> A real nihilist in my opinion would probably kill themself
Nihlism is acknowledging that many if not all aspects that result in "life" are pointless. I fail to understand how that equates to no will to live life. There is only irrationality to living while acknowledging the pointlessness of it. According to the nihilist, every other justification is flimsy at best, so justifying the pointless is equally irrational to them.
Regardless, I think there are a lot of misjudgments about such philosophy, particularly with associating with some destructive impulse or depression etc.
Agreed. I became a nihilist as a teenager and still believe life mostly has no meaning. Humans will all die and the earth will keep turning. I don't really believe in an afterlife.
At the same time a person gets miserable going against the grain of society and thus you learn how to be content and how to keep your emotions in check. I do not see any conflict in these two things. I see it as the survival skills of a nihilist.
Your natural instinct will be to prosper in this life, it doesn't mean there is a bigger meaning than farting and dying.
You're encroaching on ideas of self and self-actualization now, all very different from attributing meaning to aspects that result in or are related to life. Neither wanting to protect yourself or others is against Nilhism per se, mainly I think because acknowledging the pointlessness of something does not immediately or unequivocally make something else reasonable or justifiable. For example, if I say I don't eat fish it doesn't necessarily mean that I am okay with you punching me in the face etc...though, it would make a nice Monty Python sketch.
> I think because acknowledging the pointlessness of something does not immediately or unequivocally make something else reasonable or justifiable
How can something be moral or not in the face of meaninglessness. Just to use a ridiculous example, if I poop in the woods, that poop has no meaning to me so you can light it on fire or eat for all I care. However, if I work hard and buy a car, that car has tons of meaning to me so I do care if you light it on fire, or eat it.
Nihlism is acknowledging that many if not all aspects that result in "life" are pointless. I fail to understand how that equates to no will to live life. There is only irrationality to living while acknowledging the pointlessness of it. According to the nihilist, every other justification is flimsy at best, so justifying the pointless is equally irrational to them.
Regardless, I think there are a lot of misjudgments about such philosophy, particularly with associating with some destructive impulse or depression etc.