July 28, 2019
The Difference between Nihilism and Fatalism
For some of you, the point of the title might be absurd. “The difference between nihilism and fatalism?” you might ask with incredulity. “Why, these two are the exact opposite of each other!”
But I’ve learned the lesson well: Never assume anything. This is especially the case when it comes to other people’s ideas. For a long time I naively assumed that if I could see the truth of something, others would too. But, apparently, self-delusion is what many people prefer.
In actual fact, most people to whom I’ve talked about nihilism seem to confuse it either with fatalism or depression. Let’s get this latter part out of the way: depression is, according to the American Psychiatric Association, “a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.”
Depression is an illness. Nihilism and fatalism are philosophical viewpoints.
But what does that mean, and what are the differences between nihilism and fatalism? Moreover, why should we care?
Well, allow me to make it a bit personal and say that nihilism is a major part of what has helped me remain relatively sane. As the fool says in Ran, in a mad world, only the mad are sane!
The Difference between Nihilism and Fatalism Lies in the Metaphysics of Meaning
Forgetting this fancy heading for a moment – sometimes I can’t help my academic background – what this means is basically this: the difference between nihilism and fatalism is a matter of how each philosophical viewpoint approaches the bigger picture.
Let’s take them one by one to see what’s going on here.
What Is Nihilism?
Avoiding any fancy, complicated words, to the question “What is Nihilism?” the answer is: the denial that there is some underlying, grand meaning behind life or human existence.
For most nihilists, life and human existence serve no particular purpose, have no inherent (more of this in a moment) meaning, and are of no particular value.
The concept of “inherent meaning” refers to nihilists not believing that there is meaning (and value) as a natural consequence of existing. That is not to say that a nihilist wouldn’t find meaning in their own life or individual actions – perhaps that is one point of contact for the misunderstanding between nihilism, fatalism, and depression.
What Is Fatalism?
Fatalism, on the other hand, affirms that there is no meaning in human actions as a result of their inevitability. For a fatalist, everything we do is the only course of action we could’ve taken anyway, because everything is predetermined.
As the name implies, fatalism basically affirms that the best (indeed the only!) course of action is to submit to one’s fate.
The Difference between Nihilism and Fatalism: Practical Outlook
We’ve seen the theoretical underpinnings of each philosophical viewpoint, nihilism and fatalism.
Of course, keep in mind that I only offered a very generic, necessarily incomplete description of each, to keep the post accessible. Each of the two, nihilism and fatalism, has many different hues and interpretations, some of which vary significantly from one another.
Still, even with these brief definitions, we need to focus on the practicalities of the matter. In other words, how does the difference between nihilism and fatalism can affect our lives? What does each viewpoint have to offer?
Fatalism Is about Abandoning Responsibility
I begin with fatalism because I simply can’t accept its premise. Fatalism is a cop-out, the way religion or selecting representatives are excuses for someone to avoid taking responsibility.
Fatalism asks you to sit tight and do nothing, because you can’t change it anyway. More damaging is the effect of self-fulfilling prophecy at play: Anything that happens to a person can be conveniently explained as a result of “fate” or “destiny”.
Nihilism Is about Taking Responsibility
Nihilism – precisely as a result of its not being convinced about the existence of inherent meanings, purposes, or value – is the exact opposite. Essentially, nihilism is about taking responsibility, as there are no gods and no masters to do it for you.
Therefore, we could say that the difference between nihilism and fatalism in terms of results is a consequence of their initial conditions. Surely an ironic remark considering the deterministic premises of fatalism!
“Should I Become a Nihilist?”
Well, you can’t “become” a nihilist, the way you can’t convince yourself to believe in a god – unless your name is Blaise Pascal and you like to formulate ridiculous wagers.
In other words, you can’t choose to believe in nihilism but, as with every solid hypothesisThis poses no claim about whether the hypothesis is true; only that it is presented in a (relatively) straightforward, solid manner. Of course, if we want to be intellectually honest, we should also attempt to debate whether nihilism has indeed presented its case in a solid manner. I think it is a matter of the so-called burden of proof. In my opinion, precisely because nihilism affirms there is no inherent meaning, value, or purpose, it places the burden of proof on other philosophical viewpoints., you can become convinced by it.
As I mentioned earlier – and this is an entirely subjective stance, that may or may not be useful or applicable to others – nihilism has been one of the reasons I have (mostly) maintained my sanity in an insane world.
Nihilism Is not about a Disregard for Ethics (quite the Contrary)
There is no purpose in my life I have to go after; only what I choose to. Similarly, I see no real point in humanity surviving – let alone “saving the planet“. It might not come as a surprise to you if I told you I don’t believe in any sort of afterlife, either – though, to quote Giacomo Leopardi, “Who can know the limits of possibility?”
And if you think the aforementioned somehow affect my ethics or personal motivation, let it be known that I feel very content and motivated in my life, going after things I care about and like (rather than what any external factor, corporeal or not, would impose on me).
I also do my part in taking care of the environment – it’s of no personal benefit or importance to me, but I do it for the hell of it. It’s a nice everyday exercise to categorize your waste, and I prefer to take the bus than having to own a car. Indeed, if this goddamn planet that everyone wants to save had a voice, she would tell us to stop bombing the fuck out of her (killing people in the process) before we even think of talking about plastic straws.
As for gods and devils, heavens and hells… Allow me to end this post quoting Terence McKenna:
The apocalypse is not something which is coming. The apocalypse has arrived in major portions of the planet and it’s only because we live within a bubble of incredible privilege and social insulation that we still have the luxury of anticipating the apocalypse.
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…and this is the best blog I have seen yet from you to date. An immodest appraising: “I couldn’t have said it better myself!” 😉
Actually, to state my own (different) take on the topic: I confess that, on the philosophical level, I am a fatalist myself, with the caveat that the only way to live my life is to assume that I have free will and I have choices, even if it is a delusion.
My reason: cause and effect. If we assume that when something happens without a scientifically identifiable cause, then we are talking about religion. The other option: quantum randomness, but I am with Einstein on that. I still don’t believe in effect without a cause, even if we are not mentally equipped to find it (guess what, we are not omniscient gods ourselves). I know quantum physics very intimately and, as I wrote in my book: “Humane Physics”:
“Think about it: We humans live on a planet orbiting a star that is just one among billions of other stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, which is just one of billions of galaxies in the known universe, which may be just one of billions of universes. Our recorded civilization goes back a few thousand years on this planet which was formed about 4.5 billion years ago, in a universe which is 13.8 billion years old (give or take a year). And it may be just one of billions of Big Bang – Big Crunch cycles. And we know for a fact, that we are equipped to understand everything?!”
Apart from philosophical musings, agreeing with fatalists has an important psychological and sociological side effect: Psychologically it reinforces your feelings of compassion even towards ‘evil’ people. Sociologically (and politically) it affects how laws of justice are enacted. That’s one important reason I oppose (passionately) the death penalty. As I explained im a poem:
Death Penalty
Sick bodies, sick minds
dwell in the midst of us.
Sick bodies we cure if we can,
isolate if we must –
killing them would be:
murder.
Sick minds, we hate, fear, destroy,
in cold, methodical ways,
brushing aside pleas for mercy,
cries for compassion,
and only God can forgive us
if we made a mistake:
Our victim is past forgiveness.
The question each supporter of the death penalty has to ask: “Had I been born with the same genetic and circumstantial handicaps, would I have ended up differently?
Of course society has to defend itself against internal pathogens in its body but defense should not be mixed up with ‘vengeance’.
Scrap that! This is one of the best blog posts I’ve seen! Couldn’t have said it better myself!
Many thanks for your kind words 🙂
As I see it, The Irony IS we are Pre-Determined TO either see life one way or the other (of the 2). Therefore, Fatalism Is Actually a correct use for both Terms > You either fatalistically believe or don’t believe. Isn’t the Human you are already pre-destined by way of entering life? Sure, you can adjust behaviors and thinking, But the ‘Main’ points of existence is you were ‘plotted’ with this Location at Birth….what are you pre-destined to believe? do you like staying where you were plotted and decide to live out life through the Location and family you came in with? Or do you want to be a free-spirit and detach from what ‘plotted’ you here so you can explore where your ideas take you? Either way, A fatalistic viewpoint IS understanding that everything is connected. The Exact Opposite of your Opinion of Lack of Responsibility. It’s actually KNOWING the Responsibility of Boundaries that are contingent on Space and Time Coordinates, and responding to Natural Laws, versus Man-Made Laws (belief there is no higher order). Great Topic!
I Know as Fact, I am pre-destined with a Fatalistic viewpoint. For I believe this comes with ‘older souls’ in the sense of understanding Philosophy and the likes….An Intellectual higher level knowing for assisting those who do not see the purpose of living as we are all connected to the great workings of the whole One. If we can’t see what we are to be ‘working towards’ as a collective effort in shifting man-made Laws, what use is it to continue a path as an -individual-not-working-for-the-greater-good-of-humanity?’ Destruction…which is basically how we all seem to view anything not working…focusing on free-will kinda doesn’t give an individual an intended purpose…isn’t that why each of us is here, now? What good is it if you don’t know what your contribution is? It can be anything but it’s the Aimless Direction that creates the Destructions….it is those with Fatalistic views that helping humanity’s future well-being.
Higher Education with understanding that there are all seasons and cycles and the free-will to TURN the Will of Destruction into Divine Will of absolute Truth,
I combined your three separate comments into one for convenience – without performing any other edits.