Talk:Nihilism

Heidegger

Shall we recognize Heidegger's book on nihilism, Nietzsche IV: Nihilism [Edited by David F. Krell, translated by Frank A. Capuzzi, New York, Harper & Row, 1982]? It includes some pertinent definitions [my page numbers may refer to the U.K. edition, I forget; I'm referring to notes I took years ago]:

"Nihilism is the historical process whereby the dominance of the 'transcendent' becomes null and void, so that all being loses its worth and meaning." (p. 4)

"'Nihilism' is the increasingly dominant truth that all prior aims of being have become superfluous." (p. 5)

Heidegger quotes Nietzsche's definition from The Will to Power: "What does nihilism mean? That the uppermost values devaluate themselves. The aim is lacking; the 'why?' receives no answer." (p. 14)

As a side note, for my two cents I find the statement "Nihilism's most famous exponent Peter Kropotkin" curious.Jeffrey Scott Bernstein 14:14, 31 December 2007 (CST)