APRIL 27 — We usually explain crime in familiar ways such as poverty, opportunity, peer pressure. But there is a deeper issue we are not talking about enough: what happens when people stop believing that anything matters.
This is where nihilism becomes important.
Nihilism is not just a philosophical idea. It reflects a condition where meaning, value, and moral limits begin to fade. When people no longer see life as valuable or rules as binding, the internal barriers that prevent harm weaken. Crime does not just become easier to commit; it becomes easier to justify.
We are already seeing this in practice. In scams, victims are reduced to numbers. Retirees losing their life savings to phone scams, or young Malaysians recruited as “account mules”, moving illicit funds without fully understanding the consequences. The harm is real, but for the offender, it feels distant and impersonal. In violent crimes, the level of harm often goes far beyond what the situation calls for. For example, snatch thefts that escalate into serious injury or death, road rage incidents turning fatal over minor disagreements, or assaults where the violence continues even after the victim is no longer a threat.
These are not always calculated acts; they often reflect a deeper detachment from the value of human life. In some cases of extremism, violence is not only strategic but also expressive. The Christchurch mosque shootings, for example, were carried out in a highly performative way, livestreamed to maximise visibility and impact, suggesting a desire not just to achieve an ideological goal, but to assert presence and significance in a way that forces the world to pay attention.
This is not about offenders consciously embracing nihilism. It is about a gradual shift. Disconnection, frustration, and loss of purpose can slowly erode how individuals see consequences, responsibility, and even other people. By the time crime occurs, the damage has already been done.
For the Royal Malaysia Police, this raises a critical challenge. Policing cannot rely only on reacting to offences or identifying clear threats. The real issue often begins earlier with disengagement, indifference, and a growing detachment from social norms.
The digital environment makes this worse. Violence, fraud, and exploitation are constantly visible online. Over time, this normalises harm and dulls emotional response. The line between watching and doing becomes thinner.
At the same time, some individuals turn to crime not because they believe in something, but because they believe in nothing. Offending becomes a way to assert control, visibility, or even existence. This is why some crimes feel senseless: they are not driven by gain alone, but by disconnection.
The law plays its role by drawing firm boundaries. Courts make it clear that responsibility does not disappear simply because someone feels detached or lost. But law operates after harm has occurred.
If nihilism is part of the pathway to crime, then prevention must go deeper. It must address meaning, belonging, and connection, not just behaviour.
Because when nothing matters, crime is no longer a big step. It becomes a small one.
* The author is a Criminologist and Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Universiti Malaya, and may be reached at [email protected]
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
