Between nothingness and revolution: nihilistic convergences in Schopenhauer and Tolstoy

Abstract

This article aims to hypothesize a dialogue between the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and the later literature of Leo Tolstoy, based on the notion of nihilism. To this end, three movements of convergence are identified around the relation to nothingness. First, metaphysical nihilism is understood as the expression of the non-teleological character of the world, grounded in Schopenhauer’s blind will and treated by Tolstoy as the raw material of suffering. Second, ethical nihilism emerges through their shared concern with compassion and asceticism, in light of the strong presence of Christianity. Finally, political nihilism is analyzed in terms of Tolstoy’s possible influence on the pre-revolutionary milieu and the hypothesis of a political reading of Schopenhauer based on the ethics of compassion. The article thus considers the convergence between philosophy and literature in Schopenhauer and Tolstoy, mediated by the conception of nihilism, which traverses the metaphysical and ethical domains and culminates in political action.