Dariush Shayegan and the Hermeneutics of Nihilism in Contemporary Iran

Abstract This article traces the evolution of Dariush Shayegan’s (1935–2018) conception of nihilism across three distinct phases of his thought. It argues that Shayegan’s work offers a crucial, non-Western perspective on nihilism, framing it not merely as a philosophical problem but as a central facet of Iran’s experience with modernity. In his early phase, influenced by Ahmad Fardid, he identified nihilism ( Nistengāri ) as a spiritual malady endemic to the West, which he contrasted with the perceived spiritual integrity of Eastern traditions. The 1979 Revolution precipitated a second phase, wherein Shayegan, deeply influenced by his mentor Henry Corbin, diagnosed nihilism as an internalized “disease” manifesting as the “ideologization of tradition” and a collective “schizophrenia.” His final phase, marked by a reading of Heidegger and Vattimo, moved from attempts to transcend nihilism towards its Verwindung (incorporation or recovery), finding in the poetry of Omar Khayyām a model for embracing a “pregnant nothingness” and affirming the present moment. Through this trajectory, Shayegan’s thought demonstrates how the Iranian intellectual tradition actively engaged with and transformed the concept of nihilism, contributing a unique intercultural response to a global philosophical concern.