The rise of nihilism in the 20th century and the discovery by scientists of the inescapable cosmic death of the...

People were degenerate well before that. Schopenhauer commented on it in great detail.

>The rise of nihilism in the 20th century and the discovery by scientists of the inescapable cosmic death of the universe appears to have pushed the Western world into a period of hedonistic navel gazing and degeneracy.
No it fucking hasn't. The overwhelming majority of the world doesn't think or care anout that, or even understand it. That is not even a factor or influence.

As everyone knows, astrophysicists are notoriously hard partying nihilists.

We'll keep going on into the future, that's what will happen.

Decline? There's no decline. We're progressing faster now more than ever before.

It's natural to be scared if the unknown future.

This. I will never get people crying about global declines or doomed fates for society.

All you have to do is read one of the various science based news columns online to see that there is something incredible happening every week, practically every day. Advances in surgery and medicine, robotics, computer / chip based technology, networking, etc. occur every week. New discoveries, whether it's on our planet, or in our bodies, or in space, occur every week. New technology is being made constantly - we're on the horizon of just another slew of world-changing tech, like 3D printing, cloning, augments / bionics, nanotech, VR...

People fail to realize the simple mantra: as above, so below. As society gets far more advanced in some areas, it WILL become worse in other areas. But the worse parts are not the only important parts; it depends on which part you're from that you end up focusing on.

>The rise of nihilism in the 20th century

oh look, white people thinking they created something that existed for thousands of years...again.

There was a mainstream philosophy in Greece that consider suicide a rational option.

Shiva is the most popular God of Hinduism and is about destruction.

>pushed the Western world into a period of hedonistic navel gazing and degeneracy.

Right, because the west didn't mass rape and murder across 4 continents the second they realized they could shoot natives who didn't have guns.

Because the Romans and Greeks weren't known for their orgies and rampant homosexuality.

All this only began with this generation. never before. right.

>the future laid bare by the intellect is one devoid of hope where all life is eventually extinguished.

that's not intellect. that's arrogance. any smart person knows you can barely guess what's gonna happen tomorrow, let alone in billions of years.

>Soon we all will die yet we seem determined to ignore this fact

seems like the opposite. knowing of one's impending death actually triggers more hedonism. people from 18-25 actually fear death more than any other age range, and that is the age range when people are the most hedonistic.

>What will happen next?

literally anything.

>>indulging in mindless drugs and sex is normal

it...is. you think knowing math and how to read makes you somehow less of an animal? it doesn't. your entire cynical view is based on your ego lashing out because it won't live forever. being alive is only desired by the ego, which can't fathom itself beyond the physical form, therefore assumes it's fear of death is rooted in something logical.

>the decline of religious values

religious "values" rise and fall constantly throughout history. they also change constantly. they are in a period of massive change. One huge example of this is birth control preventing STDs and pregnancy, making sex less of a moral issue. sex isn't inherently bad. it just has consequences. that's why religions taught to limit sex to a spouse and brought the community into the whole ordeal. All we need now is education about STDs, pregnancy and birth control. Religions are in transition toward this.

>Decline? There's no decline. We're progressing faster now more than ever before.

there will be a decline. and after that decline, there will be progress again. it's a cycle, not an exponential increase into infinity. we're only human. we have limits.

I think once technological progress stagnates (and it will, we're already capping out things like processing power and battery life), things will decline.

Wow, I knew there was a reason I love Veeky Forums. Nearly every board on this site is filled with dopey fucks who project their dissatisfaction with their personal life on the state of the entire human species.

I appreciate that people here not only argue against this kind of thinking, but openly mock it. Keep being you, Veeky Forums

Rekt

>The heat death of the universe is the reason why people like sex