Nietzsche, who was an atheist, understood that religion was useful for providing meaning, community, and helping to deal with the problems of life. Instead, he offers us three solutions that we, as individuals, can try to use to find meaning in our post-God lives. While mass movements would be able to provide another structure to find meaning in, Nietzsche, ever the individualist, rejected this notion as being a real solution. Nietzsche found this concerning, as the typical person would be driven to nihilism without help. Without the ability to turn to God, where could modern man find meaning? In ages past the meaning of everything was assured by God. We’ve discussed this concept before, but in brief, it is Nietzsche’s realization that an increasingly secular and scientific society can no longer turn to Christianity to find meaning. God is dead and we have killed himįor Nietzsche, the problem begins with the death of God. Here’s how Nietzsche approached the problem of the meaning of life and how you can use the same approach. From taking up the life of a guru to more brutish images of becoming an all-powerful Superman ( Übermensch), the (in)famous philosopher’s ideas offer insight into how to find more meaning in our lives. Interpretations of how Nietzsche proposed to overcome nihilism can vary. Indeed, much of his work is concerned with the problem of overcoming nihilism despite the slew of problems that drive people towards it. While he is often mistaken for a nihilist, he was in fact quite the opposite. The question of what meaning our lives might have was a major one for Nietzsche.

Voids have a nice life