Is Ethical Nihilism True?

One of the problems of our culture is widespread fear of ethical nihilism. Many people, both scholars and layfolk, fear that ethical nihilism is on the rise. They fear that more and more people are coming to believe that ethical norms exert no genuine ethical requirements. This paper asks whether ethical nihilism is true. In answer, the paper argues that ethical nihilism is false. The paper first distinguishes ethical nihilism from nihilism about ethical facts, nihilism about ethical truths, ethical relativism, ethical skepticism, the conjunction of the two nihilisms and ethical skepticism, and the conjunction of relativism and skepticism. It argues that ethical nihilism is the view that there exist no ethical norms which exert genuine ethical requirements. With this account in hand, the paper then argues that ethical nihilism is false, because the existence of ethical norms which exert genuine ethical requirements is a necessary condition for well-being, and some people do have well-being. The paper then considers and refutes two arguments in defense of ethical nihilism: the argument from making ethics through decisions and the argument from freedom.