The Cosmological Significance of Modern Nihilism

Abstract I will outline the understanding of the world in Eugen Fink’s cosmological philosophy in relation to modern nihilism. What impact does a particular conception of the world have on the understanding of what a human being, a community, a morality, or an ideal, is? Is a meaningful life possible after the collapse of traditional metaphysical interpretations of human existence? I will try to explain why, according to Fink, nihilism should not be seen purely negatively. What this means in terms of emerging ‘intelligent’ technologies and the destabilizing effects of the misinformed response to the environmental crisis as these affect possibilities for human freedom?