

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