This paper seeks to explore his life and thoughts to support discussions on his themes and relevancy to modernity.
Any comments are always welcome as it is intended as a future discussion paper.
Frederick Nietzsche was a highly regarded German philosopher and cultural critic impacting the late 19th and the 20th century.
His influence continues given the large number of books and different opinions that continue to impact on western philosophy and culture.
His overarching position for the western world was that the scientific age would result in a loss of religious faith.
Already he saw ominous signs which led him to prophesize future chaos and conflict on a massive scale. According to Nietzsche, that was analogous to the death of GOD. By way of example there would be no need for one to consult the Bible or its interpreters to tell you what to do as the realization sunk in you were free to decide of your own volition.
Nietzsche foresaw, as the army of non-believers grew, nothing existed to fill the gap and the inevitable descent into nihilism- the absence of any defining values. The values that permeated every facet of western cultural system over many centuries must collapse under the weight of an ever increasing loss of faith in GOD as it took hold.
He was not only a pessimist but optimistically saw an emergent higher valued culture would arise ultimately from the ashes of destruction. Those values- beyond good and evil are represented in the doctrines and his works culminating in the visionary overman.
He did not live long enough to quantify properly what exactly these transvalues as he calls them, would be, but we have plenty of clues along the way. Most of his narratives are tied up with tearing down the old idols, ideas and philosophies so that practically nothing is spared.
He draws a parallel in the diversity and abundance in nature to equally apply generously to humanity. The underlying theme he proposes is to accept diversity just as we see in nature, as free spirits. According to Nietzsche religion has become corrupted and decadent - to propose humility only so one might be exalted, to loathe the body, to engage unnecessarily in an unhealthy collective guilt and to exasperate suffering.
He sees Christ as a free spirit, speaking in parables in a vain effort in order to be understood, whilst rejecting the prior idols and controlling institutions. He was the only true Christian but he was killed – but what has followed on is decadence. This decadence impinges on the more noble form of existence, resplendent in contrast to his so-called overman –the superman- the vision of what in the future humanity can become.
The contrast seems clear enough that Nietzsche was against any form of utilitarianism applying to today’s institutions, aimed at serving a common good. Increasingly in modernity in determining what is good or bad we seek to determine the consequences beforehand to achieve the best possible outcome.
Nietzsche on the other hand wants to return to antiquity and the free spirits of the Homeric Greeks. This is the old world of appeal because it relies on instinctiveness and an inherent freedom, of inner lights and life affirmation to exemplify the joyful here and now. It encompasses aristocratic ideals that are not subject to the mediocrity of democratic governance.
However the question arises as to how practical is it to rely on the noble spirit and instinctiveness?
By instinctiveness Nietzsche
doesn’t use the word as in nature. Rather, that which makes us human and allows us to intuitively avoid becoming slaves within one ideology. For Nietzsche personally there was also a crisis in his faith as he believed all religions were unable to provide the truth. That truth he believed was that it is the responsibility of humanity who must discern for themselves what is true and good. The point is of course that Nietzsche does not pinpoint any system of governance he envisages other than the vision of the overman and his accompanying works.
One did not have long to wait after his death in 1900 for his prophecy to be realised, given the mass slaughter of the First World War. But the question now is how much can be fairly attributed to his reasons?
Remarkably his vibrant style was in marked contrast to the poor state of his health which was to be an affliction for all of his life. He experienced firsthand the terrible brutality of war as a 25-year-old hospital attendant in 1870 in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). He cared for traumatically affected or wounded soldiers to then contact diphtheria and dysentery.
During his life, pain would increasingly become his constant companion and subsequently the total of his productive work was only to span 20 years up until the point of his complete mental breakdown in 1889. He never recovered and died in 1900. Ironically it was only during the later period of his mental incapacity that his works began to flourish.
However, his work was also subsequently misinterpreted or corrupted by his sister Elizabeth in support of the Nazi party of which she was a member. Certainly in his work it is a straightforward matter that he specifically is against any form of racialism as we would use the word in the more negative modern context. Rather Nietzsche sees diversity and strength in the Jewish perspectives and any ideas inherent in the nationalism integral to the Nazi party would have been abhorrent to him.
These thoughts and others such as his doctrine of eternal recurrence and the will to power will be explained more fully in the ensuing narrative to support what I envisage can be interesting discussion.
Upbringing and early influences
To better appreciate Nietzsche’s perspective I think it is useful to delve into his upbringing and early development. He was born in 1844 in the small Prussian town of Rocked, in Germany, the son of a Lutheran pastor who died when he was only 5 years of age. The family then moved to Naumburg where he grew up with his mother, sister and two maiden aunts. He was regarded as a talented pupil known to his friends as the little pastor.
Both Nietzsche grandfathers and his uncle were Lutheran ministers, as was his paternal grandfather, Friedrich August Ludwig Nietzsche (1756–1826) - a distinguished Protestant scholar.
Nietzsche commenced his primary education at a boy’s school to progress to a private institution, at Pforta in Naumburg.
Later on he was admitted to the prestigious boarding school, Schulpforta in recognition of his accomplishments in music and language. During this period from 1858 to 1864, he undertook studies in ancient Greek, Roman literature and composed poems and music. After graduation he enrolled in Bonn University in 1864 as first a theology student but dropped out after the first semester to switch to philology.
Inspired by Arthur Schopenhauer in 1865, Nietzsche was enthused to then study philosophy, and read all of his works and studied others such as Kant’s -anti- materialistic theories.
The following year he enrolled at the University of Leipzig, to follow his favourite professor Friedrich Ritschl. The Professor was highly impressed by Nietzsche and published his essays in academic journals. Nietzsche was subsequently offered a position as a Professor of Greek Languages and Literature at the University of Basel in Switzerland. During that time he had avoided the 3 years mandatory military service in the Prussian army due to an exemption to continue his academic studies. This allowed him to opt instead for one year’s voluntary service. However, this involvement was cut short by a severe accident whilst attempting to leap-mount into the saddle of a horse. He incurred a serious chest injury which meant he was placed on sick leave as his wound refused to heal.
Returning to the University of Leipzig he met the composer Richard Wagner (1813–1883), to whom he admired and they developed a close friendship and he frequently visited him in his home in Switzerland.
There he met Hermann Brockhaus (1806–1877), who was married to Wagner’s sister. Brockhaus was an authority on Sanskrit and the Zoroastrian religion, whose prophet was Zarathustra (Zoroaster).
The meeting with Brockhaus was to ignite Nietzsche interest in the Zoroastrian religion and paved the way for his later works – ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra ‘(1882- 1885).
University Life at Basel
Nietzsche was only 24 years of age when he took up his professorship at Basel and was yet to complete his doctorate. He admired both Ricard Wagner and similarly continued to enthusiastically support Schopenhauer’s
Philosophy. His first major published work, the ‘Birth of Tragedy’ in 1872, brought high praise from Wagner, but harsh criticism from academia. In this work Nietzsche examines artistic creation as being dependent on the tension between the “Apollonian” and the “Dionysian” forces. Those forces are respectively the Greek GOD of light and reasons and the GOD of wine and music.
In this work Nietzsche favours Dionysus to be an uplifting alternative to religion, which he contends focus excessively on heaven. Nietzsche’s “Dionysian” energy, which he favours, dates back to the pre Socratic ancient Greek culture which he regards as a more creative and a far healthier force. He feels this dynamic element of Dionysian influence has lost ground to the “Apollonian” forces of light and reason.
But the flowery language, concepts and historical inaccuracies did not sit well with those who were considered authoritative Philologists. The fierce criticism severely dented his reputation to the extent there was a reduction in the student enrolments in his classes. Much later on Nietzsche himself attempts self-criticism as he notes the work bore the fruits of his adolescence.
In his later work we see him become more of an “Apollonian” who relies increasingly on the forces of light and reason.
Towards the end of his university tenure Nietzsche began to write Human, All-Too-Human (1878)—which turned out to be a pivotal moment which served to end his friendship with the anti-sematic Wagner following his attack on his artistry. For the remainder of his time Nietzsche was a highly respected figure at Basel, until his resignation in June, 1879, aged only 34, due to his deteriorating health, evident in worsening migraine headaches, eyesight problems, depression and severe stomach complaints.
He had been a university professor for only ten years, and as it turns out had only another ten years of productive life left.
Later major work and style
After his early retirement Nietzsche published Human only to Human (1878-1880), The Dawn of Day ((1881) The Gay Science (1882), Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1882- 1885), Beyond Good and Evil (1886) Genealogy of Morals (1887) and Twilight of the Idols (1889).
Nietzsche style for most of this latter work uses aphorisms as a means to mount a critique of conventional philosophical wisdom and to write in such a manner to appeal to the widest possible audience. Although there are critiques of his work who argue it is a never ending narrative of disjointed or disorganised aphorisms, Scholars Solomon and Higgins ( What Nietzsche Really said – argue on pages 49- 50) such a style ensures his work is more easily digestible- freed from the chains of metaphysical forms of thinking that Nietzsche despised.Nietzsche’s use of the aphorism builds during his works to demonstrate his perspective, to facilitate a logical progression.
His continued poor physical health led him Nietzsche’s use of the aphorism builds during his works to demonstrate his perspective, to facilitate a logical progression. His poor physical health led him in his quest for spiritual health - in what he describes as a constant state of becoming which sustains him. Possibly this is why he sees no room for compassion. But the question arises si this a valid point ?
A brief summary of most of his works is as follows:
Human only Too Human
This marks Nietzsche's first lengthy contribution to literature, since as his previous works comprise only philological treatises. Nietzsche, in this work addresses his concerns of the ensuing crisis he sees for mankind that I talked about in the introduction.
You read the complete book which is available free of charge online. Click here
The Dawn of Day
The title might represent Nietzsche's work when he principally is no longer under the influence of Schopenhauer or Wagner. It is a critique of morality and suggests the need for a “revaluation of all values.” Nietzsche talks about the problems associated with Christianity and that it is power which principally underpins human behaviour.
You read the complete book which is available free of charge online. Click here
Gay Science
This work represents a polemic against rationality as he favours the instinctive approach I talked about in the introduction. That is in the sense of an intuitive style to embrace vitality, artistry and visions that take humanity out of its present state of enslavement. Nietzsche detests any authoritative set of values and champions the idea of the free spirit.
It is in ‘The Gay Science, that Nietzsche declares God is dead.
He is the first philosopher to talk about the death of GOD, which means ( according to Nietzsche) that as people give up the idea of understanding GOD and that reading the bible will tell you what to do, religion will lose its grip on the culture. There are some people who will continue to believe but fewer into the future.
The purpose of this provocative statement is to unshackle thinking from enslavement to religion that he asserts incorrectly attributes man as flawed and assigns to him false virtues that risk exasperating human suffering.
He introduces the idea of eternal recurrence—a doctrine that speaks to the various perspectives of how people of differing circumstances would react to the prospect of continual re birth in a replay of prior existence exactly as before to encompass all prior pleasure and pain.
One cannot be sure whether he intended doctrine is a testing of a desirable psychological strength – as in the love of fate to stoically face life with gusto or whether he intended it as a serious metaphysical theory. The doctrine is also talked about in ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra’ to follow.
Even so the topic warrants the further detailed separate explanatory paper, which is now available on my drop box. It will invite plenty of interesting points for discussion. Let me know if you would like to have access.
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
Plot Summary
Zarathustra from high in the mountains descends from 10 years of solitude, now in a ready state of wisdom to teach humanity about the overman. At the town of Motley Cow he explains the meaning of life – the overman (superman) is one who is free from all prejudicial concepts or moralities - who thereby creates his own values and a purposeful life.
The people are bewildered by Zarathustra and have no interest in the overman. But there is one exception who is the tightrope walker. But he falls and dies. Zarathustra decides it is best to try to convert the few individuals who are willing to stand out from the crowd. He explains to these few who are willing to come forward the doctrine of eternal recurrence which means all events will repeat themselves again and again eternally. None of the followers fully attain the position of the overman, although they grow in stature. But they all enjoy a feast and a joyful songful exchange with Zarathustra. They joyfully embrace the idea of eternal recurrence. For all joy wants deep eternity.
Here we see how Nietzsche, in an unusual parable-like style, sees meaning in the existential struggle as the road taken by the overman is one demanding an immense amount of sacrifice. His depiction of this struggle is analogous of the overman symbolically scaling mountains, whilst remaining hearty, full of laughter and gaiety- to exemplify the free spirit of the overman. This is his answer to the looming chaos facing the western culture as he sees it, but is it too vague a notion to really take hold? Do we see elements of his ideas in modernity? Do we need something more definite such as an unconditional commitment to a cause or GOD as was suggested by Kierkegaard?
Beyond Good and Evil (1886)
This is ambitious work that tempts to discern what is true and good. The crux of his analysis is to distinguish between truth as in scientific truth) and value which he links to the will- by will we mean the faculty of the mind. He criticises philosophers who are reliant upon “self-consciousness, “and “free will. Rather, he takes us beyond the concepts of good and evil and introduces us to the notion of the will to power, as a psychologically derived drive from all of the other existential drivers we experience through the senses to constitute one's overarching will.
In a nutshell Nietzsche proposes the concepts of good and evil are not the opposing forces as one might think of them. Rather, he proposes there is only the will to power that is the driving force to our existence and enables one to discern what is true and good. When we understand this factor it will allow not to be judgmental but to aspire paradoxically to a higher morality.
Twilight of the Idols, or How One Philosophizes with a Hammer-1888
Nietzsche revisits prior criticisms of Socrates, Plato, Kant and Christianity and German culture. He again contrasts their alleged cultural decadence and reaffirms his positivism to Thucydides and the Sophists. The phrase “to philosophize with a hammer” appears in his work and invites his audience to test the idols of the past to allegorically tap on them- “sounds them out” so to speak to determine if they are hollow, just as a physician would use the percussion hammer.
You read the complete book which is available free of charge online. Click here
‘Death Knell’ - On the morning of January 3, 1889, while in Turin, Nietzsche experienced a mental breakdown which left him an invalid for the rest of his life.
Conclusion
Despite suffering terribly throughout his life, his prodigious work provides a testament to his own will, to leave to us a legacy of immense material to ponder, about which continues to be subject to countless interpretations. I have attempted to shed some light on such thoughts, not least being Nietzsche’s hope that as free spirits one can be unbounded by the shackles of dogmatism to embrace hardships in a constant state of becoming as part of that circle of eternal recurrence.
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