Examples Of Nihilism In Notes From Underground Fyodor Dostoevsky

Medicine for Nihilism

An old aphorism states: Ignorance is bliss. This truism is apparent throughout ancient and contemporary society. In the book titled, Notes from Underground, Fyodor Dostoevsky engages with nihilism. The story reveals how an intelligent man who was once captivated by Russian romanticism ends up living in an allegorical underground where he is tormented by his indecisiveness between the many options of life. His indecisiveness consists of a dichotomy of opposites: Peace versus strife, melancholy versus joyfulness, and good opposed to bad. This can be displayed through showing that intelligence leads to an overactive consciousness. An overactive consciousness can lead to a struggle between opposites that may lead to indecisiveness and nihilism. The man from the underground demonstrates that being intelligent and perfectly honest with oneself leads to nihilism, and ignorance may be the antidote.

Intelligence to the underground man is the understanding of the relativity in human existence, which includes the comprehension that life is not black and white, and what is good for one individual, may be bad for another, or what is beautiful to one person, may be ugly to another.

After he recognizes this relativity, it leads him to an overactive consciousness. The underground man would consider one ignorant when they comprehend relativity but choose to disregard it and lie to themselves and the world. The man from the underground is a clever individual who understands that being intelligent leads to an overactive consciousness. He states,

I want to tell you, gentlemen, whether you care to hear it or not, why I could not even become an insect, I tell you solemnly, that I have many times tried to become an insect. But I was not equal even to that. I swear, gentlemen, that to be too conscious is an illness-a real thoroughgoing illness. (Dostoevsky

56)
The underground man attempts desperately to visualize himself as something alien to humans, but his overactive consciousness disrupts this daydream. He understands that he cannot be anything else besides a human being that is plagued with self-awareness, which reminds him of his own wretchedness and mortality. He is constantly wrestling with the truth, which demonstrates that through his own recollection he cannot run away from being perfectly open about his past. He does want to run away from the truth, which is evident by his proclamation of attempting many times to try to be an insect.
When the underground man does reminisce about the past, his intense consciousness develops into a revolving indecisiveness. He entangles himself in a struggle between opposites, which include the desire for acceptance versus the aspiration to be isolated. These opposites ultimately affect his morality, psyche, and craving for acceptance and love. For instance, while working he claimed that he was a spiteful officer, which later in an ad hoc revision he claimed that he could never be spiteful. He states,
I was conscious every moment in myself of many, very elements absolutely opposite to that. I felt them positively swarming in me, these opposite elements. I knew that they had been swarming in me all my life and craving some outlet from me, but I would not let them, would not let them, purposely would not let them come out. (Dostoevsky 54-55)
The problem illustrated through his indecisiveness exemplifies humankind’s awareness of subjectivity and objectivity. The man from the underground understands that there is no objective good nor bad, beauty nor ugliness, and love nor strife. Consequently, when he recognizes the subjective nature of man and how it catapults him into a tussle between opposites, his nihilism permeates throughout his soul.
In contrast, one may argue that the man from the underground’s intelligence and over active consciousness is an anecdotal case and that an ignorant individual can understand their mortality and be honest with themselves. An anecdotal case does not justify a hasty generalization, which claims that this circumstance is the normal amongst the intellectual. In addition, an ignorant individual has the capacity to be fully aware of their dichotomy of life and death, love and strife, and good and bad. These so-called ignorant individuals also have the capacity of truth and honesty.
The example from Notes from Underground may be an anecdotal case, but the simple fact that opposites are an objective part of life demonstrates that the underground man is not ignoring the truth. An individual would be labeled ignorant to think that their definition of beauty is an objective truth, or that their definition of good and bad are universal absolutes. Furthermore, an ignorant individual does have the capacity to become intelligent, just as an intelligent individual can become ignorant. Additionally, it may be problematic labeling when an individual changes from ignorant to intelligent. This epistemological problem can be demonstrated through analogies, for example, when does a valley turn into a mountain? Alternatively, when do H2O molecules turn into water? These examples illustrate how it is difficult to label when an individual has acquired an overactive consciousness. The man from the underground has definitely crossed the mean from ignorant over to intelligent, which is demonstrated by his reference to his overactive consciousness and loathsome attitude towards his surroundings. In addition, an individual who recognizes truth, honesty, and the subjective nature of humanness should not be labeled as ignorant.
The man from the underground demonstrates that being intelligent and perfectly honest with oneself may lead to nihilism and ignorance may be the antidote. Being intelligent leads to an overactive consciousness and an overactive consciousness can disable an individual with the dichotomy of opposites that results in indecisiveness. Consequently, being ignorant is a benefit that may help prevent nihilism.

Works Cited
Dostoevsky, Fyodor . "Notes From Underground." Ed. Kaufmann, Walter. Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre. New York: Penguin Group, 1989. 52-82. Print.