| These are the only solutions to nihilism I've come up with: 1.) never admit it to be a problem in a first place. this works well for people who have either never heard about it or never thoroughly examined it. some have proposed that it is possible to thoroughly examine nihilism and then just leave it be. however this only works if you discard reason as well, and stop looking for justifications for actions, which i think is near impossible without number 2.) 2.) for those beyond 1.), a way to get back to that pre-reflective level is massive brain damage resulting in a loss of memory and/or reason. i guess that this is what is happening when severely suicidal patients lose their will to death after electroconvulsive therapy. 3.) in attempting 2.), 3.) may inadvertently be chosen: death. really it's the only solution, though i suppose mere unconsciousness would work as well. with 1.) and 2.) the problem still exists, it is just repressed through denial, and it can never be completely repressed. i think at a foundational level, all depression is at its foundation philosophical, ever if the person has never read a philosophy book in their life. 6-24-02 |