Future-Free Nihilism
👉 This is part of The Pervasive Now
When everything feels like it’s going down the pan, why look to the future? We’re living in the moment because what’s
over the horizon might get a whole lot worse :)
Evidence A: The Young Nihilists
Sometimes the world feels like it’s spinning out of control. So here’s a comforting thought: none of it matters. Growing up with the structures that give purpose and belonging in a state of open decay, and coming of age in unprecedented times, young people are embracing nihilism as a way to cope.. It’s not all doom and gloom, ‘sunny nihilism’, championed by the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, screams into the void with joy and irony. Like every teenager ever really.
Evidence B: No kids, no worries
We know that the global fertility rate is in decline, more than halving over the past 50 years with half of countries not meeting replacement levels back in 2018. And it’s predicted to further decline to 1.6 children per childbearing person by 2100. Climate despair is a huge factor: couples don’t want to bring new life into a world in danger. Soaring cost is another. Earth’s human population is predicted to peak in 2084 at 10.4bn, after that we’re in freefall.
