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madfil's review against another edition
1.0
(22 December, 2023)
Whenever someone, anyone, brings up Descartes I think: "That narrow-minded fuck? The one who 'proved' the existence of some god? The Descartes who thought other animals do not have souls, a thing no one, ever, could prove exists? That Descartes? Fuck!"
It does not get better, Gertz is not a nihilist but he sure does have a lot of opinions on nihilism. It is akin to a person, who is not a bear, telling bears how to be and think like a bear. The whole thing is weird.
He starts with the history of his chosen subject, then he explains what it is not (I kid you not!), then, finally, he dives into nihilism but by that time I did not really think he had a good grasp of anything even closely related to it.
The author's 'Nihilism as denial of this or that' is strange to me (a quasi-nihilist). Nihilists do not necessarily deny anything, they are more likely to accept - what they accept is alien to most non-nihilists but wadda ya gonna do? Explain it to them? ... fuck that!
Whenever someone, anyone, brings up Descartes I think: "That narrow-minded fuck? The one who 'proved' the existence of some god? The Descartes who thought other animals do not have souls, a thing no one, ever, could prove exists? That Descartes? Fuck!"
It does not get better, Gertz is not a nihilist but he sure does have a lot of opinions on nihilism. It is akin to a person, who is not a bear, telling bears how to be and think like a bear. The whole thing is weird.
He starts with the history of his chosen subject, then he explains what it is not (I kid you not!), then, finally, he dives into nihilism but by that time I did not really think he had a good grasp of anything even closely related to it.
The author's 'Nihilism as denial of this or that' is strange to me (a quasi-nihilist). Nihilists do not necessarily deny anything, they are more likely to accept - what they accept is alien to most non-nihilists but wadda ya gonna do? Explain it to them? ... fuck that!
tyndareos's review against another edition
2.0
39/100
He tries to tackle some big ideas, but gets weird with it. Goes on an odd tangent comparing jocks and nerds to Nietzsche's concept of slave morality... and somehow ties this to American culture?
It's a weird stretch.
Things improve slightly when the book looks at Nietzsche's ideas about why a god is necessary.
But then it's back to bizarre interpretations, like "why a god needs to test his creation".
Ultimately, this book missed the mark for me.
He tries to tackle some big ideas, but gets weird with it. Goes on an odd tangent comparing jocks and nerds to Nietzsche's concept of slave morality... and somehow ties this to American culture?
It's a weird stretch.
Things improve slightly when the book looks at Nietzsche's ideas about why a god is necessary.
But then it's back to bizarre interpretations, like "why a god needs to test his creation".
Ultimately, this book missed the mark for me.
bootman's review against another edition
5.0
I've felt a certain type of way lately, which I assumed was nihilistic based on my remedial understanding of the philosophy. So, I decided to pick up this book from Nolen Gertz. MIT Press releases some awesome books, and this one was a great introduction to the subject. It helped me better understand the difference between nihilism and pessimism, as well as many other misconceptions about nihilism.
I gained a better understanding about how nihilism isn't this kind of apathy, but some see it as a sign that you do actually care. The book brought up some thought-provoking discussions, and towards the end, there's an excellent chapter about how nihilism relates to education, work, and other aspects of life. I gained a better understanding of how I see the world and realized that my nihilistic tendencies really just help me pick and choose what I'm going to spend my time on. As someone who almost died 8 years ago from a drug addiction, I realized how much time we all waste on things that really don't matter.
I gained a better understanding about how nihilism isn't this kind of apathy, but some see it as a sign that you do actually care. The book brought up some thought-provoking discussions, and towards the end, there's an excellent chapter about how nihilism relates to education, work, and other aspects of life. I gained a better understanding of how I see the world and realized that my nihilistic tendencies really just help me pick and choose what I'm going to spend my time on. As someone who almost died 8 years ago from a drug addiction, I realized how much time we all waste on things that really don't matter.
liambaker19's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
graham_med's review against another edition
5.0
This book introduced me to the vast, convolutedly fascinating world of philosophy. From Plato to Nietzsche, many famous thinkers’ works were summarized and wielded at Gertz’s side, enabling him to make compelling webs of philosophical ideas. I very much look forward to looking for more ways to look at the world around me with similar books.
bogdanbalostin's review against another edition
5.0
It’s the ultimate beginner’s guide to modern nihilism (or actually antinihilism). Turns out being a nihilist is what people without awareness are and the rest are actually antinihilists, the people who try to point the futility of it all. Obviously, nihilism is a charged term through history and still nobody knows exactly what it means that they wish to say when they employ this term.
Nihilism tries to define it for modern audiences and dares you to think. Just think. That’s all.
Nihilism tries to define it for modern audiences and dares you to think. Just think. That’s all.