You can do neither. Knowing that there's no inherent meaning to existence isn't for everyone. And I would argue that it's better to not be a nihilist at all than to be a pessimistic one.

[–] needthosepylons@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Indeed, I do think the same. What I have trouble understanding, and even with close friends, is how "no inherent meaning to existence" seems to quickly become, in some cases, "no meaning to existence". I always tend to think this slide tends to exclude another possibility. A non-inherent meaning.

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Agreed. Whether we realize it or not, we humans have been making our own meaning ever since we first developed societies anyway.

[–] needthosepylons@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That's very true, yes. And non-inherent hardly means "weak" or "inefficient".

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Not at all. To quote Death from Terry Pratchett's Hogfather:

[–] needthosepylons@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for sharing, I like this one!

[–] samus12345@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

One of my favorites! The whole scene from the TV version, if you're interested. One of the best explanations of optimistic nihilism I've ever seen.