Nietzsche’s Philosophical Evolution: From Tragedy to Nihilism
Period of His Work
Romantic Period
Corresponds to the philosophy of the night. During this time, he is interested in the classics and inspired by Schopenhauer and Wagner’s music. Works include The Birth of Tragedy, which embodies the spirit of music.
Positivism Period
This period represents a break with previous philosophies, expressing a positive attitude by condemning metaphysics (Plato), art, and religion. Notable works include Human, All Too Human, which denounces the ideals of Western culture, and The Gay Science.
Zarathustra’s Message
In this noon philosophy, the central idea is the eternal return, which Nietzsche considers the highest formula of affirmation. Zarathustra embodies the concept of Dionysus and the idea of the Übermensch (Superman).
Critical Period
This evening philosophy marks a time of denial and criticism (nihilism). Nietzsche critiques morality, philosophy, and religion.
Big Issues of Philosophy
With the birth of tragedy, Nietzsche’s first book, inspired by Schopenhauer and dedicated to Wagner, arises from the contrast between two elements of the Greek spirit: the Dionysian and the Apollonian. Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, drunkenness, and vegetation, had other names such as Bacchus. The Dionysian cults consisted of mystical orgies that allowed union with God through Bacchic fury. In contrast, Apollo was the god of Olympus, representing the sun, light, and clarity. Nietzsche believes that the fundamentals of Greek tragedy lie in the Dionysian chorus, which often discharges into an Apollonian world of images. The tragedy began to decline with Euripides’ characters, trivializing the importance of the chorus. This element disappeared, leaving only Socratic thought, which Nietzsche considers the great corruptor, as the theoretical man triumphs over the tragic man. Socrates argues that Plato’s dialogue replaces Greek tragedy. Thanks to music and German philosophy, the re-Dionysian tragic triumph is achieved. Nietzsche maintains this predilection for the Dionysian despite his subsequent break with Wagner. Thus Spoke Zarathustra, his second work, contains Dionysian traits but is transfigured. Nietzsche replaces Dionysus with Zarathustra to eliminate all metaphysical consolation, as Dionysus was identified with Schopenhauer’s metaphysics. In his third stage, Nietzsche rejects all metaphysics, holding only the moral heat. Zarathustra is chosen because he is seen as a historical figure capable of transcending conventional morality, existing beyond good and evil. His declaration of life and the will to live embodies a “yes” to the world. Zarathustra is akin to Dionysus but stripped of Schopenhauer’s metaphysics. However, the worst enemy is not only Christian civilization.
1. Nihilism and the Death of God
All pre-Socratic philosophy was more Dionysian, not concerned with moral values, and embraced the force of life. In contrast, Socrates and Plato emphasized the importance of knowledge. The old aristocratic moral force, born of a happy man, is replaced by a denial of these forces, which are considered moral, affirming weak values—values of the slaves. This third time strengthens with the arrival of the Enlightenment and German idealist philosophy, proclaiming the death of God, which signifies the death of absolute values and the release of the idea of a transcendent beyond. Nietzsche reflects on how the world of ideas has lost its guiding role in our lives. Nihilism signifies a loss of faith in what was once regarded as the truest, now seen as more serious than false, rendering culture meaningless. Nihilism has a double meaning:
- Active Nihilism: A sign of the will to power, where the person exceeds the initial distress caused by the death of God.
- Passive Nihilism: The decline of the person, sinking in the absence of references and living without embracing the values that differentiate life.
Active nihilism destroys values, allowing the individual to substitute their own values, leading to a critique of two cornerstones of the West: philosophy and morality.
The Critique of Philosophy
For Nietzsche, Western philosophy from Socrates to Plato is corrupted because Socrates won the right to life for Apollo over Dionysus. Plato’s idealism devalues the real world, hiding a spirit of decadence, a hatred of life, and a terror of instinct. In his criticism of Western philosophy, he seems to exclude Heraclitus, who stated that nothing is real. Nietzsche considers major metaphysical concepts misleading, particularly the ontological (being), which he sees as the worst of all—an empty fiction. He also rejects the concepts of self (Descartes) and the thing itself (Kant). All these concepts arise from a disregard for the value of the senses and an overestimation of reason. Instead, he proposes accepting the testimony of the senses: the real is becoming (Heraclitus), the phenomenon or appearance. The main error of metaphysics is to support a real world as opposed to an apparent world, where the latter is real. The history of philosophy should be understood as a ghost story of liberation from the real world. In epistemology (truth), he criticizes the notion of absolute truth. His thinking can be considered a phenomenon, but he also supports the idea of truth in itself. A truth is valid by its pragmatic value. The will to truth is the will to power. Truth only increases power, which serves life. Against dogmatic metaphysics, he advocates a perspective of “no facts, only interpretations”—there are no things in themselves, only perspectives. The question “What is this?” really means, “What is it for me?” The perspective is already an assessment made by the will to power. He also critiques religion, stating that Christianity is Platonism for the people and deserves the same criticisms directed at Plato. Science, understood in its time from a mechanistic and positivist mentality, is also critiqued. For Nietzsche, it is not all field and mechanical motion; there are forces (vitalism Dionysian).
The Moral Critique
In The Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche critiques moral force by studying the origin of moral prejudices. He employs a genealogical method, investigating the etymology and historical evolution of moral concepts. Of the three treaties that comprise the work, the most interesting is titled “Good and Evil, Good and Bad.” He presents his ideas as a result of etymological research across all languages. He finds that in all languages, (good) originally meant “the noble and aristocratic,” as opposed to “bad,” which was understood as simple, common, and plebeian. He concludes that “good-bad” were adjectives created by the noble and powerful, who were the only ones with the authority to name. Later, a shift occurs to “good” versus “evil,” now possessing moral character. He explains this shift as a rebellion by those considered “bad,” who call themselves “good,” while the noble now label the formerly poor as evil. In short, morality results from the rebellion of the slaves and is a product of a reactive attitude of resentment. Resentment shapes the moral values of the West and contributes to a hostile civilization of life and a man incurably mediocre. Nihilism poses a threat to the West. However, Nietzsche anticipates a day when we can live beyond good and evil, a day when original innocence is recovered, and the Superman appears as announced by Zarathustra. He distinguishes two types of morality:
- A) Morality of Masters: A chivalrous moral code of high spirits that embraces life, power, grandeur, and pleasure. It is the moral self of the Superman, who desires the death of God.
- B) Morality of Slaves: A reversal of values: pain, humility, patience. The slave does not create these values; instead, they embody a passive moral stance. This represents the subversion of values that originated with inherited Judaism and Christianity.