@fmf said
I am not a nihilist. You are not using the word correctly. It isn't an antonym for religionist.
Nihilist is often a word that is defined when it is used because it s not used so frequently. It is something that lends itself well to specialized definitions of what things are because it is philosophical in nature.
You may recollect that I have talked about how I use it many times, and I use it in the same sense as Fr. Seraphim Rose.
You would have known that when I was speaking to you about it many months ago.
And, surely, you are aware that a specialized definition of the word would be employed in philosophy from time to time, and if someone presents such a specialized definition, it is relevant.
But, sure, we can go to Merriam-Webster and take a look at some potential definitions:
: a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless
Nihilism is a condition in which all ultimate values lose their value.
— Ronald H. Nash
b : a doctrine that denies any objective ground of truth and especially of moral truths
2a : a doctrine or belief that conditions in the social organization are so bad as to make destruction desirable for its own sake independent of any constructive program or possibility
b capitalized : the program of a 19th century Russian party advocating revolutionary reform and using terrorism and assassination
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nihilism
You fit well under 1b, don't you?
You are also a moral pragmatist in light of this, generally speaking, aren't you?
Then, you are a nihilist not only by a Merriam-Webster definition, but very much fit the bill under the definition provided by Fr. Seraphim Rose.
But yes, feel free to say why you aren't.
And maybe, just as how you
don't mince words with people who believe in torture-god ideologies, I'll be very happy to keep calling this one as I see it:
you are a nihilist.