Nihilism in Nietzsche; a Critical Evaluation of the Nigerian Situation
Chapter One
THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Among philosophers, the term ‘nihilism’ is mostly associated with Nietzsche. Thus, the sole aim or purpose of this project is to make clear what Nietzsche meant by nihilism and to see how far this has affected the situation in Nigeria.
CHAPTER TWO
THE CONCEPT OF NIHILISM
NOTION OF NIHILISM
The term ‘nihilism’ is derived from the Latin word ‘nihil’ that literally means ‘nothing’. The New Webster’s Dictionary of English Language defines nihilism as “an attitude rejecting all philosophical or ethical principles.”1 Further, The Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy views the term as a “philosophy of negation, or rejection, or denial of some or all aspects of thought or life.”2 As a philosophical concept, nihilism is the view that the world, especially human existence, is without meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth or value. Within nihilism, faith and similar values are discarded because they have no absolute objectivity as such they are invalid.
Buttressing this, the most prominent philosopher of nihilism, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche characterized nihilism as emptying the world and especially human existence of meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth or essential value. He defined the term as any philosophy that, rejecting the real world around us, and physical existence along with it, results in apathy toward life and a poisoning of the human soul. He further describes it as “the will to nothingness”.3 For Nietzsche, “a nihilist is a man who judges of the world as it is that it ought not to be and of the world as it ought to be that it does not exist. According to this view, our existence has no meaning: the pathos of in vain is the nihilists’ pathos”.4
NIHILISM IN THE HISTORY OF THOUGHT
The origin of Nihilism in the History of thought is not quite certain. However, it originated from the Latin word ‘nihil’ meaning ‘nothing’. The term was first used to describe Christian heretics during the Middle Ages. The earliest use of the term in French Language dates 1787. The Oxford English Dictionary gives 1817 as its earliest use in English Language. In Russia, it was applied in the 1850s and 1860s to young intellectuals who, influenced by Western ideas, repudiated Christianity, considered Russian society backward and oppressive and advocated a revolutionary change. The best-known fictional nihilist was Bazarov in Ivan Turgenev’s novel Fathers and Sons (1862). Although the word ‘nihilism’ is of resent historical vintage, the attitude it represents is not. It stretches and cuts across various epochs. Below is the historical perspective.
ANCIENT EPOCH
THE SOPHISTS
The first nihilists were likely the Greek sophists who lived 2500 years ago. They used oratorical skills and argumentative discourse to challenge the values upon which everyday beliefs rested. They were very critical thinkers who questioned the foundation of traditional beliefs, traditional ways of life, traditional institutions and customs including religion and morality. They cast doubt on the real existence of the gods. Perhaps, the earliest original nihilists were Protagoras and Gorgias. Protagoras was best known for having said: “man is the measure of all things, of those that are that they are, of those that are not, that they are not.”5 Further he said:
CHAPTER THREE
NIHILISM IN NIETZSCHE
PRELIMINARY REMARK
While Nietzsche is famous for many of his ideas, much of his writings take on a nihilistic framework. For this reason, he is considered one of the greatest and most well known philosophers of nihilism. Nihilism is so paramount in Nietzsche that in his magnum opus, The Will To Power, book one, has to bear the title ‘European Nihilism.’
THE BACKGROUND OF NIETZSCHEAN NIHILISM
Before proceeding to look at Nietzsche’s philosophy of nihilism, expediency demands an overview of the context in which he lived and philosophised. Among other things, at the background of his philosophy is the enlightenment age. This is the period prior to the French Revolution. The term as employed by the writers of the period means the conviction “that they were emerging from centuries of darkness and ignorance into a new age enlightened by reason, science and a respect for humanity”1 Also, E. Anowai affirms:
CHAPTER FOUR
EXPOSITION OF NIGERIAN SITUATION
PRELIMINARY REMARKS:
Nietzsche set the ball of radical nihilism into motion by declaring God dead. This ball is now in the pitch of Nigerians. A cursory look at Nigerian situation reveals that Nietzsche’s nihilism has been translated into Nigeria. Obasanjo in his book, This Animal Called Man lamenting on this opined: “the fundamental wrong in man is his Godlessness, his autonomous conduct, which is decided without reference to God”. At the root of Nigerian nihilism is corruption that is synonymous with the word ‘Nigeria’. It has eaten deep into Nigerian system that it cuts across various areas like morality, religion, education, economy, politics etc. The description of Nigeria as a corrupt country is an under statement. Rather, is a country in nihilism whereby everything is permitted. She is indeed in the awful hands of nihilism. Hence, there is no meaningful and central objective capable of bonding the nation together, no rallying point, no pivot, no sense of common good, and no coherency. As a result, there is lack of understanding among the leaders, between the leaders and the led, and among followers themselves.
CHAPTER FIVE
CRITICAL EVALUATION AND CONCLUSION
EVALUATION
While criticizing Nietzsche, one must not lose sight of his wonderful achievements and contributions to humanity especially in field of psychology and philosophy of existentialism. His idea of radical, creative, strong and independent personality led to the wonderful achievements in science and technology. Nietzsche’s prophetic insight cannot be overlooked. He prophesied that power politics and vicious wars were in store for the future of which the new age of terrorism and barbarism and the two world wars is a vindication.
Furthermore, there is no doubt that Nietzsche is a genius whose ingenuity manifested in his unique development of his line of thought irrespective of the consequences and implications. He is enigmatic and unpredictable thinker whose ideas was more of poetic and prophetic but undiluted.
Again, his courage is unparalleled, as no philosopher before and after him has taken atheism seriously as to announce the death of God. By so doing, Nietzsche brought atheism to the logical conclusion of nihilism.
Inasmuch as people tend to understand nihilism as a negative philosophy, there is something in nihilism, that man of integrity and rationality cannot overlook. In the reality of the world, despair and frustration is inevitable in extreme situations. Every faith and believe must explore the possibility of nothingness. No philosophy and no faith may arrogate to itself a certainty on which objective reliance can be placed. Since faith is a risk, it must be constantly aware of the nihilistic threat, lest it succumb to the temptation of pride, to which it so often has succumbed when it has become ossified.
Nevertheless, in the words of Bertrand Russell, “is there any knowledge so certain that no reasonable man could doubt it?”1 Therefore, Nietzsche’s divination of nihilism is not without shortcomings. He is criticized based on the following five points – ‘God is dead’ is a misnomer, his background of modern and enlightenment age, ethical relativism, Nietzsche’s personality crises, and inherent contradiction in his philosophy.
By declaring God dead, Nietzsche had destroyed all forms of meaning and opted for nihilism. However, the idea of God’s demise is quite incoherent and illogical. God as a necessary and self-subsistent Being cannot be thought not to be let alone dying. Mortality is not one of his properties or possibilities. Thus, nihilism is flop since its fundament ‘God is dead’ is a misnomer.
Furthermore, to understand why Nietzsche said what he said, reference must have to be made to his background and prejudice. Nietzsche belongs to the epoch of modern philosophy and enlightenment age. During this era, the medieval view of the world as a hierarchical order of beings created and governed by God, was supplanted by the mechanistic picture of the world as a vast machine that without purpose or will. Science took precedence over spirituality, and the physical world received more attention than the world to come. The aim of human life was no longer conceived as a preparation for salvation in the next world, but rather as the satisfaction of people’s natural desires. Political institutions and ethical principles ceased to be regarded as reflections of divine command and come to be seen as practical devices created by humans. Man became the lord and master of himself and the world. Nietzsche radically brought the tenets of this age to its finality. Thus, when Nietzsche was propounding his philosophy of nihilism, he was speaking from his background. As such, nihilism is watered down because it is his prejudice.
Besides, nihilism is untenable arguing from the perspective of ethical relativism. Undoubtedly, morality is a part of culture and as such, differs from culture to culture. It is a matter for every society to decide for itself. Thus, it can vary from one society to another, that is, what morality spells out in one place or age may be quite different from what the same morality may ordain in another place and age. Generalizing nihilism as the wrath of humanity is thus inconsequential.
Moreover, Nietzsche’s life is full of crises. He is a son of a Lutheran pastor, yet he opted for atheism and nihilism. He hated women because the woman he intended to marry disappointed him. For him, women are big fools, good for nothing except for recreational activities and as property by men. He was accredited to have said ‘if thou goesth to a woman, forget not thy whip’. More so, he was devastated by ill health and resigned his chair of professor ship at University Basel in 1879 on health reasons. He became insane for eleven years before his death. From the excursion and incursion into Nietzsche’s personality crises we can understand his concept of superman as a solace to his crises. Superman for him is a human figure who would take the place of God. Nietzsche sees himself more or less as this superman when he said, “superman is all that ailing, lonely, tormented, neglected, Heir Professor Dr. Friedrich Nietzsche would like to be”.2 His conception of nihilism is a follow up from his personality crises and as such, is untenable.
Lastly, Nietzsche’s philosophy is full of contradictions. For instance, he is an ethical relativist who rejected the notion that there is universal and absolute system of morality that is applicable to everyone. For him, people are different and to conceive morality in universal terms is to disregard the basic differences between individuals. Therefore, it is unrealistic to assume that there is only one kind of human nature, whose direction can be prescribed by one set of rules. On the other hand, he is an ethical universalist who strongly affirms that there is one basic instinct that characterizes human nature, and that is ‘the will to power’. The notion of nihilism that is inherent in the will to power is unjustifiable because of this obvious contradiction.
CONCLUSION
Life is meaningful and cannot be thought otherwise. For Nietzsche to claim that nihilism must necessarily result from the death of God is untenable because God as a necessary being cannot be thought not to be let alone dying. However, is meaning only identifiable with God? If yes, what of those who do not believe in God, yet they live meaningful lives? Therefore, the philosophy of nothingness is a flop. Life is very meaningful as to be thought meaningless.
Finally, concerning Nigerian situation, I submit that people cannot live together peacefully in a country of abject poverty. People cannot live together peacefully where religious and ethnic differences prevail and pose constant threat to lives and properties. Again, people cannot live in peace in a democracy where oppositionists are either witch hunted or silenced for life. Following Martin Luther King Junior, I enjoin on Nigeria to know that “we are held together by a single garment of oneness, tied together by a single network of mutuality, what affects one directly affects the other … injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.3
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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- ANOWAI E., God is Dead; European Nihilism, Unpubl., Lecture Note P.J.P.S. Awka, 2003.
- BEARDSLEY M.C., (ED.) The European Philosophers from Descartes to Nietzsche, New York: Random House, 1960.
- CLARK W. (ED.), Great Books of Western World, Vol. 11, Chicago: Britannica Inc., 1952.
- COPLESTON F., A History of Philosophy, Vol. 1, Part 1, New York: Image Books, 1962.
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- A History of Western Philosophy, Vol.11, New York: Contnuum, 1956.
- CRAIG E. (ED.), Routledge Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, Vol. 7, New York: Routledge Press, 1998.
- CROWTHER J. (ED.), Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of English Language, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
- EKWUTOSI C., The Problem of Freedom and Determinism, Unpubl. Lecture Note, P.J.P.S. Awka, 2005.
