r/StoicMemes 15d ago

Nihilist vs Stoic

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u/yawdorka 15d ago

stoicism can be the practical conclusion to nihilism. I don't see them as incompatible

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u/ItsFuckingScience 15d ago

How so? Is your thinking something like “Life is meaningless so I choose to give it my own meaning”

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u/ChampionOfLoec 15d ago

That would be existentialism because you're assigning meaning.

Stoicism "Life is meaningless, I will continue to walk this path knowing it will lead to nowhere because I choose to. I will find peace in its meaninglessness"

Existentialism "Life is meaningless, I will continue to walk this path knowing it will lead to nowhere because I choose to. My journey gives me meaning because I say it does."

Nihilism "Life is meaningless, therefore nothing matters. I do not matter, life is indifferent, all fades to nothingness eventually"

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u/Ser_Gothmer 15d ago

I think you're ascribing additional requirements to being a nihilist here. Though I don't suppose there is a singular agreed upon definition, I tend to believe all that is required is the first part: "Life is meaningless." The response to that doesn't change the nihilism.

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u/chookseven 14d ago

Nihilism is, nothing matters, and that there’s no meaning to anything, full stop. So if there is anything added after that fact, it becomes a different perspective or philosophical ideology.

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u/FoamingCellPhone 12d ago

They're essentially all subsets of nihilism but, this sort of stuff is where philosophy dives inside it's own ass in order to try to maintain academic relevance and stops having practical applications on thought.