Nietzsche was first and foremost a classics-scholar who became a professor in his mid-twenties influencing such notable writers as: Lawrence, Shaw and Yeats (some achievement). It was only later that he turned from literature to philosophy but even so his literary bent shone through his writings which in parts were a combination of myth and abstract thought. And I think this is the way to approach probably his greatest work: "Thus Spoke Zarathustra."
And it's interesting that a man who came to reject religion particularly all things Christian e.g. loving one's neighbour, turning the other cheek and showing compassion to those who suffer etc. that he created a new "prophet" (Zarathustra) who descends the mountain (a bit like Moses generations before) to pronounce a new gospel that: "God is dead." But I'm not sure it was God whom Nietzsche rejected or the servility of people who cling to inherited values without thinking about them. For Nietzsche man is capable of so much more but is held back by deferring to a set of values (and a defunct morality) which prevent him from reaching his full potential. Nietzsche writes urging people to reject all this and live authentic lives (to be yourself) even if that means disregarding the feelings and needs of the "herd." Nietzsche also rejected Plato's ideal world just as he rejected the heaven preached by Christians which, he believed, looked for jam tomorrow while rejecting the here and now. To him this was simply turning away from life. This is a man in a hurry, a philosophical "hot-head" who tears up the philosophical rule-book and starts again. Nietzsche wants us to question everything we've come to accept without thinking about ethics and the meaning of life. According to him many of the things we believe are good and wholesome are in fact limiting to us. Nietzsche wants us to see life in a different way and through a different lens having rejected Kant's theory that we're unable to know "things in themselves" For Nietzsche this was a useless doctrine and so held to one world only – this one. But something doesn't add about all this especially when seen alongside his theory of "eternal recurrence" where every living experience comes around again and again as if to give us a second crack at it – sounds a bit like religion to me! Nevertheless, having brought down like a pack of cards all previous ideas of a perfect and imperfect world the stage was set for a re-evaluation of values, ethics and morality. So enters "Superman" the master of the world for it follows that if this world is all there is and if man has dispensed with any authority from above man is free to choose his own values and stand on his own two feet. But there is a problem here and it's one we've encountered several times before i.e. "human nature." Human nature being self-centred and power hungry forever seeks its own ends despite the lofty ideas of people like Nietzsche. Someone somewhere will be looking for ways to lord it over others, and with the green light from Nietzsche to live life as we please without regard for others (although he didn't actually intend that for there is some compassion in his philosophy) the result will be anarchy, social breakdown and ultimately total confusion. This is one reason, in my view, multi-culturalism has failed. For society to cohere it is vital that people share common values; a shared heritage and so on. But where this is rejected, or lacking, society will eventually fall apart. There is another aspect to the materialistic way of thinking i.e. Determinism. Determinism holds that no-one can he held responsible for their actions which, in a closed material world, couldn't be other than they are. But the law doesn't see it that way! The law demands that each person is responsible for their actions. Self-determination is much closer to our actual experience in life. It's people who make decisions, who feel compassion, who love, value and respect others. The brain may be a material organ, able to be studied, measured and investigated, as is the physical body, but the immaterial mind, soul, emotions and intuitions are every bit as real. These things are what it means to be human (with emotions) living together in community. I can understand where Nietzsche is coming from in advocating the inauthentic life. And it's true that some people do strive to be something they're not wearing all kinds of masks to impress others; to fool themselves; to get ahead and to get even. Most people want to impress someone or be better than others even at the cost of their own, personal well-being (it's aby-product of culture). But it's a shaky house of cards we create that will come crashing down one day leaving us in a devastated heap. We may be able to fool others but we cannot sustain fooling ourselves for very long. And I have met many people who have been crushed by the fall-out from this kind of self-deception who then find themselves struggling to build a new life having faced the terrible truth about themselves. It's an unpleasant experience but a learning curve too from which many blessing can flow if lessons are learned so bringing forth the sweet, fragrant blossom of new personal growth. Maybe Nietzsche was plagued by self-doubt which ultimately led to the "death" of an old way of life which he was unable to bring himself to face: madness is next to genius after all.
Rog
11th April 2016
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