Nietzsche’s Critique of Western Philosophy and Morality
Nietzsche’s philosophy deviates significantly from that of Socrates and Plato. He believed that Socrates, by winning the right to life, and Plato, by creating another world and devaluing this one, corrupted true philosophy. Behind the idealism of Socrates and Plato, Nietzsche saw a spirit of decadence, a hatred of life and the world.
Nietzsche’s Definition of Metaphysics
Nietzsche defines metaphysics as the science that deals with fundamental human errors. He views it as a grand fiction or dream that humans invent, a vital lie that helps them escape revocation and give their existence a sense of infinite meaning.
Unmasking Idealism
Nietzsche’s proposed task is to unmask all idealism. His basic idea can be summarized as follows: “What traditional philosophy has considered as being against evolution is not; only the future is. There are no eternal worlds of ideas; there is only the space-time world in which nothing is stable.”
Two Serious Errors of Philosophy
Nietzsche identifies two serious errors of philosophy:
- The underestimation of the reality of change, of becoming, and the consequent rejection of the spatio-temporal world, replacing it with an imaginary “real world.”
- The confusion between the latter and the former, meaning that philosophy is guided by supreme and general concepts that are, in fact, empty.
Critique of Metaphysical Concepts
In his critique of Western philosophy, Nietzsche seems to exclude only Heraclitus. Of the rest, he states: “All that philosophers have been handling for thousands of years are conceptual mummies; nothing real has left their hands.” He considers the principal grammatical deception to be metaphysical concepts. He rejects the concept of “being” as the worst of all, along with the concepts of “I” (Descartes), “thing in itself” (Kant), “substance,” “cause,” etc. For Nietzsche, all these concepts stem from a disregard for the value of the senses. He proposes, instead, accepting the testimony of the senses: the real is becoming.
The “Real World” vs. the “Apparent World”
Nietzsche believes that the supreme error of metaphysics is admitting a “real world” versus an “apparent world.” He amends the concept of truth, arguing that not only is the mind phenomenal, but that there are no self-truths. A truth is true by its pragmatic value. Against metaphysical dogmatism, Nietzsche defends perspectivism.
Inversion of Ontology and Evaluation
The proposed task is the inversion of ontology and the evaluation of being that has been done so far. What has until now been considered appearance, i.e., the sensitive, is what Nietzsche considers real. In contrast, what was previously believed to be true is merely an invention of thought.
Critique of Religion and Morality
In his critique of Western culture, Nietzsche also criticizes religion and morality:
- Critique of Religion: He rejects any claim of truth in religion because all religion is born of anxieties and needs. He believes that Christianity has inverted the values of Greece and Rome and is merely a rebellion of slaves against their masters. Moreover, the very concept of “sin” is an attack against life. Christianity, according to Nietzsche, wiped out the forms and values of life and transformed all truth into falsehood.
- Critique of Moral Values: Nietzsche’s critique of moral values extends to a field that even affected the values espoused by the Enlightenment. He seeks in his analysis of morality to stand beyond good and evil. Therefore, the method of analysis is genealogy; the only thing that is supported is that of wisdom. He distinguishes two basic types of morality:
Two Types of Morality
- “Master Morality”: This morality is born of the higher states of the soul. It is a chivalric, creative morality, that of the Superman who knows and accepts the death of God.
- “Slave Morality”: This is a tendency to level. It does not create value; it is passive and resigned to life.