Friedrich Nietzsche 18441900

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Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

• The ammoralist
• His life living dangerously
• His impact master of suspicion
• His mission revaluation of all values two major
  sources of the sickness of the Western
  civilization teleological metanarratives
  (metaphysical dualism) and modern morality.
• How to read Nietzsche? Nietzsche-as-read-by-x-on-o
  ccasion-y?

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1. The Death of God and Nihilism

• A. History of An Error (Twilight of Idols)
• Discussion
• Why does Nietzsche so virulently attack Socrates?
  Of what does he accuse him? Of what does he see
  him as a symptom? What do you take to be
  Nietzsche's overall attitude toward
  Socrates-contempt or, perhaps, envy?
• What hollow idols (metaphysical dualism) does
  Nietzsche refer to? What is wrong with them?
• What is so-called history of an error? (EBW
  178-9, 180-1)
• Explains I am afraid that were not rid of God
  because we still believe in grammar. (EBW 179)

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• Basic themes of Twilight of Idols
• To overcome metaphysical dualism.
• Identify hallow idols (reality, causation, free
  will, ego, etc.) central to Western thought.
• A story about how we in the West became who we
  are.
• Attack on Socrates
• Attack on reason and metaphysical dualism (GS,
  sects. 110-112)

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B. The Teleological Metanarrative (The Gay
Science, sects. 1, 54, 109, 346)

• Discussion
• What is sick philosophy and what is healthy
  philosophy for Nietzsche? What kind of attitude
  of each philosophy has toward life?
• What is so-called teleological metanarrative?
  Could you identify a few forms of such
  metanarratives?
• Any connection between teleological
  metanarrratives and metaphysical dualism?
• Do you see Nietzsches evolutionary thinking in
  action? Illustrate.

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• Metaphysical dualism promotes teleological
  metanarrative an underlying teleology or
  purposiveness runs through Western history.
• It assumes the existence of absolutes, the
  objective and transcendent values.
• Socratic Dialectic Reason
• Metaphysical Dualism
• Teleological Metanarrative (cosmic purpose)
• The Existence of the Absolutes
• (God / truth / values )

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C. God is dead (GS, 108, 125, 343)

• Discussion
• Analyze Nietzsches claim that Go is dead, and
  God remain dead? What is God, Who has killed
  God?
• What are consequences of the death of God? Any
  impact on teleological metanarratives?
• What should we live after the death of God? Is a
  negative, reactive nihilism (complete disbelief
  in all values) a viable way out?

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• There are no longer any absolutes (they are all
  social constructions invented by people to
  satisfy their craving for metaphysical
  comfort.)
• It makes the teleological metanarrative lose its
  power and switches our focus from the
  other-worldly to the this-worldly.
• Three possible outcomes after God is dead (a
  feeling of weightlessness and free fall).
• Little mans self-deception
• A life-negating, reactive form of nihilism.
• A creative, active, life-affirmative nihilism
  (nihilation of nihilism.)
• The death of God leads to the birth of man, not
  the death of man (the soul). (EBW 149)

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• D. Perspectivism (GS, 57, 109, 121, 344, 348,
  373, 374)
• Discussion
• What is the point made in sections 57-58?
• Is science a new faith or even a new God (a
  shadow of God) after the death of God? (sect.
  344)?
• In what sense is will to truth is will to
  death? (Socrates philosophy is practicing
  death). (sect. 344)
• Why a scientific interpretation of the world
  could consequently still be one of the stupidest,
  that is, poorest in meaning, of all possible
  interpretations of the world? (sect. 373)
• What is the message from section 374?

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• All our knowledge of the world and ourselves is
  gleaned through one or another perspective, a
  particular point of view.
• Basic Assumptions
• Naturalism the mind as part of the world (GS,
  57) and the mind as the mirror of the world no
  Gods-Eye View as an external viewpoint (a
  series of mirrors metaphor).
• Perspective a conceptual map of the world is
  called an interpretation of the world (a
  self-interpretation) or a perspective (an
  internal perspective).

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• There is no "objectivity" as such, no "facts," no
  unbiased point of view. Even science is only one
  perspective of the the world (GS, 344, 373).
• The Will to truth is a will to death (GS 344)
• Will to truth (unconditional faith)
• appearance / reality other world will
  to death.
• Peoples interpretation of the world will very
  depending on what they desire and their value
  orientation. (GS 373)
• Ideally, we should try to appreciate as many
  perspectives as possible. (GS 374)
• Perspectivism is not subjectivism (since
  subjectivism is self-defeating), but is rather
  pluralism.
• Objectivity for Nietzsche is the coordination
  of all perspectives, the realization that the
  world has no outside.

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• E. Nietzsches epistemological nihilism (the Gay
  Science, sects. 109, 343, 382)
• Discussion
• Was Nietzsche a nihilist? If not, why did he
  reject conventional morality and religion? What
  values did he believe in?
• Describe Nietzsche's brand of epistemological
  nihilism. Does he believe that there is
  ultimately no truth of the matter and that we are
  simply the kind of creatures who need to believe
  that there is? Does he believe that there is a
  truth of the matter but that we simply cannot
  know it? Or does he believe that the whole
  question is simply beside the point and that we
  debase ourselves by searching for it?

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• Epistemological nihilism many traditional
  epistemological distinctions are illusions and
  should be given up.
• The values we hold are themselves nihilistic,
  self-undermining (the highest values devaluing
  themselves.)
• Against the life-negating, reactive form of
  nihilism, the negative attitude toward the
  present and current life.
• The ultimate value is life itself. Dionysian
  naturalism say YES to your life.

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2. The Ammoralist / Non-moralist

• A. Nietzsche at war with morality
• The necessity of reevaluation of morality (GS,
  345 BGE, 186) recall his mission is to
  revaluation of all values by identifying two
  major sources of the sickness of the Western
  civilization
• teleological metanarratives (metaphysical
  dualism)
• modern morality.
• Question
• In what sense is Nietzsche an immoralist? What
  kind of morality does Nietzsche oppose? (BGE 226)

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• A few distinctions
• Morality as obligation / rational morality
  (deontological approach Kants categorical
  imperatives / universalization OR
  consequentialism utilitarianism) vs. morality as
  virtues.
• Moral absolutism / ethical institutionism (moral
  facts) vs. moral pluralism / ethical naturalism
  (value judgments)
• Slave vs. master morality
• The ethical vs. the moral (BGE 32)
• The ethical (morality in a wider sense) any
  internalized code of conduct or system of values
  that constrains behaviors in relation to other
  people counts as a morality (such a code of honor
  by thieves).
• The moral (morality in a narrower sense)
  established morality is only one of the
  possibilities for ethical life.

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• Judeo-Christian morality
• rational morality moral absolutism slave
  morality
• Answers
• By morality Nietzsche refers to the current
  Christian morality or any other modern forms of
  morality (a disguised Christian morality)
• Nietzsche does not oppose morality as such, but
  rather a kind of morality, namely, modern /
  Christian morality.
• It is beyond good and evil (slave morality),
  not beyond good and bad (the master morality)
  (GM-I, 17).
• To revalue all the established morality in order
  to establish a noble, life-affirming morality for
  the free spirits (the overman). (GS 335, 345)

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• Against rationalization of morality (BGE 186,
  198 GM, preface 6 GS 345)
• Humans are constantly tempted to moralize
  (rationalize?) morality, to find a rational
  ground for morality itself. For Nietzsche, the
  attempt is impossible and dangerous.
• Nietzsches problem of morality
• To explain the existence of many different
  moralities (moral pluralism) in society and
  history
• To revaluate all traditional moral values in
  terms of a naturalistic study of the origin of
  morality
• To redefine some basic moral concepts, such as
  the notions of good and evil (meta-ethics
  issues).

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• Christian/modern morality and its problems
  (BGE 46-47, 61-62, 188 GM-I, 13-15)
• Other-worldly and nihilistic. (BGE 46, 47)
• Rational morality (Kant) morality as obligation
  (GS, 335). For N, to legislate meant to legislate
  for oneself. N adopts morality as virtue (GS,
  345).
• Lead to cruelty, hypocrisy (universal love and
  respect?) (BGE, 55)
• Split between ones own interests and the
  universal principles, between the pleasure and
  duty, and between selfishism and altruism (Gay
  Science, 345).
• Moral absolutism, but values are creation of
  humans.
• Spent too much energy to judge other people but
  you should only judge yourself according to
  whether or not you are the character you are and
  can be (GS, 335).
• As herd animal morality (GS, 116, 354), but
  morality should be created by great individuals
  who constantly reinvent human excellence (BGE
  56, 199-202, 224, 226).

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• Conclusion
• A new understanding of what evaluation is, a new
  way of looking at the phenomenon of morality in
  general.
• Man can choose a different set of values they
  need not be bound by conventional morality. In
  addition, they ought to choose a different set of
  ethical values.
• Higher moralities are to or ought to be
  possible. But modern morality stands in the way
  of a kind of human perfection and blocks the
  realization of a highest power and splendor of
  the human type. (GS, 270, 283, 290)

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B. Master vs. Slave Morality

• (BGE, sects. 49, 195, 199, 219, 224, 201-203,
  260-261 BWN p.147 GM-I, 7-11, 13-15, 16)
• Origins
• Master morality originated with the "masters" of
  the ancient world, the powerful aristocracies.
• Slave morality originated with the slaves and
  servants of the ancient world, the powerless
  (back to the ancient Jews as the slaves of Egypt)
  (BGE 195).

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• Temperament
• Master morality is by temperament aristocratic,
  independent, and self-affirmative.
• Take the masters' own virtues as the prototype of
  "good.
• Emphasis on personal excellence, the unity of all
  virtues that makes one excellent.
• The "golden age" and the Homeric period of
  warrior virtues (in methodological sense).
• The aristocratic value-equation good noble
  powerful beautiful happy beloved of gods
  (GM-I, 7)

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• Slave morality is by temperament servile,
  reactionary, resentful, and self-denial
• Turn master morality upside down turn what the
  masters regards as good into evil, such as
  wealth, power, education, even freedom and it
  turns what the master regards as evil into
  good, such as poor, ignorance.
• Primarily characterized by its motivation, which
  is defensive and resentment.
• Vengeful, bitter, and filled with self-loathing
• Considers "good" to be denial of desire,
  abstention, or self-denial in general. The good
  is self-denial.
• Good wretched, poor, impotent, lowly, the
  suffering, deprived, sick, ugly.

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Two Kinds of Moralities

• Noble/Master Morality
• For great, mature individuals
• For the free spirit
• Nobility (BGE 49, 50)
• Excess
• Self-created value system
• Virtues a high self-regard, enlightened
  self-interest, unconventionality, harsh
  self-discipline, the willingness to ignore those
  who embrace mediocrity.
• Beyond good and evil (BGE 56)

• Slave/Herd Morality
• For common mass / the mediocre people / the herd
  (BGE 61, 199)
• For the bound spirit
• Servility
• Mediocrity
• Established by others
• Virtues humble, egalitarian (BGE 219),
  democratic, resentment (GM-I, 10), pity.
• Bound by good and evil

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C. Genealogy of Morality

• Nietzsches approach and purposes (GM, preface)
• To find out the historical roots of our
  conceptions of good/evil, and the sources of our
  moral senses.
• Naturalist approach to morality value is nothing
  but our interpretation of phenomena, and we may
  interpret them as we wish (preface, 3).
• Morality (in the narrow sense) has a history
• the pre-moral life (master morality?)
• the moral life (slave morality)
• the post-moral life (morality for free
  spirits?).

Moral Progress?
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• Easy I Good and Evil vs. Good and Bad (BWN
  pp. 147-150 GM-I, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16-17)
• Moral goodness/virtue originally had a non-moral
  meaning from the political notion noble (a
  pre-moral notion).
• The pre-moral noble idea of virtue was
  transformed into our idea of special moral virtue
  in terms of slave revolt in morality.
• The priests transformed the noble idea of
  goodness into moral one (evil) to revenge against
  the nobles for power and prestige.
• The function of slave revolt is to explain the
  transformation of a pre-moral notion of goodness
  into a moral one it is not directly connected
  with right or wrong.

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Post-Discussion

• How does Nietzsche distinguish between good and
  bad and good and evil. Does good mean the
  same thing in the two pairs of terms? If not, how
  does it differ in each? (BWN, pp. 147-150 304,
  394 GM-I, 2, 4, 7, 11, 16-17).
• Read the lamb metaphor in GM-I, 13. What is
  Nietzsche's point here? What is he saying about
  master and slave morality?
• Is it Nietzsches intention to show that master
  morality is better than slave morality? Does the
  movement from the pre-moral, through the moral,
  to the post-moral stage represent moral progress?
  Why or why not?
• Any hope for future morality? (BGE 203, 224,
  226, 228 GS 335 GM-I, 16) Can a new type of
  master morality or morality for the free
  spirits ever possible? Does morality has to be
  some form of herd morality?

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• Some Reflections
• It is not Nietzsches concern to tell us that
  master morality is good while slave morality is
  evil or to persuade us that the bad conscience
  and ascetic ideals are bad (recall his attack on
  opposite values). He only wanted to open new
  perspectives.
• The possibility of a new morality we need a new
  ideal, new interpretation and meaning for our
  ethical practices. (BGE 203, 224, 226, 228 GS
  335 GM-I, 16)
• After 2000-years slave morality, master mentality
  never disappears, and it only is sublimated. as
  bad conscience, a war within oneself between
  pride and humility, and a conflict between
  excellence and mediocrity, BGE 199
• Nietzsche envisions an evolutionary possibility
  that would be the ultimate expression of master
  morality as spiritualized by way of slave
  morality (the Ubermensch).

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3. On Fate and Self-realization

• Two functions of ERS
• Create a new weightness after the death of God
• Attempt to reconcile self-realization and love of
  fate.
• Existential Self-Realization (GS 270, 283, 289,
  290)
• On the one hand, we are born with certain
  proto-characters talents, abilities,
  dispositions, and capacities as slave and master
  morality suggests.
• On the other hand, these in-born abilities have
  to be self-realized by the person himself. We
  can and should give style to our character. Our
  character is to some extent our own doing.
• Therefore, it is the persons responsibility to
  develop and to realize his/her abilities. We must
  realize ourselves to become who you are.
  (watch true-self? pre-given potential? true
  human nature? free will?)

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• Fate (GS 276 Ecce Homo, BWN, p. 714)
• amor fati -- the love of fate, the love of being
  who you are and having a life--, the most
  positive outlook on life.
• Notions of fate
• The Greek tragedians fate was an undeniable
  aspect of human life, an invisible hand.
• Heraclitus fate is character
• Certain limitations on your life
• In a more primordial sense, to have a fate is
  just to be born to be alive.
• Nietzsches attitude toward fate
• The last three senses fate here is not blind
  resignation to what would happen. It is rather
  the acceptance of our limitations.
• A metaphysical test for your attitude toward
  fate eternal recurrence of the same

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• Love of fate Eternal Recurrence of the Same
  (ERS) (GS 109, 341)
• Discussion
• ERS has been described as (a) a cosmological
  doctrine Time is not linear but loops around
  such that what is happening now has happened an
  infinite number of times in the past and will
  happen an infinite number of times in the future
  in exactly the same way (b) as a psychological
  doctrine a metaphorical tool for enabling us to
  determine how we should will or (c) as an
  ontological doctrine only active, master-like
  willing will return reactive, slave-like willing
  will not. Which of these views, if any, do you
  embrace? Why?
• How can ERS be used to reconcile love of fate and
  self-realization?

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• Interpretation I ERS Affirmation of fate
• The unbearable repetition creates such a weight
  on your life it may cure the weightlessness
  after the death of God by becoming the greatest
  weight.
• A test of ones life-affirmative attitude as
  oppose to Christian life-negating attitude, a
  test of ones own ability to live ones life
  without the kind of illusion that gives rise the
  notion of otherworldly.
• It tests how much do you love your life? How much
  you can consume with regret? How satisfy you are
  with yourself.
• Force you to completely embrace your life as it
  is, without any regrets or longing for something
  different. Only then does you life begin to have
  coherence and form.
• Affirmation of who one is, one's character, and
  therefore one's destiny.

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• Interpretation two self-realization
• ERS may very well motivates you to transform
  your life to a higher level
• The love of fate does not preclude taking
  responsibility for becoming who you are. If
  that thought took control of you, Nietzsche
  says, it would change you as you are, and maybe
  shatter you.
• Facing ERS, you may want to change yourself and
  cultivate yourself, becoming not what you simply
  are, but who you would be.
• Fate here is not blind resignation to what would
  happen. It is rather the acceptance of our
  limitations and it is rather trying to make
  ourselves who we could be.
• Your destiny is to live your life that it is
  possible for you to live. Your fate is to be and
  to do all that it is possible for you to be and
  to do.

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• Two kinds of fate
• Fate is something predetermined which has nothing
  to do ones subjective effort
• You personal effort might likely to be a part of
  the total conditions which determine your fate
  (Confucius doctrine of Knowing Ming).

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4.The Overman and the Will to Power

• A. the Ubermensch / Overman (GS 283, 289, 290,
  377, 382)
• The Overman is a kind of place-holder for the aim
  of human aspiration toward greatness.
• No innate human nature your true HN lies, not
  concealed deep within you, but immeasurably high
  above you, or at least above that which you
  usually tale yourself to be. Human nature is
  precisely what we should do well to overcome,
  therefore, the Overman the overcoming-man.
  
• No true self as a self-encapsulated consciousness
  (GS, 110-111, 354)
• After God is dead, it is up to a person to give
  his/her life meaning by raising himself above the
  animals and the all-too-human. Not to realize
  pre-given potential, but to self-creation.
• An evolutionary step from man to Overman. (GS 109)

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• In contrast with last man, the bourgeois
  consumers, coach potatoes, who has no
  aspirations, who are self-contented,
  self-satisfied utilitarian modern man.
• The Overman can be conceived in terms of the
  master morality. It is free of resentment and
  regret and wholly independent of the herd.
• What distinguishes the higher from the lower is a
  difference in the will to power. Overman is the
  highest manifestation of the will to power.

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• Discussion
• What is the will to power? To what extent do you
  think this phrase unavoidably refers to power
  over other people? In what sense does it refer to
  self-discipline and self-mastery?

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• B. The will to power (GS 349 BGE 36, 210-212)
• Schopenhauers (1788-1860) Will an irrational
  metaphysical force, the thing-in-itself. The
  world is will to power and nothing besides.
• Biological expression every organism strives to
  max the number of its offspring. This striving to
  increase numerically is the will to power in
  life.
• Logical expression in its most abstract logical
  sense, the will to power is ultimately the
  striving to exceed limitation, a striving for
  victory over number, the will to be beyond any
  limitation.
• For Nietzsche,
• power means the power of thought, imagination,
  and creativity. Power is best conceived as
  self-mastery, self-discipline, and inner strength
  to control oneself, to improve oneself to be what
  one can be.
• will means the will to overcome all
  limitations, the will to be different, to be
  greatest possible.

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• Directly opposed to the pervasive hedonic theory
  (utilitarianism) and the self-preservation theory
  (Spinoza), instead, most of human behaviors can
  be better characterized as motivated by
  self-esteem (not just feeling good about
  yourself, rather is been energized by your own
  ideas and by your own talents).
• Even love in more romantic sense is not just
  content, but really possession and power.
  Similarly, pity is in fact a superiority
  (laceration?).
• A celebration of the passionate life passionate
  attachments to your life is what life is all
  about. Without passion, your life would be
  essentially meaningless. Ultimately, both the
  overman and the will to power represent passion
  and the love of life.
• The Will to power is not the traditional notion
  of individual free will.

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• C. Nietzsche's philosophy is a philosophy of
  passion and energy !!!