Is the belief life is worthless=nihilism? or is that the belief there is no god

Question: Is the belief life is worthless=nihilism!? or is that the belief there is no god and/or higher meaning!?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

IF someone is a nihilist, it does not necessarily mean 'life is worthless!.' However, the nihlist about life would need to hold that ' life is meaningless' or more specifically, 'life does not have any 'real' meaning '!.

However, there a two types of nihilist's about life:

Type 1: For a meaningful life or any 'real' meaning, God must exist!. But, God does not exists!. Hence, there is no meaningful life or any real meaning!.

Type 2: For a meaningful life, there has to be 'real' public meaning, i!.e!. nonsubjective meaning!. But there is not any 'real' meaning!. Hence, there is no meaningful life!.

Type 2, however, is not to say that life is, therefore, worthless, rather it is just the denial of any 'real' meaning!. Look at it this way:

If something is not meaningful, it does not follow that it is worthless!.

So, type-2 nihilism as a thesis says nothing about God, although when people hold nihilism as a thesis about life, they typically believe that God does not exist - What is more, a belief in God does not necessarily mean that life is meaningful, i!.e!. a creator but not a caring intervenor!.

This is why nihilism about life, stictly speaking, is consistent with a belief in God, albeit it seem unusual to most because a lot of people, I think, who are nihilist's are also atheists, which is why we typically think that nihilism implies atheism: it doesn't, though!.

Thirdly, Nihilist's about life (as the thesis goes) do believe there is not any higher meaning whatever, but again, this is not to say that therefore 'God does not exist, and similarly even if God exists, that does not mean that there is any 'higher meaning!.' If you read into that correctly, you can see why neither implies the other unless one defines a deity, or God in this case, as stictly being a meaningful being!.!.et cetera (again, that would need an argument, though, as the contrary does not give rise to any logical contradictions)!.!.!.

So, actually, to answer both of your questions - the answer is "no" (to the first question) in one sense, and "yes" (to the second question)!. You have mistaken what the thesis of nihilism-about-life or 'existential nihilism' means (which is easy to do, of course, as it is shrouded in ambiguity)!.

Thanks!

for a far better description see the source!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Nihilism is the belief that nothing has value and that nothing can have value!. The philosopher Gorgias hit the bullet points of nihilism nicely:

- There is no truth of any kind!.
- Even if there was, you couldn't learn it!.
- Even if you could learn it, you could never communicate it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

4!. Philosophy!. a!. an extreme form of skepticism: the denial of all real existence or the possibility of an objective basis for truth!.

I believe that's the particular definition you're looking for!. It necessarily implies the denial of the existence of God!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

i don't think all those who hold nihilism as a belief system agree completely!.
it looks like the general idea is 'nothing'!.
nothing driving the IS, nothing guiding the IS, nothing keeping score
freedom to beWww@QuestionHome@Com

Does the belief that there is a god make life worthless because of the intense confusion and endless ranting it engenders!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

I believe nihilism is that life is pointless!. No god or afterlife is AtheismWww@QuestionHome@Com