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... has branded Cornel West “the preeminent African-American
intellectual of our generation”, comparing him to the great W. ... He elucidates the “African-American experience” for white Americans, conveys democratic beliefs to South Africans, and even relays religious insight to secularists. ... He speaks intelligibly of racial reasoning, nihilism, black leadership, black sexuality, black-jewish relationships, and even Malcolm X. It seems, however, that he is most impassioned about nihilism, to which he devotes the introduction and the first chapter.
West opens by saying that before one can critically analyze the problems facing race in America, one has to acknowledge the flaws of American society, which are rooted
in inequalities and stereotypes that are historic. ...
He explicitly states that nihilism is to be interpreted “not as a philosophical doctrine that there are no rational grounds for legitimate standards or authority; it is, far more, the lived experience of coping with a life of horrifying meaningless, hopelessness, and (most important) lovelessness”. Nihilism, in another light, can also be defined as the belief that all values are groundless and that nothing can be known or communicated. ... Also, nihilism rejects the belief in final purpose, and notes that the universe is developed on structured events and that everything is ordered towards a concluding definite revelation- this is called teleology.
Approximate Word count = 942
Approximate Pages = 3.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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