Nihilism: Its Origin and Nature- with a Christian Answer

198 Pages·1961·10.21 MB·English

by  Helmut Thielicke, Ruth Nanda Anshen (editor)

Its Origin and Nature
with
RELIGIOUS
PERSPECTIVES
DITED BY RUTH NANDA ANSHEN
$5.00
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NIHILISM l>. 0
by Helmut Thielicke
In this book Helmut Thielicke lays bare the
root of the moral and cultural crisis of our
times. Beneath the outward symptoms of
confusion and disorder today lie the empti¬
ness, the loss of meaning, the collapse of
value which Nihilism feeds upon. Here is a
profound new perspective on a basic threat
—and an unprecedented opportunity—for
the spirit of man.
A dvance Comments
From Robert E. Fitch, Pacific School of
Religion:
“Not in several years have I read a book
of such power and penetration. Thielicke
treats Nihilism in all its phases—personal,
political, economic, and cultural—with
clarity, force and profundity.”
* * *
From Donald Macleod, Princeton Theo¬
logical Seminary:
“An excellent and incisive work on one of
the most important phenomena of our
times. Required reading for all who want
to understand the relevance of Christianity
to modern culture.”
'7V' *7v*
From Kyle Haselden, Managing Editor of
the Christian Century:
“The spirit of our age has been captured
by the last ‘ism’—Nihilism. To help free
his generation Helmut Thielicke addresses
this dreadful void with the respect due a
worthy opponent and the seriousness owed
a deadly foe. To the task he brings, not
(Continued on back flap)
\o.oi 63 A
0361

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NIHILISM
Its Origin and Nature
—
with a Christian Answer
RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES
Planned and Edited by
RUTH NANDA ANSHEN
BOARD OF EDITORS
W. H. Auden
Karl Barth
Martin C. D’Arcy
Christopher Dawson
C. H. Dodd
Mircea Eliade
Muhammad Zafrullah Khan
Alexandre Koyre
Jacques Maritain
James Muilenburg
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Gershom Scholem
D. T. Suzuki
Paul Tillich
t
VOLUME FOUR
RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES *
NIHILISM
Its Origin and Nature
—
with a Christian Answer
by Helmut Thielicke
TRANSLATED BY JOHN W. DOBERSTEIN
Harper 8c Brothers, Publishers • New York
MAY 5, igs?
vf
NIHILISM: Its Origin and Nature—with a Christian Answer
Copyright © 1961 by John W. Doberstein
Printed in the United States of America
All rights in this book are reserved.
No part of the book may be used or reproduced in any
manner whatsoever without written permission except
in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
articles and reviews. For information address Harper
& Brothers, 49 East 33rd Street, New York 16, N. Y.
FIRST EDITION
C-L
Originally published in German as Der Nihilismus,
copyright 1951 by Verlag Gunther Neske, Pfullingen.
Library of Congress catalog card number: 61-7351
CONTENTS
Religious Perspectives: Its Meaning and Purpose 7
Preface to the American Edition 13
I The Absolutization of Nothingness 17
II Nihilism—The Lonely “Ism” 27
III Nihilism—Overt and Disguised 30
IV Nihilism as a Psychiatric Phenomenon 41
V The Breakdown of Selfhood and the Break¬
down of the World 55
VI Nihilism in Law and in Medicine 61
VII The Political Form of the World’s Breakdown 88
VIII The Human Form of the World’s Breakdown 96
IX The Destruction of the Self 105
X The Anxiety of Life 116
1. The Present Situation 116
2. The Ground of Anxiety 129
3. Self-Help Against Anxiety 137
4. The Overcoming of Anxiety 140
XI Fractured Nihilism 148
1. “Naive” Nihilism 148
2. “Reflective” Nihilism 159
XII Where Do We Go from Here? 167
1. Existentialism—A Critique 167
2. Epilogue 175
Notes 179
Index 181
Religious Perspectives
VOLUMES ALREADY PUBLISHED
I. The Historic Reality of Christian Culture
by Christopher Dawson
II. International Conflict in the Twentieth Century
by Herbert Butterfield
III. The Limits of Reason
by George Boas