The Defeat of Nihilism
Moral nihilism is the belief that morality does not inherently exist and that any established moral values are abstractly contrived. Nihilism is often seen in it’s more milquetoast form, moral relativism.
Friedrich Nietzsche foresaw the danger of nihilism:
What I relate is the history of the next two centuries. I describe what is coming, what can no longer come differently: the advent of nihilism. … For some time now, our whole European culture has been moving as toward a catastrophe, with a tortured tension that is growing from decade to decade: restlessly, violently, headlong, like a river that wants to reach the end, that no longer reflects, that is afraid to reflect.
Nihilism destroys the will to live because it denies the existence of a purpose to life. None of us would check the mail, go to work, put gasoline in our cars, or mow our lawns unless there was a purpose to doing so. And yet the destruction of Christian values and the mass adoption of moral relativism and moral nihilism tell us that nothing in life actually has a purpose. With no higher meaning to our lives, why should we continue to live them? The world is not quite so grand as to provide a purely hedonistic answer.
A study of evolution shows a direction and a purpose to life. The Universe has evolved from an unthinkably massive singularity of compressed matter to an equally unimaginable number of galaxies, solar systems, and planets. Biological evolution has produced virii, bacteria, amoeba, fungi, molds, plants, insects, fish, reptiles, mammals, and finally humans. Cultural evolution has created dance and music, painting and sculpture, poetry and literature. Evolution is very slowly creating a Universe filled with ever more stunning creations.
Physical evolution has led to biological evolution, which has in turn led to cultural evolution. The purpose of our lives is to play a part in this symphony of creation. We, the most able of evolutions creations, have the ability to push evolutions creative instincts to levels never before imagined. This is a far greater purpose than provided by any of mankinds traditional religions.
We can serve physical evolution by making our planet more functional and more beautiful that ever before. We can serve biological evolution by creating healthy children. We can serve cultural evolution by spreading knowledge and ideas. These are real purposes in life — these are tasks which give life meaning and joy.
This same concept also gives us the basis for an absolute morality. To state it too simply: Anything which enhances evolution is good; anything which retards evolution is bad. Of course, this leaves much room open for debate. It can take many generations to determine if a specific action enhances or retards evolution.