Nihilism

Nihilism is the belief in nothing. A true nihilist would have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy everything of value in society. Friedrich Nietzsche argued that nihilism's corrosive effects would eventually destroy all moral, religious, and metaphysical convictions and precipitate the greatest crisis in human history. German political philosopher Leo Strauss argued that modern liberalism leads inevitably to nihilism. And because of this view, some philosophers have argued that political leaders should invent elaborate myths in order to unite citizens of modern liberal democratic society behind a common purpose.