Intelligent, but Dangerous

I've written about him before, but for some reason I seem to keep going back to him, Nietzsche. Philosopher, Psychologist and Philologist (study of ancient texts and languages), a man who many would say was a dangerous thinker, avoid his works. But that’s like saying dont walk in your socks, of course you're going to do it. I've been reading bits and pieces about him, but it was when I discovered that he talks largely on a topic I find extremely interesting, 'Nihilism' that I started reading again. I wasn’t even aware that such a word existed.

Nihilism as a philosophical position is the view that the world, and especially human existence, is without meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value.

Now this interests me greatly, I suppose its why I love listening to people's responses when I ask:
'Okay then, so what's the purpose of a Lion? what’s its function?',
'To eat the buck of course'
'Okay then, and the bucks purpose?'
'To eat the grass'

Now other than survival and natural linkages in the food chain, there is no productive/ constructive/ practical reason for a Lion to exist, it is merely there. Why? is my still my question.

So back to Nietzsche, 'God is Dead' a statement he once made that caused massive unrest and resentment. People didn’t understand what he meant though. By saying that God is dead, (lets just call him 'N' from now on) N isn’t saying that God is physically dead, but that man has killed Him, it was N's controversial way of saying that God has ceased to be a reckoning force in people's lives, even if they don't recognise it.

"God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? That which was the holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet possessed has bled to death under our knives. Who will wipe this blood off us? With what water could we purify ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we need to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it?" - Nietzsche

Apparently its one of the most commonly misunderstood phrases of 19th century literature.

The death of God is a way of saying that humans are no longer able to believe in a cosmic order. The death of God will lead, Nietzsche says, not only to the rejection of a belief of cosmic/physical order but also to a rejection of absolute values themselves -- to the rejection of belief in an objective and universal moral law. This leads to nihilism, and it is what Nietzsche worked to find a solution for by re-evaluating the foundations of human values. This meant, to Nietzsche, looking for foundations that went deeper than the Christian values most people refuse to look beyond.- (Wikepedia, 2005)

Wonder how long thats gonna take, with the way this world is going, I dont think it'll be too long.