Nothing Rather than Something
A Zhuangzian Reappraisal of Nihilism
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 14760629 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Christine Abigail L Tan (0000-0002-1408-0916, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 483-502 |
| Publication date | 2025-12-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Religious Ethics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0384-9694 • E-ISSN: 1467-9795 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jore.70013 |
| OpenAlex | W7117464426 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 9 |
Nihilism comes from the Latin nihil , meaning “nothing.” It is the belief that nothing inherently governs existence: no values, principles, or ultimate meaning. Many philosophers treat this as an existential crisis: If there is no meaning to our lives and actions, why bother? This work challenges the assumption that nihilism is terrifying. I adopt a broader, more neutral framing: life lacks inherent meaning, but this lack is not necessarily tragic. Drawing on the Daoist philosopher Zhuangzi, I develop an alternative view of nihilism that contrasts with the Anglo‐European “death of God” narrative and the moral chaos it supposedly unleashes. For Zhuangzi, nothingness is not a threat. He does not mourn the loss of meaning, nor does he attempt to overcome it by creating new values. Instead, Zhuangzi challenges the ultimacy of meaning, highlights its contingency, and offers a distinctive way of inhabiting purposelessness—opening new possibilities for ethical and political thought across traditions
Existentialism · Meaning (existential · Narrative · Nihilism · Nothing · Politics · Chinese history and philosophy · Indian and Buddhist Studies · Space Technology and Applications
| Highly cited | No |
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