Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age

"What does Nihilism mean?" wrote Friedrich Nietszche. "That the highest values are losing their value. There is no goal.... There is no truth, no 'thing in itself.' There is no answer to the question: 'why?'"

In 1962, the young Eugene Rose - the future Hieromonk Seraphim - undertook to write a monumental chronicle of the abandonment of truth in the modern age. Of the hundreds of pages of materials he compiled for this work, only the present essay, on nihilism, has come down to us in completed form. Here Eugene reveals the core of all modern thought and life - the belief that all truth is relative - and shows how this belief has been translated into action in our era. Today, more than half a century after he wrote it, this essay is more timely than ever. It clearly explains why contemporary ideas, values, and attitudes - the "spirit of the age" - are shifting so rapidly in the direction of moral anarchy, as the philosophy of nihilism enters more deeply into the fiber of society. Nietszche was right when he predicted that the 20th century would usher in "the triumph of Nihilism".

As the post-modern world of the 21st century has continued to sink ever further into relativism, this classic essay has continued to grow in popularity among those thirsting to understand the causes of the catastrophe that is rapidly overtaking Western societies.

Read more REVIEW
Rose presents Nihilism in a compelling and fair way, attempting to understand it in its origin and to show its perspectives. He then, of course, very compellingly condemns it and presents the traditionalist Christian perspective. It is definitely a must read for people who are curious about traditionalist perspectives on the modern world -- I'd even say that people who are not Christians would learn a lot as well, and those who are conservative Christians would find it to be a very breakthrough reading. This was one of those books that was simultaneously hard to put down and hard to continue reading because of the fact that it is so enjoyable, but due to it being so condensed and fast paced, and covering material from a perspective not often voiced, it was also challenging. Terrific book. --Goodreads

"I recall that when I first read Nihilism several years ago, knowing nothing else about Fr. Seraphim, I thought it was fascinating but extreme, even wild. For a long time I believed that modernist rationalism needed only to be fixed, that with some adjustment it could be set on the right path. Further reading and recent experience have taught me that the situation is much worse than that, and what at first seemed wild to me now seems like sober good sense." --Phillip E. Johnson, Professor of Law Emeritus, University of California at Berkeley. FROM THE AUTHOR
Nihilism has become, in our time, so widespread and pervasive, has entered so deeply into the minds and hearts of all men living today, that there is no longer any 'front' on which it may be fought. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fr. Seraphim Rose (1934-1982) was an Orthodox monk in the ancient tradition that dedicated his life to reawakening modern Western man to forgotten spiritual truths. From his remote cabin in the mountains of northern California, he produced writings, which have been circulated throughout the world in millions of copies. Today he is Russia's best-loved spiritual writer. His books Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future and The Soul After Death have changed countless lives with their uncompromising and sobering truth. EXCERPT. REPRINTED BY PERMISSION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
What does Nihilism mean? That the highest values are losing their value. There is no goal...There is no Truth, no 'thing in itself.' There is no answer to the question: why? --Friedrich Nietszche Atheism, true 'existential atheism burning with hatred of a seemingly unjust or unmerciful God, is a spiritual state; it is a real attempt to grapple with the true God...Nietszche, in calling himself Antichrist, proved thereby his intense hunger for Christ.

Read more