The past few years, I keep hearing phrases about nihilism such as the following:

“Powered by ascendent values, Bitcoiners represent the last stand against Nihilism, a battle we absolutely must not lose”.

That quote is from @Svetski ’s new book, The Bushido of Bitcoin. I’m currently reading the final chapter and I’ve really loved this book. But I have a bone to pick about Svetski’s use of the word “Nihilism” throughout the book.

(caveat for clarity: I love the book and resonate with it deeply. The use of the word "nihilism" and some of the pro-religious stances are the only bones I have to pick.)

This bone started before The Bushido of Bitcoin, however. I’ve been hearing it used especially often by religious people, usually as an argument against Atheism. It feels like the word wasn’t part of the common lexicon until very recently, and now it’s popping up everywhere.

Google AI says these are the elements which make up Nihilism:

But Google is missing a very important word. It should have said the following:

Believing that there is no intrinsic morality governing the universe does not mean a person cannot also believe in morality, purpose, or meaning. It simply means there is an understanding that those things are the constructs of a human mind. Culture is what we make it, not something given to us by a non-human, “greater” power. From this basis, we can create the beauty of culture, especially the warrior cultures of the past that Svetski discusses.

Nihilism is a philosophy, one of the most important and basic philosophies a young person should learn and understand. Sure, it can appear to be a depressing philosophy, at first. But a warrior doesn’t shy away from truth just because it feels bad. All the evidence available to us points to the principles of Nihilism being a true description of reality. There is no intrinsic value, purpose, or meaning. We have to create it for ourselves.

Svetski’s book focuses on describing how some cultures make for happier, healthier individuals. If we care about being happier and healthier, we should strive to nurture those kinds of cultures. We can simultaneously acknowledge that we are creating them, semi-arbitrarily... but with purpose. There is no intrinsically “better” or “worse” culture. Once we define that our North Star is “happier and healthier”, we can engineer society toward those goals and actually call one "better" than another. But we defined the original parameters, our goals, first.

I view Nihilism similar to a Rite of Passage. It’s a universal truth we all must face. Many will cover it up with god-beliefs or other mental gymnastics. But I think the strongest among us face it head on. They face the temporary feeling of depression as the weak social structures they once clung to crumble around them. Many fall here, and I think this is what everyone is referring to when they talk about the danger of Nihilism. But for the strong, something beautiful arises from the ashes. The realization that there will be no rescue, no crutch, no bailout…. there is nothing greater coming to save you. And that’s okay. Rise up! Stand on your own two feet. Find your voice, find your strength. Create a "better" world.

The great heroes of history that Svetski refers to were probably the deepest Nihilists. They partook of that Rite of Passage, and came through victorious. Only then could they be the kind of men able to create amazing new civilizations and cultures.

The warrior following a code of virtue who understands that his virtues are arbitrary, but exist for extremely important, human reasons is going to be far greater than the warrior who follows virtues because of greater power narratives or because they were simply raised that way. One has understanding, the other does not. One understands the power of Nihilism, not shying away from it…. But also not falling victim to it.

My ultimate point here is this: There is a difference between someone who believes Nihilism, as a philosophy, aligns with natural reality.... as opposed to someone who actively believes and insists that life has no value, purpose, or meaning. Nihilism the philosophy should not be framed as the enemy. Hopelessness, meaninglessness, depression… these are the things I think people mean when they bash Nihilism. I wanted to offer a different perspective, because I think Nihilism is a powerful philosophical tool… and an important Rite of Passage. It should not be demonized the way it has been recently. We need a new word to describe someone who is devoid of purpose and meaning, because someone who agrees with the philosophy of Nihilism is not necessarily devoid of purpose and meaning. The word is being used incorrectly, and I’d like to correct this negative trend and/or refine my own understanding via further discussion in the comments here with you beautiful people.