Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age [Paperback]

Eugene Rose (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1994

In 1962, the young Eugene Rose undertook to write a monumental chronicle of the abandonment of Truth in the modern age. Of the hundreds of pages of material he compiled for this work, only the present essay has come down to us in completed form. Here Eugene reveals the core of all modern thought and life--the belief that all truth is relative--and shows how this belief has been translated into action in our century. Today, three decades after he wrote it, this essay is surely timelier than ever. It clearly explains why contemporary ideas, values, and attitudes--the "spirit of the age"--are shifting so rapidly in the direction of moral anarchy, as the philosophy of Nihilism enters more deeply into the fiber of society. Nietszche was right when he predicted that the 20th century would usher in "the triumph of Nihilism."

Indeed, the Christian is--in an ultimate sense--a "Nihilist"; to him, in the end, the world is nothing, and God is all. On the one hand, the true Nihilist places his faith in things that pass away and end in nothing. On the other hand, the Christian, renouncing such vanity, places his faith in the one thing that will not pass away, the Kingdom of God.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Nihilism has become, in our time, so widespread and pervasive, has entered so deeply into the minds and hearts of all men living today, that there is no longer any 'front' on which it may be fought.

About the Author

Fr. Seraphim Rose (1934-1982) was an Orthodox monk in the ancient tradition that dedicated his life to reawakening modern Western man to forgotten spiritual truths. From his remote cabin in the mountains of northern California, he produced writings, which have been circulated throughout the world in millions of copies. Today he is Russia's best-loved spiritual writer. His books Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future and The Soul After Death have changed countless lives with their uncompromising and sobering truth.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 100 pages
• Publisher: Saint Herman Pr (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938635158
• ISBN-13: 978-0938635154
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,333 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A strong Christian approach to modern nihilistic thought, October 13, 1999

By 

John J. Henderson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age (Paperback)

I generally enjoyed this book. Although difficult to follow at times, Fr. Seraphim Rose does a good job of showing that Nihilism is in fact the root of modern revolutionary thought. He offers excellent Orthodox Christian responses to those who say, "There is no truth."

11 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nihilism as the Cause of Modern Error., June 2, 2003

By 

zonaras (Jimbo's House of Pie) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nihilism: The Root of the Revolution of the Modern Age (Paperback)

NIHILISH: ROOT OF THE REVOLOUTION OF THE MODERN AGE was written by Russian Orthodox monk, Eugene Rose, (a convert to Orthodox Christianity) in a San Fransisco basement during the 1960's. It is a small part of a much larger work that was never brought to fruitition--a text on the theme of man's war against God and His revealed Truth. The form of Truth discussed here concerns what is eternal, not worldly, what will bring life beyond death.

Nihilism's basic credos are "all truth is relative," and "there is no absoloute truth." This is in direct opposition to traditional Christian thought, and the two are diametrically opposed. Friedrich Nietzsche is identified as the prophet of nihilism. Nihilism, of course, has developed into different stages according to the degenerate process of modern society. Libralism is a form of nihilism (and I might add, the ascendant political theory in the US right now, either GOP or Democrat) which pretends to be Christian, but only in rhetoric and in its emotional appeals, and which at heart does not care about the truth. The second, Realism, tries to find the truth and sometimes "does," but Realism's truth-seeking automatically rejects Divine Revelation and thus goes off on hopeless philosophical and scientific tangents. Vitalism is the third form of nihilism, and in my opinion by far the most popular among average people, and the form I personally hate the most. Vitalism does not teach anything, just what the individual feels, and there is no search for truth, just "hot-tub" coziness with oneself and the mundane excitements of life. This is omnipresent in our popular culture and mentality right now: fast cars, violent movies, pseudo-worship of sex, "getting high", and complete ignorance of any higher spiritual truth or ideals. The Nihilism of Destruction is the final form, manifested in Nazism, Bolshevism, Marxism, Communism and Anarchism. They believe in open Satan-worship, and the destrution of anything that is standing in order to pave the way for a "new order." Lenin described it well, as "one factory, with one office." I disagree with Rose's assessment of Nazism, as the Third Reich might have brought a genuine reversal of modernity, and a return to traditional Western ideals. These nihilists of destrution are condemned by the less hard core (especially the liberals), but they represent rebellion against God taken to its most extreme form, without any false pretenses about "the dignity of man," and "universal brotherhood."

In the end, it is the Christians who are the true Nihilists. Christians keep their sights one the Etenal, and not the petty concerns of this world which were created by God out of nothing and will return to nothing at the end of time.