In nihilism no statement has validity nothing has meaning. In other words, nihilism is the negation of everything-knowledge, ethics, beauty, reality. If it proceeds to the absolute denial of everything, it even denies the reality of existence itself. Strictly speaking, nihilism is a denial of any philosophy or worldview-a denial of the possibility of knowledge, a denial that anything is valuable.

“Nihilism is more a feeling than a philosophy, more a solitary stance before the universe than a worldview. In a world of ever-increasing diversity, The Universe Next Door offers a unique resource for understanding the variety of worldviews that claim the allegiance of mind and heart.

The Universe Next Door has been translated into over a dozen languages and has been used as a text at over one hundred colleges and universities in courses ranging from apologetics and world religions to history and English literature. New discussion questions will help readers reflect more deeply on the ideas in each chapter. The sixth edition, updated by Sire’s longtime editor Jim Hoover, features new explanatory sidebars, helpful charts comparing worldviews and illustrating their historical flow, and a chapter on challenges to a Christian worldview in the twenty-first century. Critiquing each worldview within its own frame of reference and in comparison to others, Sire encourages readers to wrestle with life’s biggest questions and examine the core beliefs and commitments on which they are building their lives. Intertwined with this analysis, he presents an overview of intellectual history giving insight into the current state of Western thought and culture. Using his widely influential model of eight basic worldview questions, James Sire examines prominent worldviews that have shaped the Western world:

Logos Research Subscription for Schoolsįor more than forty years, The Universe Next Door has set the standard for a clear, readable introduction to worldviews.

James sire the universe next door