0
Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage
Epistemological nihilism
Can someone explain in 25 words or less what epistemological nihilism is all about? The following snippets from the Web confused me as much as they helped. Unfortunately, I forgot to record where I found them. The lengthy article containing them included other difficulties that could lead one to believe that 25 words might not be enough.
'epistemological nihilism which denies the possibility of knowledge and truth; this form of nihilism is currently identified with postmodern antifoundationalism.'
'American antifoundationalist Richard Rorty makes a similar point: "Nothing grounds our practices, nothing legitimizes them, nothing shows them to be in touch with the way things are" ("From Logic to Language to Play," 1986). This epistemological cul-de-sac, Rorty concludes, leads inevitably to nihilism. "Faced with the nonhuman, the nonlinguistic, we no longer have the ability to overcome contingency and pain by appropriation and transformation, but only the ability to recognize contingency and pain" (Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity,
1989).'
'I praise, I do not reproach, (nihilism's) arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of the deepest self-reflection of humanity. Whether man recovers from it, whether he becomes master of this crisis, is a question of his strength. It is possible. . . .' (Complete Works Vol. 13)
Charles Riggs
There are no accented letters in my email address
'epistemological nihilism which denies the possibility of knowledge and truth; this form of nihilism is currently identified with postmodern antifoundationalism.'
'American antifoundationalist Richard Rorty makes a similar point: "Nothing grounds our practices, nothing legitimizes them, nothing shows them to be in touch with the way things are" ("From Logic to Language to Play," 1986). This epistemological cul-de-sac, Rorty concludes, leads inevitably to nihilism. "Faced with the nonhuman, the nonlinguistic, we no longer have the ability to overcome contingency and pain by appropriation and transformation, but only the ability to recognize contingency and pain" (Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity,
1989).'
'I praise, I do not reproach, (nihilism's) arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of the deepest self-reflection of humanity. Whether man recovers from it, whether he becomes master of this crisis, is a question of his strength. It is possible. . . .' (Complete Works Vol. 13)
Charles Riggs
There are no accented letters in my email address
Top answer
[nq:1]'I praise, I do not reproach, (nihilism's) arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of ... becomes masterof this crisis, is a question of his strength.
- [nq:1]'I praise, I do not reproach, (nihilism's) arrival.
- I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of ...
- becomes masterof this crisis, is a question of his strength.
- It is possible.
- .
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
77 Answers
0
[nq:1]'I praise, I do not reproach, (nihilism's) arrival. I believe it is one of the greatest crises, a moment of ... becomes masterof this crisis, is a question of his strength. It is possible. . . .' (Complete Works Vol. 13)[/nq]
I read it as "Everything is so relative and subjective that it isn't worth trying to make sensible decisions". The exaggeration of a reasonable intellectual caution
I read it as "Everything is so relative and subjective that it isn't worth trying to make sensible decisions". The exaggeration of a reasonable intellectual caution
00
Mike Lyle wrote on 19 Mar 2005:
[nq:2]Can someone explain in 25 words or less what epistemological nihilism is all about?[/nq]
[nq:1]I read it as "Everything is so relative and subjective that it isn't worth trying to make sensible decisions".[/nq]
No, Mike, it's just the opposite. Because everything is so relative and subjective, it's imperative that one think about one's own life and
[nq:2]Can someone explain in 25 words or less what epistemological nihilism is all about?[/nq]
[nq:1]I read it as "Everything is so relative and subjective that it isn't worth trying to make sensible decisions".[/nq]
No, Mike, it's just the opposite. Because everything is so relative and subjective, it's imperative that one think about one's own life and
00
[nq:1]Mike Lyle wrote on 19 Mar 2005:[/nq]
[nq:2]I read it as "Everything is so relative and subjective that it isn't worth trying to make sensible decisions".[/nq]
[nq:1]No, Mike, it's just the opposite. Because everything is so relative and subjective, it's imperative that one think about one's ... have to say about the meaning of life and what is senible in your world leads only to sens
[nq:2]I read it as "Everything is so relative and subjective that it isn't worth trying to make sensible decisions".[/nq]
[nq:1]No, Mike, it's just the opposite. Because everything is so relative and subjective, it's imperative that one think about one's ... have to say about the meaning of life and what is senible in your world leads only to sens
00
[nq:2]Mike Lyle wrote on 19 Mar 2005: No, Mike, it's ... is senible in your world leads only to senseless decisions.[/nq]
[nq:1]I can't get to that from nihilism. But perhaps that proves you're right.[/nq]
I get nothing from nihilism. Well, zero. Isn't that odd?
No, wait
Liebs
[nq:1]I can't get to that from nihilism. But perhaps that proves you're right.[/nq]
I get nothing from nihilism. Well, zero. Isn't that odd?
No, wait
Liebs
00
Robert Lieblich wrote on 19 Mar 2005:
[nq:2]I can't get to that from nihilism. But perhaps that proves you're right.[/nq]
[nq:1]I get nothing from nihilism. Well, zero. Isn't that odd? No, wait [/nq]
Ach! Youse guys is woikin' on the assumption that nihilism is just another word for nothin' left to lose, but it ain't that a-tall.
Descriptivism in its Ray-Wisean extreme form is
[nq:2]I can't get to that from nihilism. But perhaps that proves you're right.[/nq]
[nq:1]I get nothing from nihilism. Well, zero. Isn't that odd? No, wait [/nq]
Ach! Youse guys is woikin' on the assumption that nihilism is just another word for nothin' left to lose, but it ain't that a-tall.
Descriptivism in its Ray-Wisean extreme form is
00
[nq:1]Robert Lieblich wrote on 19 Mar 2005:[/nq]
[nq:2]I get nothing from nihilism. Well, zero. Isn't that odd? No, wait [/nq]
[nq:1]Ach! Youse guys is woikin' on the assumption that nihilism is just another word for nothin' left to lose, but ... the opposite. So if you're a descriptivist, you're a nihilist, and if you're a prescriptivist, you should've been an orthodonist.[/nq]
I
[nq:2]I get nothing from nihilism. Well, zero. Isn't that odd? No, wait [/nq]
[nq:1]Ach! Youse guys is woikin' on the assumption that nihilism is just another word for nothin' left to lose, but ... the opposite. So if you're a descriptivist, you're a nihilist, and if you're a prescriptivist, you should've been an orthodonist.[/nq]
I
00
[nq:1]Can someone explain in 25 words or less what epistemological nihilism is all about?[/nq]
A theory of knowledge that rejects all religious and moral principles.
A theory of knowledge that rejects all religious and moral principles.
00
[nq:1]Can someone explain in 25 words or less what epistemological nihilism is all about?[/nq]
A rejection, through a theory of knowledge, of all religious and moral principles.
A rejection, through a theory of knowledge, of all religious and moral principles.
00
[nq:1]Can someone explain in 25 words or less what epistemological nihilism is all about?[/nq]
I'll be able to give you a better definition later on, but how about this? "The position that nothing can be known with certainty" or "The position that nothing can be justified beyond doubt".
I suppose it depends on how you, in turn, define "know" and "certain". For instance, if you're goin
I'll be able to give you a better definition later on, but how about this? "The position that nothing can be known with certainty" or "The position that nothing can be justified beyond doubt".
I suppose it depends on how you, in turn, define "know" and "certain". For instance, if you're goin
00
[nq:1]Can someone explain in 25 words or less what epistemological nihilism is all about?[/nq]
The first snippet you quote isn't that bad:
[nq:1]'epistemological nihilism which denies the possibility of knowledge and truth; this form of nihilism is currently identified with postmodern antifoundationalism.'[/nq]
This last part in hardly fair. Antifondationalists are not, despite the quo
The first snippet you quote isn't that bad:
[nq:1]'epistemological nihilism which denies the possibility of knowledge and truth; this form of nihilism is currently identified with postmodern antifoundationalism.'[/nq]
This last part in hardly fair. Antifondationalists are not, despite the quo
0
Related Questions