# Nihilism and meaninglessness of existence **URL:** \ **Category:** General Philosophy\ **Created:** [March 14, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334 "2026-03-14T16:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![larosse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9a28c/32.png) [@larosse](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/larosse)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/1 "2026-03-14T16:55:46Z")
I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I’ll try. Lately, I’ve been having problems with nihilism and, more generally, with meaninglessness of existence. I am very troubled by the idea that my existence is meaningless. I can’t move past that thought and feel paralyzed—lately even suicidal. Is my problem psychological or philosophical? While browsing through answers on Quora, I found a lot of discussion on this topic and even discovered that some people become truly depressed about nihilism to the point of suicide. So now the question is whether I’m simply dissatisfied with my life, whether I am clinically depressed (which I have a history of), or whether I am truly depressed about nihilism—in the sense of wondering if there is any rational reason for me to stay alive in a meaningless universe. Hopefully the answer to this problem is not suicide, which would cause immense suffering to my family and friends. The problem is that each day feels like immense suffering for me, as my every action seems pointless. There are activities that bring some joy to my life, but my mind keeps telling me that these are merely distractions from reality. It’s even hard to describe how I feel—but it’s not pleasant. So I guess any input would be appreciated ---
**Author:** ![Moliere](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/moliere/32/35_2.png) [@Moliere](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Moliere)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/2 "2026-03-14T17:18:03Z")
Hello fellow traveller. I like the existentialist philosophers because of the feelings you’ve identified are part of my life, too. The answer is not suicide. I like [The Myth of Sisyphus](https://dn710009.ca.archive.org/0/items/persepolis_202107/The%20Myth%20of%20Sisyphus%20-%20Albert%20Camus.pdf) by Albert Camus, at least as a meditation. It’s the only book that helped me think through the thoughts and feelings you’ve expressed, and while I did not agree with the conclusions it gave me words to think through my feelings and make more sense of this world. It may not do that for you. Other books do similar things, but know you’re not alone with the feelings you have now. I’ve had, and sometimes still get, these same feelings. ---
**Author:** ![Scorpion](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/scorpion/32/875_2.png) [@Scorpion](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Scorpion)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 6:36pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/3 "2026-03-14T18:36:41Z")
Nihilism is a huge domain. It may not be a good idea to make decisions based on what you don’t understand. It’d be like trying to befriend a lion. If you’re a lioness no problem but you could be a jackal or hyena. Nihilism doesn’t just pop into existence. In the west it emerged against a backdrop of war and mass exploitation. The hellscape of the world wars and rampant poverty completely annihilated _elpis_ (hope). Christianity, up until then a working measure, crumbled to pieces. As the _new order_ took hold people adopted various means to deal with nihilism. Some embraced hedonism, some dedicated themselves to a cause, some chose altruism, some immersed themselves in the creative arts, some turned to self-actualization, some simply changed their attitude, but a few did succumb to despair. P. S. You’ll get many views on nihilism but what you have to remember is at the center is _nihil_ = nothing; the basic idea being _nothing-ism_. Note also that this _nihili_ moves around with a pack of minion isms e.g. relativism, subjectivism, militarism, dystheism, egoism, egotism, skepticism (I like to call it Thomism) and so on. This memeplex of isms has had devastating effects on a lot of folks. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Tom\_Storm](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Tom_Storm)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 10:17pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/4 "2026-03-14T22:17:23Z")
> [@larosse](#): > > I’m not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I’ll try. Lately, I’ve been having problems with nihilism and, more generally, with meaninglessness of existence. I am very troubled by the idea that my existence is meaningless. I can’t move past that thought and feel paralyzed—lately even suicidal. > > Is my problem psychological or philosophical? I think the problem is generally located in the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. I don’t think it is a lack of intrinsic meaning that causes depression; it is anhedonia, the inability to find pleasure. Nihilism, which takes many forms, need not be a source of personal meaninglessness or suicidal despair. It tends to appear that way mainly for those who have been socialised into a religious worldview and expect more from existence than it appears to provide. I first flirted with nihilism between the ages of 10 and 14 and have held since then that human life has no intrinsic meaning. But this has usually been a delightful idea to me, a source of optimism. It’s a kind of liberation. All nihilism tells me is that any meaning people obtain in life is contingent and built by us as we go about our business. And humans can’t help but create meaning. Whether any of it matters beyond the here and now need not be important. We don’t require a source of meaning beyond our quotidian lives. And most people who say there is transcendent meaning don’t necessarily behave as if there is such a thing; their meaning is found in their families, relationships, jobs, charity work, hobbies, pets, day to day life. When people are feeling empty, it is often because they are isolated, unwell, disadvantaged, or experiencing difficult circumstances. I have worked with a lot with people who have been suicidal, and many of them held religious beliefs that contributed to how they felt; deep feelings of shame, inadequacy, and failure, and a sense that they were unworthy. Suicidal ideation often comes from absolutist and condemnatory self-talk, and almost any belief system can be its source. ---
**Author:** ![Banno](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/banno/32/55_2.png) [@Banno](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Banno)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 11:45pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/5 "2026-03-14T23:45:12Z")
Direction of fit. Meaning is not found, it’s performed. Go and do stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Hanover](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/hanover/32/38_2.png) [@Hanover](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Hanover)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/6 "2026-03-14T23:59:42Z")
If life had no meaning, you wouldn’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Jackal](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/jackal/32/346_2.png) [@Jackal](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Jackal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 1:25am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/7 "2026-03-15T01:25:41Z")
Good replies so far. However, one might pose the question to themselves as far as the idea of “human life having no (intrinsic) value.” You read about nihilism from a human being, yes? So, obviously, that human being has the ability to cause you to value and devalue things. Is that not something at least somewhat substantial? The ability to remove meaning and create new understanding by simple words on a page? What animal can do this? Tell me. Show me one. The above poster @Tom_Storm makes an excellent case and clearly has not just experience but wisdom. However. I must make but one tiny adjustment. For the sake of context and illumination of truth to the OP. > [@Tom\_Storm](#): > > _(My personal experience with)_ Suicidal ideation _(has thus far)_ often comes from absolutist and condemnatory self-talk, and almost any belief system can be its source. ---
**Author:** ![Patterner](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/patterner/32/192_2.png) [@Patterner](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Patterner)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 3:01am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/8 "2026-03-15T03:01:12Z")
> [@larosse](#): > > in the sense of wondering if there is any rational reason for me to stay alive in a meaningless universe. Is there a rational reason to _not_ stay alive in a meaningless universe? I assume you mean some objective meaning, which I do not believe exists. If there isn’t a meaning of that type, then we are free. Each of us gets to decide our own meaning. Each of us gets to decide whether we even need any type of meaning. Each of us is responsible for our own happiness, and our own actions. I also think the mental abilities we have, the fact that we are the only things in the universe we are aware of that can think the way we do, is, in virtue of its rarity, something special. We are the universe becoming aware of itself, and, to ours knowledge, we are the _only_ part of the universe doing so. Even when we feel terrible, we are the only things in the universe that do. So even that might be considered, in a strange sense, special. I know that, if there is clinical depression involved, it’s possible that none of this matters. I think of clinical depression likes bad eyesight. Much of what we are is strongly influenced by our DNA. DNA shapes the eyes. There are many variations. There are also many variations of how a neuron reacts to neurotransmitters. Dealing with eye shapes that do not properly focus light on the retina is easier than dealing with neurons that react atypically to neurotransmitters. I wish I had anything to offer for this. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Tom\_Storm](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Tom_Storm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 5:52am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/9 "2026-03-15T05:52:02Z")
> [@Patterner](#): > > We are the universe becoming aware of itself, and, to ours knowledge, we are the _only_ part of the universe doing so. Why do you think this and what does it mean? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/count_timothy_von_icarus/32/675_2.png) [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Count_Timothy_von_Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 7:06am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/10 "2026-03-15T07:06:36Z")
> [@larosse](#): > > . I am very troubled by the idea that my existence is meaningless. What leads you to the conclusion that life is meaningless? > [@Patterner](#): > > I assume you mean some objective meaning, which I do not believe exists. If there isn’t a meaning of that type, then we are free. Each of us gets to decide our own meaning. Each of us gets to decide whether we even need any type of meaning. Each of us is responsible for our own happiness, and our own actions. Free in what sense? If all value is arbitrary, and any choice is only arbitrarily more choice-worthy than any other, then all action is equally arbitrary. Yet if all choices ultimately bottom out in inchoate impulse, in what sense are they “free?” Certainly we cannot act because we _understand_ that what we do is truly good if _nothing is good or bad, but chosing makes it so._ ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Tom\_Storm](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Tom_Storm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 8:26am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/11 "2026-03-15T08:26:34Z")
> [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](#): > > Free in what sense? If all value is arbitrary, and any choice is only arbitrarily more choice-worthy than any other, then all action is equally arbitrary. Yet if all choices ultimately bottom out in inchoate impulse, in what sense are they “free?” Not sure how P means it, but for me the freedom in nihilism just means I don’t act based on inherited expectations or dogmas, only the ones I may have made for myself. It also frees one from the need many have to try to account for luck or suffering or to find order in reality. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/count_timothy_von_icarus/32/675_2.png) [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Count_Timothy_von_Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 11:43am UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/12 "2026-03-15T11:43:51Z")
> [@Tom\_Storm](#): > > Not sure how P means it, but for me the freedom in nihilism just means I don’t act based on inherited expectations or dogmas, only the ones I may have made for myself. But the voluntaristic notion of freedom as just sheer choice, even if made for no reason at all, _is_ an inherited dogma in our context. It’s one of the main dogmas for the core globally hegemonic ideology of our time (liberalism) and comes from a particular historical inheritance (Reformation-era Western Christianity). Plus, it just seems unrealistic to believe that being a nihilist (or radical skeptic) somehow frees one from all inherited expectations and dogmas. As proof of this, I will offer up the observation that nihilists and skeptics generally behave unexceptionally, fitting in perfectly well with their social context, and that they seem vastly more common in places where such beliefs are the norm. But skepticism about values (a sort of de facto practical nihilism) is itself the hegemonic norm in the West. Yet this itself is an inheritance from later Western Christian theology, so it is hardly transcending inherited dogma; it _is_ an inherited dogma. But I am not so sure that dogmata are _necessarily_ problematic in the first place. The Pyrrhonists, who were first to use the charge of “dogmatism” were only able to substantiate this charge (i.e., that dogmatism was bad and that their opponents were actually dogmatists) by asserting their own set of dogmas. This pattern seems to hold in every case. Charles Taylor makes the point in _The Sources of the Self_ and _The Ethics of Authenticity_ that authenticity against a background of nihilism ultimately ends up being incoherent, which is why skeptical and voluntarist traditions invariably end up drawing in strong normative content through the back door. ---
**Author:** ![Patterner](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/patterner/32/192_2.png) [@Patterner](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Patterner)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/13 "2026-03-15T18:27:41Z")
> [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](#): > > Plus, it just seems unrealistic to believe that being a nihilist (or radical skeptic) somehow frees one from all inherited expectations and dogmas. As proof of this, I will offer up the observation that nihilists and skeptics generally behave unexceptionally, fitting in perfectly well with their social context, and that they seem vastly more common in places where such beliefs are the norm. I don’t know how you mean this. Behaving in socially expected and approved ways does not imply a belief that doing so is the meaning of life, or that there is any meaning of life. It has nothing to do with whether or not I think a biological imperative to reproduce, helping the species survive, is an objective meaning that I should pursue. Nor that I think any higher being to whom we owe our very existence wants us to do certain things, and we are obligated, or would wish, to do them. ---
**Author:** ![Patterner](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/patterner/32/192_2.png) [@Patterner](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Patterner)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 6:31pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/14 "2026-03-15T18:31:37Z")
> [@Tom\_Storm](#): > > > [@Patterner](#): > > > > We are the universe becoming aware of itself, and, to ours knowledge, we are the _only_ part of the universe doing so. > > Why do you think this and what does it mean? We are a part of the universe. We have a kind of intelligence that we can and do use to understand the universe in ways that nothing else known to us does or can. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/count_timothy_von_icarus/32/675_2.png) [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Count_Timothy_von_Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/15 "2026-03-15T19:13:12Z")
I’m sorry I don’t see how this is not a non-sequitor. The question was whether nihilism makes one free, and removes the influence of expectations and dogmas. You seem to be objecting by saying “but nihilists are still nihilists,” which, sure, that’s true by definition. My point though was that nihilism can be just as much a position determined by social and historical conditioning, and just as dogmatic as any other. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Tom\_Storm](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Tom_Storm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 7:43pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/16 "2026-03-15T19:43:20Z")
> [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](#): > > Plus, it just seems unrealistic to believe that being a nihilist (or radical skeptic) somehow frees one from all inherited expectations and dogmas. As proof of this, I will offer up the observation that nihilists and skeptics generally behave unexceptionally, fitting in perfectly well with their social context, and that they seem vastly more common in places where such beliefs are the norm. No one said nihilism sets you free of all dogma. And nihilism as I understand it is not radical skepticism. Obviously there’s different types of nihilism and the belief that there is no inherent meaning doesn’t necessarily impact upon what TV shows you watch, or whether you help the elderly. That’s kind of the point - it isn’t the end of civilisation. It just frees you from positions that life has a predetermined purpose, that moral values are written into the structure of the universe, or that suffering must serve some higher meaning. Or that history is moving toward a final goal, that your life has cosmic significance, or that there is a correct way to live. It might even dislodge assumptions like identity has a fixed essence or that justice is guaranteed by the structure of reality. People are often persecuted by these positions. I’ve met a lot of people who were suicidal about the fact that they had not pleased God. That they were unclean and immoral in some mysterious way. Nihilism would certainly put an end to all those God pleasing games many play. ---
**Author:** ![Corvus](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/corvus/32/1331_2.png) [@Corvus](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Corvus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 8:07pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/17 "2026-03-15T20:07:57Z")
Nihilism is a positive attitude to be in, because it drives one to search for the meaning of life. If meaning is found, then it makes one happy. If not found, then one could create their own meanings. Meaning can be created via love, goals to achieve, art or philosophy. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Storm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@Tom\_Storm](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Tom_Storm)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 8:10pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/18 "2026-03-15T20:10:23Z")
> [@Patterner](#): > > We are a part of the universe. We have a kind of intelligence that we can and do use to understand the universe in ways that nothing else known to us does or can. Ok, but do you see this as fulfilling some purpose? Do you rule out other places in the universe where there might also be intelligent life? ---
**Author:** ![Patterner](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/patterner/32/192_2.png) [@Patterner](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Patterner)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 8:29pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/19 "2026-03-15T20:29:34Z")
> [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](#): > > The question was whether nihilism makes one free It seems to me a nihilist is free from any purpose that is objective, or required. > [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](#): > > and removes the influence of expectations and dogmas. It’s difficult for creatures as social as we are to be entirely free from influences. > [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](#): > > My point though was that nihilism can be just as much a position determined by social and historical conditioning I can’t imagine having been conditioned to nihilism. I’ve never so much as heard it discussed in rl. certainly, it could have been suggested in non-explicit ways many times. But not even a small fraction of the amount of times things like Christianity are straight out pushed. > [@Count\_Timothy\_von\_Icarus](#): > > and just as dogmatic as any other. What is the dogma of nihilism? is there a Nihilist’s Handbook or something? Sorry for any non-sequiturs. My very often missed the point of people’s comments and questions, because they’re speaking of established ideas that I’ve never heard of. Perhaps that’s happening here. ---
**Author:** ![Patterner](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex007/user_avatar/www.thephilosophyforum.com/patterner/32/192_2.png) [@Patterner](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/u/Patterner)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2026, 8:47pm UTC](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334/20 "2026-03-15T20:47:09Z")
> [@Tom\_Storm](#): > > Ok, but do you see this as fulfilling some purpose? I guess it depends on how you define “purpose”. It seems to me that life’s purpose is to survive and reproduce. But what’s the purpose in that? Beats me. Endless circles of life, growing in number and complexity. But if purpose requires an end, to what end is life doing this? Our ability to learn and understand is the same. What does it matter if I do? What does it matter if we eventually learn all that can be learned? What purpose would that fulfill? I think we are at our best, and happiest, when striving. I won’t ever learn and understand the tiniest fraction of what can be learned and understood. But the learning and coming to understand is the point. As they say, it’s the journey, not the destination. That’s probably as much purpose as I have, and it is a purpose that I choose for myself. (This is making me think of V-Ger, if you’re a Trekkie.) > [@Tom\_Storm](#): > > Do you rule out other places in the universe where there might also be intelligent life? Certainly not. It’s a big universe, and could contain any number of intelligences on par with ours. I’m just saying we are the only one we know of. [Next page](https://www.thephilosophyforum.com/t/nihilism-and-meaninglessness-of-existence/334.md?page=2)