Nietzsche and Plato: Contrasting Philosophies of Western Thought
Nietzsche’s Vitalism vs. Plato’s Idealism
Nietzsche’s 19th-century philosophy, characterized as irrational vitalism, presents an interesting contrast with the rational idealism of Plato (5th-4th century BC). Nietzsche, a professor of Greek at the University of Basel, was a connoisseur of Greek thought. He became a fierce critic of it, considering it the origin and foundation of many evils that have afflicted Western civilization.
Shared Philosophical Ground
Before delving into the significant differences between these two thinkers, it is appropriate to highlight some commonalities.
Literary Style and Metaphor
Both authors share common features in their literary style, frequently employing myths and metaphors as teaching resources, often with a poetic flair.
Aristocracy of Merit
Both also advocate for an aristocratic sense of existence, though from vastly different perspectives. Neither advocates for an aristocracy of blood or money. For Plato, it is an aristocracy of knowledge (the wisest and most generous should govern the ideal society, divided into rulers, guardians, and producers). For Nietzsche, it is an aristocracy of the creators of new values (the Übermensch is governed by “master morality,” typical of high spirits who, curiously, affirm life on earth).
Fundamental Divergences
Plato’s Forms vs. Nietzsche’s Critique
This contrast is further evidenced when Plato uses the “Myth of the Cave” to illustrate that what is commonly accepted as true are mere shadows, and only a select few have access to knowledge of true reality (for him, the World of Forms). Nietzsche, in turn, criticizes the most exalted values of Western culture, tracing their origins to Platonic thought. He views these values as dogmatic, decadent, and flawed in their origin due to their relentless efforts to establish rationality at all costs. Platonic dogmatism thus becomes, according to Nietzsche, the fundamental error of Western culture.
Apollonian and Dionysian Spirits
Plato and Nietzsche therefore represent two antithetical modes of conceiving reality. This is evident in Nietzsche’s first and controversial work, The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit of Music, with its clear Wagnerian influence, which distinguishes two opposing forces in Greek art and culture: the “Apollonian spirit” and the “Dionysian spirit.”
The Apollonian Principle: Reason and Order
In Greek tragedy, the god Apollo represents the values of reason. Apollo is the god of light, proportion, form, proper measure, balance, and serenity, finding his spirit in beautiful, balanced, and perfect works. The Apollonian individual is one in whom reason prevails.
The Dionysian Principle: Life and Instinct
The god Dionysus, meanwhile, represents the values of life. Dionysus is the god of wine and fertility, embodying instinctive and passionate force, the vibrant current of sexual frenzy, and exciting, chaotic, and excessive music. The Dionysian individual denies reason and embraces vital impulses.
Pre-Socratic Thought and the Socratic Shift
Nietzsche believed that pre-Socratic Greece had not forgotten either of these two gods, as evidenced by the contrast between Parmenides (“the self is and is not”) and Heraclitus (“everything flows, reality is becoming”), the latter being a thinker highly revered and admired by Nietzsche. In the field of poetry, Sophocles and Aeschylus stand out. Everything changed, however, with Socrates and his choice of reason as a guide to life, a path later embraced by his pupil Plato, making it the foundation upon which Western civilization was built.