One of the darkest and most depressing worldviews is nihilism. Again we encourage you to read James Sire’s The Universe Next Door to gain more insight into this viewpoint.
Lens #4—Nihilism
- This view is more of a stance or a feeling than an actual philosophy of life because nihilism denies the possibility of knowing anything or experiencing anything of value.
- Theoretically, nihilism is the negation of knowledge, beauty, reality, ethics, and meaning.
- It is a despairing view of the world because humanity can never see in themselves, in others, or in our world anything of significance or dignity.
- Nihilism encourages insanity (Nietzsche), suicide (Hemingway), black comedy (Beckett), silliness (Adams and Vonnegut), and hopelessness (Kafka).
- It is a dark, apathetic, discouraging worldview.
Movies with a Nihilist Lens
[Note: As with all film listings, please determine each movie’s suitability for your own family. Please do not interpret a film’s inclusion in a list of examples as Zeezok Publishing’s promotion of or agreement with that film.]
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
- Dr. Strangelove
- The Dark Knight
- Stagecoach