Structural Pessimism on Human Existence Belief, Agency, Language, and Humans as a Species

Abstract The starting point of this paper is simple: Nihilism is not a consequence of human thought, but a presupposed condition. It is not that humans became nihilistic because the world lacks meaning. Meaning was absent from the beginning, and humans, unable to bear this void, have invented religion, morality, belief, ideals, and success narratives. Therefore, nihilism is not a pathological state but a normal one; rather, it is the compulsive attitude of generating meaning that is abnormal. This essay does not define humans as "failed beings" or "residual processes." Humans occupy an even lower position than that. Structurally, humans are a species capable of understanding themselves yet unable to bear that understanding. Through analyzing belief as structural fanaticism, negating human agency, examining language as a tool of impoverishment, and questioning the grounds for human superiority, this paper argues that fundamental pessimism about humans is not emotion but structural judgment—the minimum honesty about humans as a species.