Nihilism as a Phenomenon in the Western European Philosophical and Anthropological Tradition

Abstract

The article is devoted to the evolution of the phenomenon of nihilism in Western European philosophical and anthropological thought. It notes the ambiguous nature of the course and formation of a new non-classical discourse in the philosophy of the twentieth century, its influence on the formation of modern philosophical trends of modernity, which was a natural phenomenon against the background of ideological hunger in Europe, a kind of spiritual impasse. Despite the fact that nihilism has been clearly manifested only since the second half of the XIX century, signs of the decline of spiritual values are now again being observed in modern Europe, the search for a new formula for the development of European society against the background of the crisis of globalization processes around the world. In addition, the article also indirectly touches upon the issue of reception of cultural and philosophical ideas of the East, without which nihilism as a philosophical doctrine is impossible. It is noted that the modern era with its tragic metamorphoses stems from the aggravation of philosophical and anthropological problems of modernity, leading to the manifestation of nihilism in its various forms. The interest in nihilism is due to the logic and history of human development, especially in the XXI century, when international relations based on the concepts of law and morality are breaking down; when the states themselves, sometimes consciously, take the shaky path of state nihilism with all the resulting inhumane and catastrophic consequences of their actions, conditioning their policy on the ideology of protecting national interests. Of course, the movement towards nihilism is natural in its own way, because modernity requires different approaches and methodologies for solving both urgent global and local problems. In addition, nihilism reflects the dialectic of being, the formation of the new and the change of the old, and like any process of transformation, it is painful and sometimes catastrophic. Therefore, the modern world order system needs to rethink and search for a new humanistic paradigm, cultural and philosophical rapprochement and interaction. Thus, it is quite justifiable to assert the existence of legal, moral, political, metaphysical, ontological, methodological, psychological, mereological aspects of nihilism, which originate from the philosophical and axiological foundations of the subject. Nevertheless, the article does not aim to reveal this multifaceted concept in its various variations, due to the complexity of understanding nihilism in the context of historical, economic, political, economic, social, cultural and other foundations of existence, although it indicates the existence of such a connection.