Abstract This article traces the evolution of Dariush Shayegan’s (1935–2018) conception of nihilism across three distinct phases of his thought. It argues that Shayegan’s work offers a crucial, non-Western perspective on nihilism, framing it not merely as a philosophical problem but as a central facet of Iran’s experience with modernity. In his early phase, influenced by Ahmad Fardid, he identified nihilism ( Nistengāri ) as a spiritual malady endemic to the West, which he contrasted with the perceived spiritual integrity of Eastern traditions. The 1979 Revolution precipitated a second phase, wherein Shayegan, deeply influenced by his mentor Henry Corbin, diagnosed nihilism as an internalized “disease” manifesting as the “ideologization of tradition” and a collective “schizophrenia.” His final phase, marked by a reading of Heidegger and Vattimo, moved from attempts to transcend nihilism towards its Verwindung (incorporation or recovery), finding in the poetry of Omar Khayyām a model for embracing a “pregnant nothingness” and affirming the present moment. Through this trajectory, Shayegan’s thought demonstrates how the Iranian intellectual tradition actively engaged with and transformed the concept of nihilism, contributing a unique intercultural response to a global philosophical concern.
Mohammad Mahdi Fallah (Wed,) studied this question.