Absurdity, 82–83
Adorno, Theodor
“How to Look at Television,” 112
on pop culture, 112–114
Aesthetics, 24–25
Alienation, 128–130, 136. See also Dehumanization
Allen, Woody
Annie Hall, 62–63
Amazon (company), 176
Anders, Günther
on pop culture, 111–114
“World as Phantom and as Matrix, The,” 111
Antinihilism, 17, 21–23, 159. See also Self-righteousness
Anxiety, 76–77, 81–82, 87, 99–101, 106, 109–110
Apple (company), 176
Arendt, Hannah
on bureaucracy, 150–151, 154–159, 182–183
on individualism, 154–159, 165, 167, 178
“Introduction into Politics,” 138–159
on Kafka, 156–157
Life of the Mind, The, 104–105
vs. Marx, 154
vs. Nietzsche, 154–157, 163, 165, 169, 178
on nihilism, 104–105, 159, 167
on politics, 138–159
Aristotle
vs. Descartes, 17–18
Artificial intelligence, 117, 184
Asceticism, 47, 49, 51, 54, 56, 163
Authenticity, 82
Autonomy, 35, 167, 180. See also Freedom
Beale, Howard, 6
Beauvoir, Simone de
and Descartes, 96
Ethics of Ambiguity, The, 96–103
and existentialism, 82, 87–88, 96, 102
on individualism, 165–167
vs. Nietzsche, 106
on nihilism, 98–106
Second Sex, The, 86–87
on seriousness, 96–107
Big Lebowski, The, 10
Boredom, 76–77
Breaking Bad, 114
Bureaucracy, 150–151, 153–154, 156, 182–184
Byron, George (Lord), 36
Manfred, 36
Camus, Albert, 82, 87, 96. See also Existentialism
Capitalism, 92, 125. See also Marx, Karl
Caulfield, Holden, 6
Certainty, 16, 19, 22–24, 33, 124, 149–151
Chaplin, Charlie
vs. capitalism, 127
Modern Times, 127
Christianity, 18, 38, 41, 44–47, 49–51, 55–56, 153
Consequentialism, 106–107
Crosby, Donald, 73–74
Specter of the Absurd, The, 73–74
Daria, 69–70
Death, 22, 50–51, 60, 65, 80–87, 95, 100–102, 124, 148
Dehumanization, 122, 125, 130, 136–138, 141, 158, 174. See also Alienation
Denial, 74–75, 81. See also Escapism; Evasion
Descartes, René
vs. Aristotle, 17–18
and de Beauvoir, 96
on dualism, 22
vs. Kant, 31–32
Meditations on First Philosophy, 19–22
on proof of God’s existence, 23–24
vs. Kafka, 156–157
and Nietzsche, 156–157
Draper, Don, 114
Dualism
will/intellect, 22
Dystopianism, 68
Ellul, Jacques
on technocracy, 181–184
Technological System, The, 174–175, 181–182
on technology, 174–175, 177, 179, 181–184
Enlightenment, the, 13, 151, 180, 184, 186
Escapism, 22, 27–28, 114, 157, 178. See also Denial; Evasion
Essentialism, 87
Evasion
of anxiety, 82, 99–101, 106, 110
of death, 81–87, 95, 96, 101–102
of freedom, 95, 96–97, 99–102, 110
of humanity, 49–50, 54–56, 63, 74, 82, 95, 178
of life, 47, 49–50, 54, 57, 72, 74, 80–81, 83, 87, 179
of meaning, 38–39, 74, 87–96, 99–100, 102
of reality, 71, 93, 96–97, 114
of responsibility, 64, 85–87, 95, 97, 99–101
Evil, 19, 21, 23, 40–42, 44, 55, 87, 139
Existentialism, 81–88, 94–95, 102
Facebook, 54, 175–176, 180–182
Faith, 20, 23, 78, 81, 155, 163
Förster-Nietzsche, Elisabeth, 37
Foucault, Michel, 183
Foundationalism, 92–95
Freedom, 21–22, 35–36, 80, 85–87, 95, 96–97, 99–102, 110, 139–146, 152–155. See also Autonomy
Freire, Paulo
on education, 117–125
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 117
Game of Thrones, 114
God
death of, 51–57
as “father of Evil,” 40
as foundation for certainty, 21
as Jesus, 44
as omnipotent, 50–52
as source of guilt, 47
as source of meaning, 63, 83, 85–87, 93–95
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, 36
Faust, 36
Google (company), 149, 175–176
Happiness, 22, 35–36, 62–63, 70, 96, 107, 109, 129–130, 148–149, 159, 166–169, 178
Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 42, 99
Being and Time, 82
and Nazism, 170
and Nietzsche, 171
“Question Concerning Technology, The,” 170–174
on technology, 170–174, 176–177, 179, 184
Hipsterism, 72
Hope, 60, 67, 155–156, 169, 186. See also Idealism; Optimism
Humanity, 2, 46, 50–55, 83, 89, 95, 96, 136–137, 150–151, 155, 174, 184
Human nature, 2, 16, 23, 47–50, 54–56, 83, 85
Hume, David
vs. Kant, 28–33
Treatise of Human Nature, A, 23–28
Idealism See also Hope; Optimism; Rationalism
as a philosophical doctrine, 24, 31
as a way of life, 67–68, 73, 109
Individualism, 157–158, 165–169, 178
Internet, 9
Irony, 72
Jacobi, Friedrich, 32
Judge, Mike
vs. capitalism, 127
Office Space, 127
and Arendt, 156–157
vs. Dostoyevsky, 156–157
Trial, The, 156
Kant, Immanuel
vs. Descartes, 31–32
vs. Hume, 28–33
on knowledge, 28–33
as source of nihilism, 32–33, 36
Kierkegaard, Søren
Concept of Anxiety, The, 81
and existentialism, 81–82
Fear and Trembling, 81
on nihilism, 103–104
Present Age, The, 103–104
Sickness unto Death, The, 81
King Jr., Martin Luther, 63
Kleist, Heinrich von, 32
Late Show with David Letterman, 4
Life
meaning of, 6, 32–33, 36, 73, 75–82, 87, 90, 99, 106, 109, 135, 137, 144, 147–148
purpose of, 63, 65, 85, 98, 109
Lifelessness, 87, 155–156, 159, 167–169, 178
Lutheranism, 37
Lyotard, Jean-François
Postmodern Condition, The, 88–92
Mad Men, 114
Marx, Karl
on alienation, 125, 128–130, 135–136
vs. Arendt, 154
vs. capitalism, 125
on dehumanization, 125, 130, 136–137
on labor, 125–137
Meaninglessness, 10, 77, 93, 100, 135
Metaphysics, 13, 67, 77–79, 82, 128, 137, 153
Morality, 33–36, 41–51, 56, 64, 71, 74, 80, 120–122, 163
Mortality, 44, 64, 81, 83, 157. See also Death
Murphy, Eddie, 134
Coming to America, 134
Netflix, 178
Nietzsche, Friedrich
on active vs. passive nihilism, 39, 161–165, 179, 186
“Anti-Education: On the Future of Our Educational Institutions,” 161
vs. Arendt, 154–157, 163, 165, 169, 178
vs. de Beauvoir, 106
Beyond Good and Evil, 161–162
and Dostoyevsky, 156–157
Ecce Homo, 161
on the future, 161–163
On the Genealogy of Morals, 40–56
vs. Hegel, 42
and Heidegger, 171
vs. Nazism, 37–38
on nihilism, 8, 36, 38–40, 49–57, 79–81, 99, 121–122, 186
on pity, 71
on religion, 44–47, 49–52, 55–56
and Schopenhauer, 62
on science, 55
vs. Tartaglia, 76–81
on technology, 178
on the will to power, 47–49
Will to Power, The, 38–40
Nihilism
active vs. passive, 39, 162–165, 179, 186
as an attitude, 74–75, 98–99, 106–107, 110, 137
as belief in nothing, 4–8
and capitalism, 124–137
cause of, 38, 49–51, 56, 87, 95, 110, 151, 158
as a cultural phenomenon, 80, 106
definition of, 3–6, 56, 75, 94, 98–99, 102, 104–107, 109, 174
as a disease, 49, 106, 110, 156–157
first use of, 32
in the media, 9
as a political system, 137–159, 165, 167, 169, 178
and pop culture, 10, 57, 110–116, 137
and technology, 169–179, 184–186
typology of, 74
Normalcy, 5, 10, 57, 83, 111, 137–138, 159, 167, 177, 183
Objectivity, 30, 55–56, 74, 143, 175, 183. See also Certainty; Science; Truth
Oppression, 2–3, 35, 44, 119–120, 122, 165–166, 169
Optimism, 63–64, 73, 109. See also Hope; Idealism
Pascal, Blaise, 45
Pessimism, 60–65, 68, 70, 73, 109
Phillips, Wendell, 1–3
Pity, 71–72
Plato
Apology, 147
on politics, 139, 145–149, 153
Republic, 14, 16, 20, 32, 66–67, 134–136, 148
and Socrates, 14–18
Politics, 138–159, 169, 175, 179, 181–182, 184
Prejudice, 25, 153–154, 183–184
Progress, 10, 25, 49, 55, 90, 127, 150–151, 153, 155, 175, 178–180, 184, 186
Rand, Ayn, 102
Rationalism, 24, 31. See also Idealism
Rationality, 24–25, 34–35, 46, 103–104
Reality, 15, 17, 22, 30–32, 67–68, 92–93, 135–137, 144–145, 149–150, 172, 178
Reddit, 54
Responsibility, 52, 64, 85–87, 95, 97, 100–101, 121, 165–166
Rights, 97–98
Romero, George A. See also Zombies
vs. capitalism, 130
on the living dead, 130
Rowling, J. K., 148
Sartre, Jean–Paul, 82, 85, 87, 95, 96. See also Existentialism
Schopenhauer, Arthur, 62
Science, 19, 22, 24, 30, 33–34, 55–56, 86, 88–95, 107, 149–151, 153, 155, 163, 182–184. See also Certainty; Faith; Religion
Seinfeld, Jerry, 4–5
Seinfeld, 10
Self-righteousness, 6–10. See also Antinihilism
Sexism, 183
Simpson, Lisa, 6
Skepticism, 6, 19, 23–24, 27, 31, 33, 65
Slavery, 2, 42–46, 50, 52, 56, 141, 145, 151–152
Socrates. See also Plato
as father of philosophy, 13–14
as father of self-righteousness, 13–14
on the foundations of knowledge, 14–18, 20–22, 33, 51, 134–135
as an idealist, 67–68
and Plato, 14–18
trial of, 16–17
Solipsism, 27
Stoicism, 72
Tartaglia, James
vs. Nietzsche, 76–81
Philosophy in a Meaningless Life, 75
Technocracy, 181–182
Technology, 169–179
Television, 9–10, 111–113, 116
True Detective, 10
Truth, 17, 20–22, 30, 74, 90, 145–151, 163, 180
Turgenev, Ivan, 36
Fathers and Sons, 36
Values, 3, 36, 39, 41, 43–47, 51, 55–56, 80, 90–92, 104, 121–122, 150, 179–181, 184, 186
White, Walter, 114
Will, 22
to mastery, 171
to power, 47–49
Wittgenstein, Ludwig, 88
Worldlessness, 154–155
Zombies, 130