Nihilism 101: "The point is not for the word to give flesh and blood reality to the abstraction on the chalkboard: the word functions only for me to express something to you about myself."

On December 18th of 2020, I made a video quizzically titled, Nihilism: Advice for my Daughter, Advice for the Next Generation. As already indicated by the "new" title above (quoting a turn of phrase from the middle of the video) this was (and is) a sort of introductory course: "Nihilism 101".

This is not a video I would make today. It's an interesting stylistic contrast to the occult mystique of Blood in the Snow.

Here's the long, long comment that led to my searching for, finding and watching the video again today, posted from a viewer using the Sanskrit name Dasyuhan. A block quotation ensuses.

Hey brother, I hope you're doing well. You recently made a post about nihilism in relation to the events unfolding in the Middle East [i.e., the war in Iran], I assume. Since the comments were turned off, I'm leaving my response here instead.

As you know, I'm not a native English speaker and am still learning, but from what I can gather from that post, when you said "Nihilism: the least esoteric of the major faiths," you meant that nihilism isn't some obscure or complex philosophy, and that reality itself constantly provides obvious, brutal evidence for it. Then there is the picture of that Iranian man discussing all of this, paired with the quote about the just world fallacy, which I looked up and found to be the cognitive bias whereby people assume the world is fundamentally fair, that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. It is essentially a psychological comfort mechanism. If you believe in a just world, witnessing everything that is happening creates an irresolvable contradiction, hence the anguished question: "why did they deserve to..."

A nihilist, by contrast, has no such confusion. Bad things happen to good people because the universe operates without any moral logic. So nihilism is "the least esoteric faith" because you don't need scripture or theology to arrive at it. Reality teaches it constantly and plainly.

The just world fallacy sets people up for perpetual moral bewilderment, while nihilism, however bleak, is at least consistent with observable reality.

That is my understanding of what you posted. I'd love to know if I got it right. The reason I'm writing this is that what you described is something very close to what I have always observed about the world and believed in from a very young age, so it resonates deeply with me. Would you consider making a video about this, exploring it in depth? Something that lays out the evidence for how reality itself gives rise to this worldview, where we don't have to pretend otherwise. I know I'm not articulating this very well, but you have a way of expressing these things far more coherently than I do, and I think you'd do it justice. I would really appreciate it.

And here is my reply, including the link to the video aforementioned as "nihilism for beginners".

Yes, my own "school of thought" is called Historical Nihilism, and it is discussed both in many of my own youtube videos, and in several books and articles (that are generally available for free on the internet, and also for the lowest possible purchase price, on paper, on Amazon). Search for my name (Eisel Mazard) plus "Blood in the Snow": the whole book available on my blog for free, and you can then work with Google Translate, paragraph by paragraph. As English is your second language, this may be better for you than trying to follow my videos on the matter. There is quite a stark contrast between that book and this "nihilism for beginners" video: https://youtu.be/_cN1S6yk0H0 Quite a stark contrast again with this more advanced video, here: https://youtu.be/HxNB1YCzLjQ Again, with this second link, I imagine it would be easier for you to work with the text, copying and pasting into Google translate, and then comparing the two languages as you read, rather than hearing it as a video.

(1) I am aware that I may not have answered his question (i.e., I do not seem to be interested in "the evidence for how reality itself gives rise to this worldview"). (2) It is interesting that none of the texts or videos I've alluded to in my reply take the "easy" route of expanding the meaning of atheism to establish a broader and deeper meaning for nihilism. I believe I did take that easy route, once, when I was being interviewed by an unsophisticated imbecile about the meaning of nihilism (i.e., in a video that still remains on my channel). Many people find nihilism easy enough to visualize if you just draw their attention to the beliefs that atheism fails to challenge; however, that very ease may end up trivializing the concept.

Finland: the most atheist society in the world… that is neither Communist nor Post-Communist, I suppose.

Yes, admittedly, the Vietnamese claim that they're the most atheistic country in the world, and I'm sure North Korea could muster up some statistics to challenge the claim, BUT NEVERTHELESS…

According to GE2015, 24% of Finns identify positively as nonreligious (see Table 1). There has been some increase since 2011 (19%), when this option was introduced to the identification question. The percentage of religious identification was 36%. It is much smaller than Christian identification (67%), which most likely demonstrates that Finns consider themselves to be culturally Christian even when not regarding themselves as religious. Altogether 16% said that they were atheists.

[…]

Among those with only basic level education, 28% identify as nonreligious, whereas among those with tertiary-level education the figure is 23%.

[…]

For them, contrary to the older generations, being nonreligious or atheist has very little to do with the Soviet Union or Communism. At the same time, however, the historical filter that has connected Lutheranism and national identity explains (partly) why nonreligious identification is not more popular. In other words, the drift away from organic nationalism that combines ethnicity and religion towards the situation where national identity (or the idea of what it is to be an ordinary Finn) is divorced from religion advances the normalisation of nonreligious identities. At the same time, being religious is increasingly becoming a reflective choice rather than a taken-for-granted identification, as it should be in a scenario of weakening cultural Christianity.

So, we are led to suppose, the new Russophobia is not anti-atheist whereas the old Russophobia was precisely that: a sort of defensive Christianity erected as a barrier against Communism. This would be counterproductive, of course: Christianity leads to Communism in much the same way that Judaism leads to Christianity —Karl Marx is merely the author of another "new testament" —he offers neither an antithesis nor an antidote to the beliefs that came before.

Source:

"Normalisation of nonreligious identity in Finland"

Teemu Taira,Kimmo Ketola, Jussi Sohlberg.

Journal of Contemporary Religion.

Volume 38, 2023 - Issue 1. Pages 1-19 | Published online: 14 Nov 2022

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13537903.2022.2138020#abstract

The Slipped Disc: My Current (AND ONGOING) Spinal Injury.

AFAIK, what I've been suffering with is a herniated disc down at the bottom of the lumbar region. Yes, that "AFAIK" disclaimer could be significant.

This website presents a perspective on the illness and the process of recovery different from what I've seen before:

https://buffalorehab.com/blog/the-recovery-time-for-a-lumbar-disc-herniation/

This makes sense to me...

however, sadly, I have been making the injury worse, not better, by returning to the gym as quickly as possible, again and again…

whereas, in reality I shouldn't have even been sitting in a chair at all, but should have limited myself to bed rest (FOR SEVERAL MONTHS).

Within the last few days, I was evidently making the condition worse when I was working on the German translation (sitting at a desk) whereas I previously thought of that type of mild strain as a positive exercise, helping rather than hindering recovery (i.e., I could feel that sitting and working at desk caused strain / pain).

I am now really limited: all I can do is lie down flat. And I do not know for how long that will last.

-----

Activities that will cause more fluid to leak are bending, lifting, twisting, sitting, and any impact (running or jumping). The more we stick to the “good” positions and limit the “bad,” the sooner our discs start to heal.

Typically, it takes three to four weeks for the fluid to stop leaking from the outer layer. Keep in mind, this only applies if you start limiting the bad positions and promoting those good positions.

At this time, the point of leakage will scar over and trap the fluid within the outer layer. This is the point in treatment when you can start to tolerate sitting for a little longer.

Over the next four weeks, the fluid will continue to work its way back toward the center of the disc, and eventually, the inner layer will scar over

-----

This is significantly different from how I'd visualized the problem before.

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When following the ideal plan, after about twelve weeks your disc is healed enough to tolerate impact, such as running or jumping

...

Suffering a back injury may seem catastrophic, however, it does not mean you will have back issues for the rest of your life. With proper guidance, patience, and a little bit of hard work, you can heal your disc injury within twelve weeks!

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Well... I could still cancel my gym membership. :-/

It does not seem reasonable to imagine I'll be back at the gym FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS… whereas, instead, I've been injuring myself anew pretty much every time I returned to the gym (for many, many months now) trying to increase the strength of the muscles surrounding the injury in the back.

The Ideological Stagnation of the 21st Century

Everything that was supposed to change hasn't changed.  The ideological stagnation of the 21st century is worse than the broken promises of the 20th century were before.

Learning Russian in 2026: am I talking myself into it or talking myself out of it, at this point?

Professor _______,

[…] [Many boring details have been omitted.] […]

I am asking a very broad question: do you have any advice or
suggestions if I were trying to find a Russian language tutor or
teacher, so that I am not learning the language entirely alone (with
books and the internet)?

This message is brief to avoid wasting your time.  I hope you will not
find this message rude.

I have studied other languages before, including languages that are
much more difficult than Russian (e.g., Chinese).  Grammatically, the
language I've studied that most closely resembled Modern Russian is
Ancient Pali (it has the locative, genitive, dative, instrumental and
accusative cases).  So, in some sense, I am prepared for how difficult
the work will be.

With thanks for your time and consideration,
Eisel Mazard (Mr.)

—————

[In her reply, the professor seemed to be primarily interested in my motivation for learning the language: she asked if I needed it "for work" or not. Work or play, hm?]

—————

(1) My interest is in (i) politics, (ii) philosophy and (iii) history.
I have studied several languages for these reasons (and, admittedly,
these reasons may not be enough).

(2) I am genetically half Jewish, and my grandparents were
specifically Russian Jewish, so it is possible I will try to make some
kind of contact with the Russian-speaking Jews of Israel and New York,
etc., simply to counteract the isolation of living in Newfoundland.  I
am aware of the intensity of antisemitism in Eastern Europe,
generally, and amongst Russians, specifically.  I am a visible
minority: although I'm an atheist, I look Jewish, and I am hated for
it.  This is a major factor in the decision I now make for the next
ten years of my life.

(3) I am a real intellectual: in Canada, there are none.  Learning
Russian would allow me to fly back and forth to various parts of
Europe (and Israel) where some intellectuals exist.  Some.  I am not
deluding myself into thinking that Eastern Europe is an intellectual
paradise (nor Israel) but I have some optimism about knowing other
intellectuals (who care about history, philosophy and politics) via
the Russian language.  With many other languages I've studied (e.g.
Lao and Cambodian) there is no such hope.

I have now published one book in Russian translation.  The cover
illustration is attached.  It will be published in five or six
languages in total.

E.M.

Civilization is not discredited by its own absence.

Veganism, Year One: 2026 to 2036.

After the End of the Vegan Movement: What Now, What Next?

This is, in fact, the sequel to a podcast titled, "Leviathan: the Vegan Movement's Decade of Decline, 2015 to 2025."

The Israeli Empire with the Mask On: the American Empire with the Mask Off.

 (1 of 2)
America vs Israel: Old Empires, New Enemies, Perpetual Bankruptcies.
https://youtube.com/shorts/WwMgIfHgYKU [Two minutes long.]

(2 of 2)
The "Israel Has a Right to Exist" Discourse is Corny.
https://youtube.com/shorts/Hy5bJhPtirw [Two and a half minutes long.]

I was tempted to title this post, simply, Israel: THE USUAL.

Instead, the title here alludes to my (still shocking?) statement about the primacy of local democracy in Ukraine, Crimea, etc., The American Empire with the Mask Off: the Canadian Empire with the Mask On.

"Let us be blunt: if Quebec has the right to establish its independence by a referendum, then the Crimea does, too —along with the Donbas (Donetsk and Luhansk) and Taiwan and everyone else, everywhere else. If not, we're back to the phony sovereignty (and even phonier empire-building) of the Napoleonic wars."

^ Still worth reading. Still dangerous in principle and in practice. https://a-bas-le-ciel.blogspot.com/2025/02/the-american-empire-with-mask-off.html

It's still worth listening to the sequel that was published as a podcast, too. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5bXnSQIGAdvbu3B0REfG4Q

What I have to say about Israel is pretty closely parallel to what I have to say about Quebec, Scotland, Taiwan, etc. The making of history is a high-stakes game; perhaps that's why so many prefer, instead, to watch it transpire, passively.

Democracy is not a haircut. Democracy is not a tattoo.

Forgetting Afghanistan.

LINK: https://youtu.be/3eBpamjQv2o

Canadian Culture: Lemons Without Lemonade