The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ― Nihilism
The film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is based on a radio show by Douglas Adams broadcasted by the BBC. The show was later became a series of books and has been adapted in various other forms. We chose this film because it provides us with a fantastic example of nihilism’s futility and aimlessness.
Nihilism is philosophy and worldview which developed out of naturalism. With this James W. Sire reminds us, with his clever and helpful description, that; “Nihilism is more a feeling than a philosophy. Strictly speaking, nihilism is not a philosophy at all. It is a denial of philosophy, a denial of the possibility of knowledge, a denial that anything is valuable. . . . In other words, nihilism is the denial of everything―knowledge, ethics, beauty, reality.”[1]
What did you think about the film? Why is the film nihilistic? How does the gospel counter a nihilistic worldview? Any other thoughts?
[1]James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog, 4th ed. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2004), 87.
