Trippy Animated Videos, Which Explore Existence and Optimistic Nihilism

Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, is a YouTube channel , which creates animated explainer-videos that explore existentialism from a space of “optimistic nihilism.”

The channel/design studios elaborates on their perspective, by saying:

Kurzgesagt – German for “in a nutshell” is a Munich-based YouTube channel and design studio with a unique perspective on design, color, and storytelling. We engage in information design projects of all kind, but are best known for our distinctive animation videos. We want our work to raise awareness for topics from the fields of science, space, technology, biology, history and philosophy. Our goal is to inspire people to learn – and we believe humor and a good story to tell are just as important as straight facts.

SoURCE: kurzegast.org

The videos are an aesthetic treat, and give you a lot of information to contemplate, sit with, and unpack in your own time (and process). While the concept of “optimistic nihilism” may feel a bit uncomfortable (at first), there’s something strangely liberating in the idea of “nothing matters” as its own philosophical concept.

“Nothing matters”, but at the same time, nothing also matters, because it’s the space between the matter that makes us. I realize this sounds like its own type of platitude, which is fair enough, but there’s a strange comfort in accepting that space between everything and emptiness, and all of the various gradients of life-experience that can fill the void.

Below, we’ve curated six of our favorite (and, useful) videos by Kurzgesagt , which explore Optimistic Nihilism, Conspiracy Theories, What Makes You You, The Origin of Consciousness, String Theory, and The Fermi Paradox.

Take a peek and let us know what you think!