Second footnote to the post titled “The Need for Doctrine”

Nietzsche employed and used a specific term or word for the prevailing lack of meaning and purpose: nihilism. As was the case during Nietzsche’s time, and as is the case now, nihilism – which stems etymologically from the Latin root word nil which in turn translates into “nothing” or “nothingness” – is the prelude and precursor to populism and right-wing dictatorship. We therefore get nihilism from the prevailing zeitgeist, or perhaps both are interchangeable. Both nihilism and the prevailing zeitgeist are interchangeable.