Nietzsche 1383359599
Introduction
Nietzsche was a philosopher who was great influenced by the work of his earlier philosophers. His thoughts had a great impact on the community he lived in and influenced a wide group of people and professionals across the globe. his influence can also be felt today in various arts, music and writings.
One of the greatest influencers of Nietzsche was the Darwin’s theory of evolution which he accepted wholeheartedly. The Darwin theory indicated that survival was for the fittest. In his evolutionary theory of ethics, Nietzsche rejected the absolute systems of morals such as Christianity and substituted them with the principles of what is right to induce social survival. Nietzsche believed in creativity and realities of the world he lived in. He also had a great interest in the works of philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle (Adam, 36). Wagner who was an artist influenced Nietzsche but they broke along the way due to their differences in religious beliefs. Wagner music was revolutionary and his ideologies were articulated by Nietzsche who opposed the account of music and politics in Plato and Aristotle. Plato and Aristotle recommended orderly music to calm the passions, awaken and strengthen reason in the soul. On the other hand Nietzsche felt that music should inflame passions and silence reason. He intended to replace myth for a reason since he believed that myth would help individual experience universality and truth and be able to see to the infinite more clearly (Nathan, 16). Nietzsche used music to give rise through it role in the tragedy which has been a combination of a Dionysian element, the music and an Apollonian element, the drama or story.
Nietzsche read the Die Welt als wille and Vorstellung by Schopenhauer. This made Nietzsche proselyte and he began winning over his friends to the faith and pay homage to their divinity. This led to Nietzsche acceptance of the role of the chair of philology at Bale. His main reason was to infuse Schopenhauerian spirit into philology (Nathan, 21). For Nietzsche, Schopenhauer was a heroic ideal man in the life of thought, a near contemporary thinker who took part in the high and noble “republic of wise men” who allowed free thinking and creativity. Schopenhauers thoughts and ethical pessimism remained in Nietzsche works of philosophy. For example in his work “Birth of tragedy’s” which is a well known dualism between the cosmological or aesthetic principles of Dionysus and Apollo, contesting and complementing each other in the tragic play chaos and order, confusion and individuation, strikes a familiar connection to readers who are well read on Schopenhauer’s description of the world as “will” and “representation” (Nathan, 22).
Schopenhauer’s philosophies that the will to exist and the instinct to protect and preserve life was to be blamed for the unpleasant things of life as well as the good ones. He also indicated that the bad effects of this overrule the good effects. This diverged Nietzsche believes and he believed with Schopenhauer’s that human life at its best was often an infliction and a torture and he admired those who tried to escape from the wear and tear of life (Matthew, 104).
Apollo who was the god of art-of life and Dionysus the god of life itself-drinking, eating and making merry, dancing and roistering, made men acutely conscious of their vitality. The Apollonian gods were a Greek art which Nietzsche applied in his morals and life as well as in art. He even referred to himself as Dionysian (Matthew, 106). According to Plato everything should take pits right place in the cosmic order so that reason is above emotion. Plato ideal state has too much effect on emotion and does not take into consideration art forms such as tragedy and poetry. Aristotle ethics campaigns for a balanced, golden means between two irrational extremes such as cowardice and restlessness. Nietzsche rejects the excessive emphasis of rationalism on controlling and moderating the drives as hostile to life, just like the rationalistic preference for the spirit over the body (Adam, 43). He gives more importance on the role of the passionate Dionysian archaic drive, the motor of all life and creative power. He indicates that Greek tragedy is born from the spirit of Dionysian music. He sees Wagner music as a contemporary example of such compelling art and believes that all great people must give creative form to their life energy.
Nietzsche was influenced to believe that knowledge is the avenue to one’s life development, or the will power. He believed that objective truth does not exist. He believed that human conduct and knowledge are determined instinctively and the human conscious is the instrument through which to control the environment and the principal object for survival (Matthew, 116). Nietzsche does not see human knowledge as the faithful reflection of an external rational and material reality but a construction of human consciousness just like Kant. According to Nietzsche the structures through which the conscious experiences are organized change according to the viewpoint of the observer. This is in relation to the Marx’s relativism and both view knowledge as a changing product of human practices. In Nietzsche stand, some ones perspectives is more aesthetically oriented and knowledge is a highly personal creation which fits with his artistic view of human life (Nathan, 27).
How did this change the thinking of his time
Nietzsche hate for Christianity attracted many young people who felt estranged from their culture. As his writings spread some European radicals, literary aristocrats and misfits styled up and were ready to take up the new values that the age demanded. Nietzsche inspired among many people rapture and devotion. People realized the power and fruitiness of all faculties that are connected with their physical and non-rational nature and critiqued the philosophical self-conceptions on their minds. People replaced God with faith in science and modernity which failed to provide the same kind of meaning (Matthew, 129). Nietzsche called for a spiritual rebirth and an appreciation of earthly lie and nature as represented by the Greek god Dionysus.
His influence
Nietzsche has inspired many figures across all walks of life in the world. They include poets, novelists, psychologists, painters, philosophers, sociologists, dancers and many more. His doctrines have an influence across various diverse backgrounds and levels of cultural life (Adam, 36). He has been a key figure in the development of political science and sociology, histories of anthropology and psychology.
Nietzsche had a vast influence on the Nazi’s. Nazis drew a biological interpretation of Nietzsche’s “will to power” parallel to social Darwinism which is also known as survival for the fittest (Nathan, 30). This is whereby the sound animals live to rule out the weaker ones. The Nazi’s applied this theory to their everyday life to fit their brutal ideals of overpowering mongrel races and the undesirables hence the resultant name social Darwinism. There were also influenced by the will to power to justify their territorial quest and their will for power to take full control of the neighboring countries (Nathan, 40). Nietzsche had used the will to power to explain human behavior, which is the driving force of man, ambition for achievement, and having a higher position in life. In his context the terms could be considered in terms of knowledge, nature, society, and as an art.
Nietzsche notion of “overman” influenced Georg Brandes who developed a philosophy called aristocratic relativism. Nietzsche insisted that the decay of religion require that humanity take responsibility of setting their own rules, regulations and moral standards. Paul Tillich theologian developed existentialist, which was a individual directed theology which tried to rescue the fundamentals of traditional convictions which are portrayed in rationalism his constant use of Nietzsche’s catch phrase is the reminder of how much he owes to him. Other theologians used Nietzsche’s thoughts as well such as embracing human values which are not based on denial but on affirmation (Matthew, 134). Psychologists such as Alfred Adler, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud claimed that Nietzsche had a clear understanding of himself than any other man who has ever existed. Novelists such as Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, Andre Malraux and poets and playwrights George Bernard Shaw, Rainer Maria Rilke and many other have borrowed much from Nietzsche.
In conclusion, Nietzsche philosophy has attracted a great deal of interest, discussion and excitement. However, there remains a vital component as regards his position of truth. He has been associated with political rights, attack on Christianity. Nietzsche has demonstrated that there are no facts and no truths, but only unconscious interpretations of differences in perspectives as regards to the reality in the world. He attacked the conventional opinion of his day because these opinions served as barriers to a fuller and richer human experience.
References
Adam, A. K. M.. What Nietzsche Really Said. Anglican Theological Review. 2000, 83(2):34-78
Matthew Rampley,. Nietzsche and ” Architecture of Our Minds”. An Art Bulletin. 2004, 82(4):103-189
Nathan Devir, P. Apolloand Dionysus or Heraclitus/Anaxagoras A Hermeneutic Inquiry into Nietzsche’s View of Tragedy. Papers on Language & Literature, 2010, Vol. 46, No. 1:12-45
