Full Idea
The 'nihilist' view is that no genuine distinction can be vaguely drawn; since vague expressions are not properly meaningful, there is nothing for sorites reasoning to betray; they are empty.
Gist of Idea
The 'nihilist' view of vagueness says that 'heap' is not a legitimate concept
Source
Timothy Williamson (Vagueness [1994], 6.1)
A Reaction
He cites Frege as holding this view. The thought is that 'heap' is not a legitimate concept, so fussing over what qualifies as one is pointless. This seems to be a semantic view of vagueness, of which the main rival is the contextual view.
Book Reference
Williamson,Timothy: 'Vagueness' [Routledge 1996], p.165
Related Idea
Idea 21618 If the vague 'TW is thin' says nothing, what does 'TW is thin if his perfect twin is thin' say? [Williamson]