I plan to develop, using inter-disciplinary and disciplinary resources, a thesis to demonstrate how

Nietzschean principles are important to the success and progress of humanity as whole. A lot of
Nietzsche’s ideas revolve around a sense of “Godlessness” and it is interesting because most of
today’s generation affiliate with some kind of religion. Nietzsche’s views in regard to religion and
politics clarify a different way of life which includes a revolution in human thought by means of
Nihilism. Nietzsche believes that post-modernity will be predominantly characterized by the idea
of Nihilism. Nihilism, meaning a “philosophical position that argues existence is without objective
meaning or purpose” will transform the way humanity thinks. Nietzsche argues the notion of God
and religion will slowly dissipate, and new meaning will be coveted by the post-modern
generation. This feeling of pointlessness (brought on by Nihilism) will spark a series of changes in
humanity in many different aspects such as politics and humanity in general. Since history
generally repeats its self, post-modern humanity might experience something similar to that in the
transformation from the late Renaissance’s push for emotion and aesthetics and Modernity’s strife
to expel emotion and implement it with pure rational and logic.

I have many sources including: An Introduction to Nietzsche as a Political Thinker, by Keith

Ansell; Nihilism: A philosophical Essay, by Stanley Rosen, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, by Nietzsche,
which delves into the concept of the Ubermensch, which defines a goal for humanity during the
post-modern era, The End of Modernity: Nihilsm and Hermeneutics in Post-modern Culture, by
Gianni Vattimo and J. Snyder, Nihilism Before Nietzsche, by Michael Allen Gillespie, Nihilism and
Emancipation: Ethics, Politics and Law, by Gianni Vattimo, and this list will grow as I finish
reading the books. I also have an abundant amount of prominent websites dealing with post-
modernism, Nihilism, and politics which I could potentially use to form my thesis.

It is my goal, through copious research, to find out what Nietzsche’s view of a Nihilistic post-
modern world will have for fate of humanity and present it to people and open their mind on the
subject. My expected finding after completing the project deals with a few different things. If post-
modernity is dominantly characterized by Nietzsche’s Nihilism, I think that Nietzsche and his
ideas will be born posthumously and a lot of his principles will resurface and be considered much
more seriously than the way they were taken when he first developed them. I think his principles
of the Ubermensch, The Will to Power, Eternal Return, and his values regarding an “aggressive
acceptance” of this world, oneself, one’s faith, and ones current existence will be looked at in a
much brighter light because, if Nietzsche is right (and post-modernity’s nature is Nihilistic) people
will have lost meaning in their lives and will be searching for an answer. Nietzsche’s principles
provide the basic guidelines to live life without the notion of an afterlife, or of some higher power
that is always looking out for humanity.

However, with this change will come drastic revolution in how humanity works. Nihilism will make
everyone reevaluate their goals and dreams, money might not be as important and this could
ultimately change politics, ethics, moral, and humanity in general, and this is what I have set out
to understand in researching this topic.

This topic encompasses my “Life Goals Statement” very strictly. I have decided to base my life
around reality, and the reality of my project is Nietzsche could be right, and this provides me,
personally, a way to live life in the realm of rational and logic instead of the life religion provides
(one of faith and belief). Sure, I hope there is a god and an afterlife, but (like Nietzsche) I do not
want to spend my, one and only life, revolving around something I (or anyone else) cannot prove
exists. So, this project sheds light on the optimism one could potentially find in Nihilism through a
Nietzschean viewpoint and it will also prove insight on what Nihilism may potentially do to politics
and humanity in general.