1. Emily Inglis

2. What is it? “Every belief, every considering something true, is necessarily false because there is simply no true world” (Will to Power, Nietzsche)

3. Cont’d ALL ORDER AND VALUESWERE CREATED BY HUMANS FAITH AND LOYALTIES HAVE NO MEANING ONE’S ACTIONS DO NOT IMPACT ONE’S FUTURE

4. The History  Demosthenes (371-322 BCE) and Skeptics  Denies the Existence of Certainties  Comes from Latin Nihil- that which does not exist  Michael Barkunin = “Founder of Nihilism”  Ivan Turgenev 1862- “Fathers and Sons”  Nietzsche 1883-1888- “Will to Power”

5. Types of Nihilism  Epistemological: denies knowledge and truth; extreme skepticism.  Ethical (moral): no absolute moral or ethical values.  Existential : life has no intrinsic meaning or value.  Political: political, social, and religious orders must be destroyed to improve.

6. Context in Russia, 19 th Century  Industrial Revolution  Wealth Redistribution  Switch from Agrarian Society  Urbanization  End to Feudalism  Overpopulation Conclusion: The only way to reform is to destroy

7. Nihilism in Russia  Associations with Russian Revolutionary movement  1860-1917  Movement eliminated powerful figures from inside  Czar Alexander II  Created Chaos in Russian Government:  Instability led to Russian Revolution, 1917

8. Crime and Punishment  Raskolnikov confronts idea that:  Ethical Nihilism: no good or evil  Existential Nihilism: life has no value  If no one finds out there is no retribution Nihilism is associated with FREEDOM.