Nihilizm fəlsəfəsinin xüsusiyyətləri və onun ədəbi əsərlərdə izləri

The nineteenth century can be characterized as an age of integration, marked by the interaction and convergence of scientific disciplines as well as geographical and cultural spheres. The close relationship between philosophy and the creative arts became especially visible in this period through the impact of nihilism—a philosophical doctrine that rejects divine authority—on literary thought. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, the most prominent representative of this doctrine, systematically articulated the philosophy of nihilism in Thus Spoke Zarathustra and The Will to Power through three principal ideas: the will to power, the death of God, and the concept of the Übermensch. In literature, this “ism” appears most explicitly in Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev’s 1862 novel Fathers and Sons. In this work, the character of Bazarov is presented not through implicit symbolism but directly and explicitly as a nihilist, in accordance with Western theoretical and aesthetic principles. Nevertheless, Bazarov’s nihilism differs essentially from Nietzschean nihilism. Although, like Nietzsche, Bazarov rejects established values and seeks to demonstrate the meaninglessness of religious and moral principles, unlike Nietzsche he offers no alternative system of values. His position is therefore grounded primarily in negation and can be characterized as a form of social nihilism. At the end of the novel, Bazarov’s surrender to human emotions, particularly love, and his subsequent death reveal Turgenev’s critical attitude toward nihilism. Through this conclusion, the author demonstrates that a worldview based solely on negation cannot be reconciled with the realities of life. In this respect, Turgenev’s model of nihilism appears more realistic and more closely connected to lived human experience than Nietzsche’s philosophical nihilism. In this study, Nietzsche’s name is rendered as “Nitsşe” in accordance with its Azerbaijani Turkish transliteration.