| The two major foci of this investigation are to explore the complexities and ambiguities that are involved in the concept of nihilism, ultimately with the aim of formulating a clear and philosophically adequate definition of the term; and to demonstrate that the phenomenon of nihilistic incongruity may be responded to with an attitude of good humor.;In Part One I argue that nihilism is a philosophy resting upon the following three premises: (1) Humans are alienated from such perfections as absolute Being, Truth, Goodness, Justice, Beauty, etc. (2) This circumstance of alienation is other than it ought to be. (3) There is nothing that humans can do to change this circumstance. These three premises imply a situation that I call "nihilistic incongruity." Nihilistic incongruity is a situation in which the highest hopes and final goals of humans lie forever out of the bounds of possible accomplishment.;In Part Two I proceed to show that nihilism does not necessarily lead to unmitigated despair. My strategy for doing so is to demonstrate that the incongruity that is implied by nihilism might be understood from a perspective such that it appears to serve a constructive and useful, rather than a simply negative and destructive purpose for nihilists. Nihilistic incongruity may, in short, be understood as unthreatening. Incongruity theories of humor suggest that unthreatening incongruities are common objects of amusement. Nihilistic incongruity, thus, is compatible with feelings of amusement and an attitude of good humor.;Approaching the experience of nihilistic incongruity with an attitude of good humor allows the nihilist to confront and endure the incongruities of life, seeing them as part of a comic drama that is ultimately amusing in its absurdity. Contrary to the claims of Kant, Freud and most contemporary philosophers, the phenomenon of nihilistic incongruity does not necessarily culminate in destructive despair. |
