Heidegger on the Connection between Nihilism, Technology, Art, and Politics (1992)
Dreyfus defines nihilism as the leveling of all meaningful differences, as a result of which existence no longer has inherent meaning. Human existence loses its goal or direction, and thus nothing can have authority for us, make a claim on us, or demand a commitment from us. Dreyfus follows Heidegger in arguing that modern nihilism is ultimately rooted in background practices that subject everything—including our moral knowledge—to detached reflection. We rightly celebrate our ability to get everything clear and under control—an ability fostered by foreground practices as diverse as power stations, the fast food industry, and global information technologies. But these practices for the total organization of the world depend on our background practices revealing everything as a resource to be optimized and controlled.