Young people face a world of uncertainty. Climate change, political turmoil, growing wealth inequality, and many more knock-on capitalist trends have caused a rise in nihilistic attitudes. What is nihilism – and how can it both be freeing and oppressive?
年轻人面临着一个充满不确定性的世界。Niánqīng rén miànlínzhe yīgè chōngmǎn bù quèdìng xìng de shìjiè. 气候变化、Qìhòu biànhuà, 政治动荡、zhèngzhì dòngdàng, 财富不平等加剧以及许多其他连锁资本主义趋势导致了虚无主义态度的抬头。cáifù bù píngděng jiājù yǐjí xǔduō qítā liánsuǒ zīběn zhǔyì qūshì dǎozhìle xūwú zhǔyì tàidù de táitóu. 什么是虚无主义——它怎么可能既是自由的又是压迫性的？Shénme shì xūwú zhǔyì——tā zěnme kěnéng jìshì zìyóu de yòu shì yāpò xìng de?
Whichever way you look at it, the world faces an ambiguous future.
Regular IPCC reports present a bleak late-century climate, largely destroyed by rising emissions. Wealth inequality continues to grow. The richest ten men doubled their fortunes during the height of the pandemic last year.
The Prince’s Trust found that one in four Gen Zers will ‘never’ emotionally recover from the pandemic and that their overall happiness and confidence is lower than ever recorded.
America is likely to overturn abortion laws soon and LGBTQA+¹ rights face continual, regressive pressures from the political elite. Ukraine is literally being bombed by a delusional Russian tyrant and nuclear annihilation never feels too far away.
With all these existential threats, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Gen Z is increasingly turning to nihilism to navigate modern life. It’s a philosophy that many young people adopt by default, and can be both euphorically freeing and nauseatingly depressing.
But what exactly is nihilism and, crucially, is it a cultural phenomena we should be worried about?
无论从哪个角度来看，世界都面临着一个模糊的未来。Wúlùn cóng nǎge jiǎodù lái kàn, shìjiè dōu miànlínzhe yīgè móhú de wèilái.
政府间气候变化专门委员会（IPCC）的定期报告呈现了本世纪末的惨淡气候，很大程度上是由于排放量增加而造成的。Zhèngfǔ jiān qìhòu biànhuà zhuānmén wěiyuánhuì (IPCC) de dìngqí bàogào chéngxiànle běn shìjìmò de cǎndàn qìhòu, hěn dà chéngdù shàng shì yóuyú páifàng liàng zēngjiā ér zàochéng de. 财富不平等继续加剧。Cáifù bù píngděng jìxù jiājù. 去年疫情最严重期间，最富有的十位男士的财富翻了一番。Qùnián yìqíng zuì yánzhòng qíjiān, zuì fùyǒu de shí wèi nánshì dì cáifù fānle yī fān.
王子信托基金会发现，四分之一的 Z 世代在情感上“永远”无法从疫情中恢复过来，他们的整体幸福感和信心比以往任何时候都要低。Wángzǐ xìntuō jījīn huì fāxiàn, sì fēn zhī yī de Z shìdài zài qínggǎn shàng “yǒngyuǎn” wúfǎ cóng yìqíng zhōng huīfù guòlái, tāmen de zhěngtǐ xìngfú gǎn hé xìnxīn bǐ yǐwǎng rènhé shíhòu dōu yào dī.
美国可能很快就会推翻堕胎法，LGBTQA+¹ 权利面临着来自政治精英的持续的倒退压力。Měiguó kěnéng hěn kuài jiù huì tuīfān duòtāi fǎ, LGBTQA+ quánlì miànlínzhe láizì zhèngzhì jīngyīng de chíxù de dàotuì yālì. 乌克兰实际上正在被一个妄想的俄罗斯暴君轰炸，而核毁灭从来都不会让人感觉太遥远。Wūkèlán shíjì shang zhèngzài bèi yīgè wàngxiǎng de èluósī bàojūn hōngzhà, ér hé huǐmiè cónglái dōu bù huì ràng rén gǎnjué tài yáoyuǎn.
[¹ LGBTQIA+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or sometimes questioning), intersex, asexual, and others. LGBTQIA+ 代表女同性恋、男同性恋、双性恋、跨性别者、酷儿（或有时质疑）、双性人、无性恋者等。LGBTQIA+ dàibiǎo nǚ tóngxìngliàn, nán tóngxìngliàn, shuāng xìng liàn, kuà xìngbié zhě, kù er (huò yǒushí zhíyí), shuāng xìng rén, wúxìng liàn zhě děng.]
面对所有这些生存威胁，Z 世代越来越多地转向虚无主义来驾驭现代生活也就不足为奇了。Miàn duì suǒyǒu zhèxiē shēngcún wēixié,Z shìdài yuè lái yuè duō dì zhuàn xiàng xūwú zhǔyì lái jiàyù xiàndài shēnghuó yě jiù bùzú wéi qíle. 这是许多年轻人默认采用的一种哲学，它既可以令人欣喜地自由，也可以让人令人恶心地沮丧。Zhè shì xǔduō niánqīng rén mòrèn cǎiyòng de yī zhǒng zhéxué, tā jì kěyǐ lìng rén xīnxǐ dì zìyóu, yě kěyǐ ràng rén lìng rén ěxīn dì jǔsàng.
但虚无主义到底是什么？Dàn xūwú zhǔyì dàodǐ shì shénme? 最重要的是，它是我们应该担心的一种文化现象吗？Zuì zhòngyào de shì, tā shì wǒmen yīnggāi dānxīn de yī zhǒng wénhuà xiànxiàng ma?
What exactly is nihilism?
Put simply, nihilism is the belief in nothing. It is the absence of meaning, purpose, or spiritual direction.
Where religion has traditionally used a deity to explain creation, existence, and our universe in general, nihilism is the absence of any higher power. There is no external force that wills our being into existence, nor is there an exterior motive for our reality. We are simply here – and then we aren’t.
This lack of meaning can be applied to all areas of life. Actions taken, emotions felt, positive or negative experiences, are all ultimately for nothing. When asking the question ‘why?’, nihilists have no answer.
Keep in mind that nihilism shouldn’t be confused with apathy, cynicism, or pessimism. Believing in nothing isn’t the same as seeing the universe as inherently evil, or expecting the worst outcome in any situation. It’s also not about whether you care or not about the reality you find yourself in.
Concepts such as good, evil, bad, and anything in between are man-made products of morality to a nihilist. Sentient beings – humans, for example – have constructed a set of values and ideas to explain their existence, but that doesn’t make them real.
Nihilists say that everything is void of substance or meaning. We’ve no genuine purpose, except what we assign ourselves in order to make sense of creation.
The philosophy of ‘nothing’ can be attributed to things other than existentialism, of course.
Political and ethical nihilism rejects the societal construction of behavioural rules, and instead seeks absolute freedom. The concept of ‘nihilism’ in this sense is loosely defined, though it is still just as relevant and applicable as any other well established philosophy.
Why are Generation Z adopting this philosophy?
Honestly, it shouldn’t come as a huge shock to know that Gen Z are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the idea of purpose and meaning.
By every measure, the society we have constructed via capitalism is failing to sustain itself long-term. Every year we are reminded that the Earth is burning, that the rich few are hoarding cash for themselves, that inequality and war will inevitably run rampant across the globe regardless of who’s in charge.
How can anyone expect young people to believe in these systems when they’ve largely caused terror, division, unease, and dread for decades? Why are Gen Z expected to plan for their futures, buy into pension schemes, and carve out careers, when there’s a very real chance they’ll be living underwater by the time they’re sixty?
Nihilism doesn’t give us answers, but it does embrace an acceptance that none of this reality is constructed by purposeful design. Everything we are living through is temporary and fleeting. It’s perhaps this sense of temporariness that appeals to a generation snowed under by anxiety and turmoil.
Interestingly, this empty approach to life has long worried academics. The most famous philosopher associated with nihilism is the late-eighteenth century German critic Friedrich Nietzsche.
While he was both for and against nihilism as an ideology, he argued that its ‘corrosive effects’ would eventually destroy all our convictions and cause a breakdown in human progress. If everyone collectively agreed that our society is pointless, what would be the motivation to continue, to do good, and remain ‘civil’?
With no personal investment in anything, our ability to function as a species would collapse. There would be no reason to try or push on with life as we know it, at least according to Nietzsche.
We’ve already seen this happen with the regression of religion in Western culture. Many societies now have a greater emphasis on individual morality based on personal beliefs. Nietzsche famously called this the ‘death of God’.
Gen Z’s disdain for capitalism and conventional systems could be the start of a similar movement. Rejection of regular jobs, material wealth, celebrity, and capitalist fundamentals could pave the way for entirely new political systems, ones that aren’t orchestrated with any particular purpose.
Nihilism accepts the meaningless nature of life and, despite Nietzsche’s warnings, it could equally create opportunity. Why not create new rules that offer a better, more long-term and sustainable society?
How is it a freeing philosophy?
All this nothing talk is pretty daunting, right? The idea that all our societal progress has been futile and exists as a quick, inconsequential blip, is largely terrifying.
It doesn’t all have to be this way, though. Gen Z’s adoption of nihilistic tropes as a result of failing capitalist systems provide as much freedom of thought and expression as they do dread. If our actions truly mean nothing, then our moral compass and self-worth can be entirely re-invented to fit our experience.
To be a nihilist is to free ones self from societal expectation, cultural convention, and suppressive tradition. Breaking away from constructs and accepting that humanity is not the centre of reality in this way can be extremely liberating, and it’s what’s known as ‘optimistic nihilism’.
This approach to life focuses on the idea that everything, eventually, will disappear. This means that every embarrassment, every worry, every anxious moment or failure, will dissolve into the void of endless expanse like everything else. Nihilism doesn’t tally up your ‘moral’ good and bad deeds, nor does it assign weight to your successes.
If all your achievements and progress is for nothing, then so too are your weakest and worst moments. Many find comfort in this concept; every day is its own, isolated experience, and no two things connect – abstract or otherwise.
We are simply existing, and can decide how we interpret the human experience in any way, free from church, state, government, or any other morality structure.
Philosophers have long worried that a nihilistic awakening could cause our society to crumble but, by equal measure, it could also provide ample opportunity to reinvent everything and anything.
It’s this rejection of so many societal tropes that draws attraction from young people. As a generation that has largely been failed by the systems put in place by leaders of yesteryear, is it surprising that Gen Z are looking for any possibility for something different?
究竟什么是虚无主义？
简而言之，虚无主义就是不相信任何事物。 这是缺乏意义、目的或精神方向。
宗教传统上使用神来解释创造、存在和我们的宇宙，而虚无主义则意味着缺乏任何更高的力量。 没有任何外在力量可以让我们的存在得以存在，也没有任何外部动机可以实现我们的现实。 我们只是在这里——然后我们就不在了。
这种意义的缺乏可以应用到生活的各个领域。 采取的行动、感受到的情绪、积极或消极的经历，最终都是徒劳的。 当问“为什么？”这个问题时，虚无主义者没有答案。
请记住，虚无主义不应与冷漠、愤世嫉俗或悲观主义相混淆。 什么都不相信并不等同于认为宇宙本质上是邪恶的，或者在任何情况下都期待最坏的结果。 这也与你是否关心自己所处的现实无关。
对于虚无主义者来说，善、恶、坏以及介于两者之间的任何概念都是人造的道德产物。 有感知的生物——例如人类——已经构建了一套价值观和思想来解释他们的存在，但这并不能使它们成为现实。
虚无主义者说一切都没有实质或意义。 我们没有真正的目的，除了为了理解创造的意义而分配给自己的东西。
当然，“无”的哲学可以归因于存在主义以外的事物。
政治和伦理虚无主义拒绝行为规则的社会建构，而是寻求绝对自由。 在这个意义上，“虚无主义”的概念是松散定义的，尽管它仍然与任何其他完善的哲学一样相关和适用。
为什么 Z 世代会采用这种理念？
老实说，得知 Z 世代对目的和意义的想法越来越幻灭，我们不应该感到巨大的震惊。
无论从哪方面来看，我们通过资本主义构建的社会都无法长期维持下去。 每年，我们都会被提醒，地球正在燃烧，少数富人为自己囤积现金，不平等和战争将不可避免地在全球蔓延，无论谁掌权。
当这些系统几十年来在很大程度上造成了恐怖、分裂、不安和恐惧时，怎么能指望年轻人相信这些系统呢？ 当 Z 世代很有可能在 60 岁的时候就生活在水下时，为什么还要为自己的未来做计划、购买养老金计划并开创自己的职业生涯呢？
虚无主义并没有给我们答案，但它确实接受了这样一个事实：这些现实都不是由有目的的设计构建的。 我们所经历的一切都是暂时的、转瞬即逝的。 也许正是这种暂时性的感觉吸引了被焦虑和动荡所笼罩的一代人。
有趣的是，这种空洞的生活方式长期以来一直困扰着学术界。 与虚无主义相关的最著名的哲学家是十八世纪末的德国批评家弗里德里希·尼采。
虽然他既支持又反对虚无主义作为一种意识形态，但他认为虚无主义的“腐蚀作用”最终会摧毁我们所有的信念，并导致人类进步的崩溃。 如果每个人都一致认为我们的社会毫无意义，那么继续行善、保持“文明”的动力是什么？
如果没有个人对任何事物的投资，我们作为一个物种的运作能力就会崩溃。 没有理由去尝试或继续我们所知道的生活，至少根据尼采的说法。
随着宗教在西方文化中的回归，我们已经看到了这种情况的发生。 现在许多社会更加强调基于个人信仰的个人道德。 尼采将此称为“上帝之死”。
Z 世代对资本主义和传统制度的蔑视可能是类似运动的开始。 拒绝常规工作、物质财富、名人和资本主义基本面可能会为全新的政治体系铺平道路，而这些体系并不是为了任何特定目的而精心策划的。
虚无主义接受生命无意义的本质，尽管尼采有警告，但它同样可以创造机会。 为什么不制定新的规则来提供一个更好、更长期和可持续的社会呢？
怎样才算是一种自由的哲学呢？
所有这些无话可说是相当令人畏惧的，对吧？ 我们所有的社会进步都是徒劳的，并且只是短暂而无关紧要的昙花一现，这种想法在很大程度上是可怕的。
不过，事情并不一定都是这样。 Z世代因失败的资本主义制度而采用虚无主义比喻，这提供了他们所害怕的思想和表达自由。 如果我们的行为确实毫无意义，那么我们的道德指南针和自我价值就可以完全重新发明以适应我们的经历。
成为一个虚无主义者就是将自己从社会期望、文化习俗和压抑的传统中解放出来。 以这种方式摆脱建构并接受人类不是现实的中心可以是极大的解放，这就是所谓的“乐观虚无主义”。
这种生活方式的重点是一切最终都会消失。 这意味着每一次尴尬、每一次担忧、每一个焦虑时刻或失败，都会像其他一切一样消失在无尽的虚空中。 虚无主义不会统计你的“道德”善行和恶行，也不会衡量你的成功。
如果你所有的成就和进步都是徒劳的，那么你最软弱和最糟糕的时刻也是如此。 许多人对这个概念感到安慰。 每一天都是它自己的、孤立的经历，没有任何两件事是相互联系的——无论是抽象的还是其他的。
我们只是存在，并且可以决定如何以任何方式解释人类经验，不受教会、国家、政府或任何其他道德结构的影响。
哲学家们长期以来一直担心虚无主义的觉醒可能会导致我们的社会崩溃，但同样，它也可能提供充足的机会来重塑一切。
正是这种对众多社会观念的拒绝才吸引了年轻人。 作为在很大程度上因过去领导人所建立的体系而失败的一代人，Z 世代正在寻找不同的可能性，这是否令人惊讶？
No comments:
Post a Comment