Nihilism vs. Atheism?

Question:What's the difference between Nihilism and Atheism? Also, could nihilism be considered a belief system since that's what you believe?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: What's the difference between Nihilism and Atheism? Also, could nihilism be considered a belief system since that's what you believe?

Atheism is the belief that there are no gods. Atheism is often considered a modern belief system as it puts ultimate power of history and the world in humanity--particularly in the rationalizing capabilities of humanity. If there is an illness or problem, science, not god, will fix it. Humans can conquer all things, not god, etc. Social orders, particularly ethical and moral orders, are established according to reason in atheism (rather than divine religous code). Law is secular (rather than church governed).

Nihilism is the belief that there are not only no gods but that humanity, too, is bereft of any capacity to make meaningful choices. Reason and science, in nihilism, are just more false idols. There is no "right" or "wrong"--secular or divine--and there is, ultimately, no meaning. While an aetheist humanist can talk about "progress" in terms of the civilizing of society according to reason, a nihilist sees the notion "progress" as yet another lie and that all such grasps for ultimate truth--scientific or religious--are doomed to nothingingness.

It might help to remember that "Nihil" means "nothing"--so "nothing-ism." Atheist is made up on "a"--meaning "no" or "not"--and theist, meaning "god" or "gods"--so literally "no gods-ism." But "no gods-ism" is far from "nothing-ism."

Hope this rambling helps!

Nihilists believe there is "no point" (and they are probably correct), whereas atheists just believe there are no supernatural "SkyDaddy(s)"; there are people who are one and people who are the other, and also people who are both.

And there is no contradiction in being both and also being perfectly happy & content!

Nihilism is embracing nothingness the focus in it is not essentially on the concept of god or creation its more like personal approach to all aspect of life. atheism on the other hand is the focus on negating the super being. nihilist can be an atheist and vice verse.

I have to ask, did you look the words up? There isn't really much overlap in the definitions.

Absolutely nihilism is a belief system. It "flavors" what you think of almost everything else, our palce in the universe, the meaning of life, human behavior, etc...