A scary word

Okay, let's all sit down because I am about to introduce an incendiary word into the conversation. A word that frightens children and evokes an image of moral monsters. But I don't want anyone to think of it that way. I want to convince you that the word actually means something common and familiar. It occurs in the following sentence and I think you'll spot it right away.

The kind of moral argument that Tyler Cowen is pushing is called nihilism.

Okay, I know what you are thinking but nihilism is a pretty common and familiar position these days. This song is nihilist and so is this one. Lennon's song in particular has become the inspiration for a charity; it's not Mein Kampf. You could even say nihilism is the opposite of that book which describes life as a struggle.

What makes john Lennon, Peggy Lee and Tyler Cowen nihilists? It's a negative quality. These songs argue—and they both make a powerful and influential moral argument—that certain kinds of beliefs undermine our ability to be happy. Nihilists do not refuse to believe in anything at all. They believe in trees, rocks and glasses of orange juice just like everyone else. But there are certain very big moral organizing principles that they want to encourage us to give up on. They think that we can find freedom and happiness by doing so. Tyler Cowen is a nihilist in that sense.

His real target in that lecture is not stories but certain big moral ideas. Over the next few posts I'll try to prove that to you.


PS: A pedantic philosopher point. If there is one thing people think they know about nihilism it is that Nietzsche was a nihilist. He was not! If we put Tyler Cowen in a time machine and took him back to meet Nietzsche, Nietzsche would hate Tyler Cowen with a passion that would not be pleasant to contemplate. The last thing in the world Nietzsche wanted was for people to accept their messes.