Nietzsche’s account of nihilism and his philosophy of life affirmation can be regarded as a response to the following question, “Why should we consider the philosophical ways of life that we explore in our units on the good life?” In my lecture on Nietzsche, I argue that we can regard the ways of life explored in the course as responses to the challenge posed by nihilism. Each philosophical perspective provides an account of the good life that provides a path to living a meaningful life. In this prompt, you will assess the degree to which this has been true of the philosophical perspectives we have considered (Aristotle, Epicureanism, Stoicism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Ancient Aztec Virtue Ethics).
- Explain nihilism and how it poses a challenge to living a meaningful life.
- Explain Nietzsche’s account of nihilism.
- Explain the specific aspects of these philosophical perspectives that you think bests respond to the challenge posed by nihilism.
- Evaluate the degree to which the two perspectives you have explained successfully respond to the challenge of nihilism: do they articulate a way of life capable of overcoming nihilism? Explain why or why not.