Nihilism holds that life has no inherent meaning, purpose, or value. The word comes from the Latin nihil, meaning nothing. It is often associated with Nietzsche, though he was not a nihilist. He diagnosed nihilism as a cultural condition, the consequence of the death of God and the collapse of traditional values. His response was not to embrace meaninglessness but to overcome it, by creating new values and affirming life. Nihilism as a position is the denial that there are any objective moral truths or cosmic purposes.

Nihilism takes several forms. Moral nihilism denies that there are moral facts. Existential nihilism denies that life has meaning. Epistemological nihilism denies that knowledge is possible. Metaphysical nihilism denies that anything exists, or that only nothing exists. Nihilism is often associated with despair, but not all nihilists are despairing. Some argue that the absence of meaning is liberating. If nothing matters objectively, we are free to create our own meanings. Others argue that nihilism is a dead end, and that we need new sources of value. The debate between nihilism and its critics is one of the defining conversations of modernity.

Forms of nihilism

• Moral. There are no moral facts.
• Existential. Life has no meaning.
• Epistemological. Knowledge is impossible.
• Metaphysical. Nothing exists, or only nothing exists.

Nihilism is not the same as skepticism. Skepticism doubts knowledge. Nihilism denies value and meaning.