The Dangerous Rise of Nihilism in American Politics

Experts warn that growing frustration with institutions is mutating into a corrosive nihilism that rejects reason and promotes destruction.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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A new wave of nihilistic thinking is spreading through American politics, fueled by influencers and politicians who profit by convincing audiences that the system is rigged and violence is the only solution. This belief that nothing can be done and that burning everything down is the only choice is one of the most dangerous cons of our time, according to experts.

Why it matters

The growing sense of frustration with major institutions, political corruption, and economic uncertainty has led to a rise in nihilistic thinking that rejects reason, discourages effort, and could have severe political consequences like radicalization and violence. Experts warn that this mindset prevents solutions and ultimately leads to personal and national self-destruction.

The details

The nihilistic worldview is built on the lie that America's problems are unsolvable, that personal struggles are the result of an all-encompassing evil system controlled by shadowy elites, and that success is impossible without "piercing the matrix." This mindset has led to a rise in incoherence, radicalization, and young Americans searching for meaning at the edges of society, sometimes with violent results.

  • On Monday, Washington Post reporter Peter Whoriskey described a troubling pattern behind a series of recent attacks.

The players

Peter Whoriskey

A Washington Post reporter who described a troubling pattern behind a series of recent attacks.

Karl Popper

A philosopher who argued that as belief in divine forces faded, people replaced gods with sinister elites - imagined groups blamed for every social ill.

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What they’re saying

“Amid a wave of high-profile killings and political violence in the United States, investigators have been confounded regularly by the absence of a recognizable agenda. ... They were not Democrat or Republican, or Islamist militant, or antifa or white supremacist.”

— Peter Whoriskey, Washington Post reporter (The Washington Post)

“They were something new. In their manifestos, these attackers declared their contempt for humanity and a desire to see the collapse of civilization. Law enforcement officers and federal prosecutors have begun to describe these attacks as a contemporary strain of nihilism, an online revival of the philosophical stance that arose in the 19th century to deny the existence of moral truths and meaning in the universe.”

— Peter Whoriskey, Washington Post reporter (The Washington Post)

The takeaway

The growing nihilism in American politics is a dangerous con being actively cultivated by influencers and politicians who profit by convincing audiences that the system is rigged and violence is the only solution. This mindset prevents real solutions and could lead to further radicalization and self-destruction if left unchecked.