[mpalmer]

In Nietzsche's words:

> A nihilist is a man who judges of the world as it is that it ought not to be, and of the world as it ought to be that it does not exist. According to this view, our existence (action, suffering, willing, feeling) has no meaning: the pathos of 'in vain' is the nihilists' pathos – at the same time, as pathos, an inconsistency on the part of the nihilists.

Where is Nietzsche's nihilism in what you describe? How is your peer's worldview nihilistic when they place a high value on the effect of your potential actions on the world?

Surely for a nihilist, "to have made an impact" is a non-goal.

[whateveracct]

> Surely for a nihilist, "to have made an impact" is a non-goal.

Not when the reason for making that impact is for, say, leaving a legacy after your death, getting into heaven (Christianity is very nihilistic according to Nietzsche), "having done 'something' with your life." Those are all very nihilistic-as-in-Nietzsche.

Nihilism is first and foremost deferring this life for something else, and I think my peer's views definitely fell into that definition.

[mpalmer]

> Nihilism is first and foremost deferring this life for something else.

Anything you can cite for this? It doesn't sound like any kind of nihilism I'm familiar with but I'm interested to know more.

[whateveracct]

Hm it was how my professors in school taught nihilism and Nietzsche. It was definitely a high level takeaway from many readings we did and not a single quote or citation. But it was on the exam ;)

I don't have any sources behind that atm, but I'd guess it would be somewhere around the discussion of the afterlife and how it is a Christian driver of nihilism.