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You have people teaching nihilism. This is the result of nihilism. If you want to eliminate this problem, then eliminate nihilism. The solution to keep people

You have people teaching nihilism. This is the result of nihilism. If you want to eliminate this problem, then eliminate nihilism. The solution to keep people from killing should focus on teaching others that life is not meaningless or worthless. Also, teaching kids humility wouldn't hurt either. Edit: Perhaps this should be obvious, but teaching about nihilism is not teaching nihilism. People teach nihilism more, if anything, through their actions.

oliveshell 7y ago
[Citation Needed]
- im_with_stupid 7y ago
  You need a citation to believe that "the rejection of all religious and moral principles" would incentivize people to make their own "screw the system" morals? Really?
  - officeplant 7y ago
    As if "religious principles" in any way inhibit immoral choices and create a moral system outside of one beneficial to itself.
  - Zigurd 7y ago
    If you insist on linking morality with religion, yeah, I do need a citation
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
wbronitsky 7y ago
Can you explain who is teaching nihilism to whom and where? In school, while I did not have a clear backpack and quite obviously had internet monitoring on someone else’s network, I was never, not once, taught nihilism. In fact, in my education through grade 12, most everything was filtered through a compassionate lens. It’s not like I was taught that the Holocaust will happen again because humans are inherently bad and such everything is meaningless; instead it was that if we seek the goodness in the world we can prevent something like that happening again. Furthermore, if we were taught anything about nihilism, it would be that the Nazis used it to justify mass murder, which we were taught is the worst thing ever, because it is. Just my experience
- whiddershins 7y ago
  I think the overall thread might be getting derailed but the Sam Harris <-> Jordan Peterson live discussions are some of the best I’ve seen on this topic, and over the course of many hours they just maybe get somewhere. And they both reject nihilism. It’s just how to get people there. I’ve come to think it might be impossible to fend off nihilism without religion. At least for me, I don’t find any non religious argument a useful protection against nihilism. And I’ve really put in a lot of time on this, for whatever that’s worth.
  - wbronitsky 7y ago
    What does you comment have to do with teaching Nihilism in schools? Why does it matter that people are also discussing this elsewhere? I don’t understand how this is a response to my post, rather than that thing where people put their hand up to ask a question and then just state their position instead.
  - JKCalhoun 7y ago
    > At least for me, I don’t find any non religious argument a useful protection against nihilism. You probably also define religion pretty broadly I suspect. I could tell you that there is joy in life, beauty in the planet, happiness in relationships with our fellow humans and this is reason to live — spread love. Is that philosophy, religion (optimism?)? The best "teachers" in my life have taught me, if nothing else, the joy of learning itself. There's no nihilism in that.
    - logfromblammo 7y ago
      I find that art is an effective counter to nihilism, and I do enjoy the irony of liking Dadaist and Surrealist art. When nothing you do matters, everything you choose to do anyway is art. So try not to make ugly art.
      - vharuck 7y ago
        > When nothing you do matters, everything you choose to do anyway is art. So try not to make ugly art. Is that a quote from someone else? I love it and want to properly attribute it when sharing.
doubt_me 7y ago
.....?

oliveshell 7y ago

[Citation Needed]

im_with_stupid 7y ago
You need a citation to believe that "the rejection of all religious and moral principles" would incentivize people to make their own "screw the system" morals? Really?
- officeplant 7y ago
  As if "religious principles" in any way inhibit immoral choices and create a moral system outside of one beneficial to itself.
- Zigurd 7y ago
  If you insist on linking morality with religion, yeah, I do need a citation
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

wbronitsky 7y ago

Can you explain who is teaching nihilism to whom and where? In school, while I did not have a clear backpack and quite obviously had internet monitoring on someone else’s network, I was never, not once, taught nihilism. In fact, in my education through grade 12, most everything was filtered through a compassionate lens. It’s not like I was taught that the Holocaust will happen again because humans are inherently bad and such everything is meaningless; instead it was that if we seek the goodness in the world we can prevent something like that happening again. Furthermore, if we were taught anything about nihilism, it would be that the Nazis used it to justify mass murder, which we were taught is the worst thing ever, because it is. Just my experience

whiddershins 7y ago
I think the overall thread might be getting derailed but the Sam Harris <-> Jordan Peterson live discussions are some of the best I’ve seen on this topic, and over the course of many hours they just maybe get somewhere. And they both reject nihilism. It’s just how to get people there. I’ve come to think it might be impossible to fend off nihilism without religion. At least for me, I don’t find any non religious argument a useful protection against nihilism. And I’ve really put in a lot of time on this, for whatever that’s worth.
- wbronitsky 7y ago
  What does you comment have to do with teaching Nihilism in schools? Why does it matter that people are also discussing this elsewhere? I don’t understand how this is a response to my post, rather than that thing where people put their hand up to ask a question and then just state their position instead.
- JKCalhoun 7y ago
  > At least for me, I don’t find any non religious argument a useful protection against nihilism. You probably also define religion pretty broadly I suspect. I could tell you that there is joy in life, beauty in the planet, happiness in relationships with our fellow humans and this is reason to live — spread love. Is that philosophy, religion (optimism?)? The best "teachers" in my life have taught me, if nothing else, the joy of learning itself. There's no nihilism in that.
  - logfromblammo 7y ago
    I find that art is an effective counter to nihilism, and I do enjoy the irony of liking Dadaist and Surrealist art. When nothing you do matters, everything you choose to do anyway is art. So try not to make ugly art.
    - vharuck 7y ago
      > When nothing you do matters, everything you choose to do anyway is art. So try not to make ugly art. Is that a quote from someone else? I love it and want to properly attribute it when sharing.

doubt_me 7y ago

.....?