by Derek Allison

Created on: January 10, 2007   Last Updated: March 06, 2010

Nihilism as a philosophical position is the view that the world, and especially human existence, is without meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential value. It is often associated with extreme pessimism and a radical scepticism that condemns existence. A true nihilist would believe in nothing, have no loyalties, and no purpose other than, perhaps, an impulse to destroy. He would be defeatist or fatalistic. He would be characterised by a strong desire for wealth and material possessions with little interest in ethical or spiritual matters. From a nihilist point of view, the ultimate source of moral values is the individual. He would reject all systems of morality, authority, and social custom and would actively fight against them. Nihilism is most often associated with Friedrich Nietzsche who defined the term as any philosophy that, rejecting the real world around us and physical existence along with it, results in apathy toward life and a poisoning of the human soul .

The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer is a post-modern novel which assumes a nihilistic outlook regarding the nature of existence. It is essentially a crime novel which includes important elements of autobiography and philosophy. The narrative follows the felonious relationship between a washed-up, middle-aged English philosopher and a one-armed, one-legged, one-eyed and wholly psychotic gangster who embark upon a brief but celebrated career as the eponymous "Thought Gang".

Applying philosophy to larceny, these unlikely bandits question the meaning of life, the value of money, and the absurdity of authority as they travel through the South of France, eluding capture through mere coincidence, luck, and the stupidity of the police force. The central conceit is the comic aptness of this manic conjunction of philosophy and bank robbery. The formal achievement of the work is to sustain an atmosphere of comic fraudulence within a structure that consistently implies a systematic and intellectual order while being concerned with nihilistic issues such as mortality, ethics, materialism, and the meaning of our existence.

Our protagonist, Eddie Coffin, is a man who is not only addicted to alcohol but also has an unhealthy appetite for money. He admits that he has always had an "affinity with money" and does not deny that money is the most important thing in his life . He questions those who do not share his love . He believes that those without money have no power.

His desire for money leads him to

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