A Nietzsche Reader

by Friedrich Nietzsche

seer and ‘free...

depths into every height,

But all these are only preconditions of his task: this task itself demands something different – it demands that he create values. […] Actual philosophers […] are commanders and law-givers: they say ‘thus it shall be!’, it is they who determine the Wherefore and Whither of mankind, and they possess for this task the preliminary work of all the philosophical labourers, of all those who have subdued the past – they reach for the future with creative hand, and everything that is or has been becomes for them a means, an instrument, a hammer.

A philosopher must create value

The artist’s sense of truth. – In regard to knowledge of truths, the artist possesses a weaker morality than the thinker; he does not wish to be deprived of the glittering, profound interpretations of life and guards against simple and sober methods and results. He appears to be fighting on behalf of the greater dignity and significance of man; in reality he refuses to give up the presuppositions which are most efficacious for his art, that is to say, the fantastic, mythical, uncertain, extreme, the sense for the symbolical, the overestimation of the person,

The artist has an innate need for the belief in the metaphysical, the fantastical as it is essential to his art “The artist's sense of truth. - In regard to knowledge of truths, the artist possesses a weaker morality than the thinker; he does not wish to be deprived of the glittering, profound interpretations of life and guards against simple and sober methods and results. He appears to be fighting on behalf of the greater dignity and significance of man; in reality he refuses to give up the presuppositions which are most efficacious for his art, that is to say, the fantastic, mythical, uncertain, extreme, the sense for the symbolical, the overestimation of the person, the belief in something miraculous in genius: he thus considers the perpetuation of his mode of creation more important than scientific devotion to the true in any form, however plainly this may appear.”

Poets as alleviators of life. – Insofar as they want to alleviate the life of men, poets either turn their eyes away from the toilsome present or they procure for the present new colours through a light which they direct upon it from the past. To be able to do this, they themselves have to be in many respects backward-looking creatures: so that they can be employed as bridges to quite distant ages and conceptions, to dead or dying religions and cultures. They are, in fact, always and necessarily epigones.

Reminds me of Iqbal. Is Iqbal only acting as a bridge to the past? Is he causing people passions and efforts to be wasted simply in artistry? Or does he impel them to action? “Poets as alleviators of life. - Insofar as they want to alleviate the life of men poets either turn their eyes away from the toilsome present or they procure for the present new colours through a light which they direct upon it from the past. To be able to do this, they themselves have to be in many respects backward-looking creatures: so that they can be employed as bridges to quite distant ages and conceptions, to dead or dying religions and cultures. They are, in fact, always and necessarily epigones. There are, to be sure, several things to be said against their means of alleviating life: they soothe and heal only provisionally, only for a moment; they even hinder men from working for a real improvement in their conditions by suspending and discharging in a palliative way the very passion which impels the discontented to action.”

How metre beautifies. – Metre lays a veil over reality: it effectuates a certain artificiality of speech and unclarity of thinking; by means of the shadows it throws over thoughts it now conceals, now brings into prominence. As beautification requires shadows, so clarification requires ‘vagueness’. – Art makes the sight of life bearable by laying over it the veil of unclear thinking.

Insightful! “Clarification requires vagueness”

Art makes the thinker’s heart heavy. – How strong the metaphysical need is, and how hard nature makes it to bid it a final farewell, can be seen from the fact that even when the free spirit has divested himself of everything metaphysical the highest effects of art can easily set the metaphysical strings, which have long been silent or indeed snapped apart, vibrating in sympathy.

“Art makes the thinker's heart heavy. - How strong the metaphysical need is, and how hard nature makes it to bid it a final farewell, can be seen from the fact that even when the free spirit has divested himself of everything metaphysical the highest effects of art can easily set the metaphysical strings, which have long been silent or indeed snapped apart, vibrating in sympathy. [...] If he becomes aware of being in this condition he feels a profound stab in the heart and sighs for the man who will lead him back to his lost love, whether she be called religion or metaphysics. It is in such moments that his intellectual probity is put to the test.” Man has an instinctive need for metaphysical clarity which confuses him perpetually and makes him go down mazes without exits. He can only truly be free once he lets go of this need. But this need can be brought back to life when he experiences true art. What he does then is a test of his intellectual honesty. Does he go back to previous thoughts of pursuing metaphysical clarity? CHATGPT Friedrich Nietzsche's words in this passage delve into the relationship between art, metaphysics, and the "free spirit" or independent thinker. Here's a breakdown of his thoughts: 1. **Art's Power Over Thought**: Nietzsche begins by highlighting the profound impact art can have on the thinker, suggesting that art has the power to stir deep emotions and reflections, even if they're uncomfortable or heavy. 2. **The Metaphysical Need**: Nietzsche acknowledges the profound human need for metaphysics – the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of existence and the universe. He implies that even if someone rationally rejects metaphysical concepts, the emotional and psychological desire for them remains. 3. **Art's Ability to Revive Metaphysical Thoughts**: The "highest effects of art" can stir the dormant or even seemingly severed metaphysical tendencies within a person. That is, even if someone has consciously moved away from metaphysical or religious beliefs, encountering powerful art can evoke those sentiments again, reminding them of their past beliefs or inclinations. 4. **Yearning for Lost Beliefs**: When the free spirit recognizes this resurgence of feelings, he might experience a sense of loss or longing. He might yearn for the comfort or clarity that metaphysical beliefs or religious feelings once provided him. 5. **Intellectual Probity**: This term refers to intellectual honesty or integrity. Nietzsche suggests that these moments, when the free spirit is emotionally moved and tempted to revert to past beliefs, are the real tests of his intellectual honesty. Will he surrender to the comfort of past beliefs due to the emotional pull, or will he remain steadfast in his current understanding and beliefs? In summary, Nietzsche is highlighting the profound emotional power of art and its ability to evoke deep-seated metaphysical or religious feelings, even in those who have intellectually moved away from such beliefs. He underscores the tension between emotional longing and intellectual integrity in these moments.

Achilles and Homer. – It is always as between Achilles and Homer: the one has the experience, the sensation, the other describes it. […] Artists are by no means men of great passion but they often pretend to be, in the unconscious feeling that their painted passions will seem more believable if their own life speaks for their experience in this field. One has only to let oneself go, to abandon self-control, to give rein to one’s anger or desires: at once all the world cries: how passionate he is! But deep-rooted passion, passion which gnaws at the individual and often consumes him, is a thing of some consequence:

CHATGPT In essence, Nietzsche is challenging common perceptions of artists and passion. He underscores the difference between experiencing profound emotions and the ability to depict them artistically. He suggests that true, deep passion might be too consuming for its experiencer to represent, whereas artists who masterfully portray passion might not be as deeply passionate in their personal lives as their work or behavior might suggest.

Old doubts over the effect of art. – Are fear and pity really discharged by tragedy, as Aristotle has it, so that the auditor goes home colder and more placid? Do ghost stories make one less fearful and superstitious? It is true in the case of certain physical events, the enjoyment of love for example, that with the satisfaction of a need an alleviation and temporary relaxation of the drive occurs. But fear and pity are not in this sense needs of definite organs which want to be relieved. And in the long run a drive is, through practice in satisfying it, intensified, its periodical alleviation notwithstanding. It is possible that in each individual instance fear and pity are mitigated and discharged:

Reading tragic and melancholy poetry can make you such

In Gethsemane. – The most grievous thing the thinker can say to the artists is: ‘What, could ye not watch with me one hour?’

CHATGPT In this passage, Friedrich Nietzsche alludes to the biblical story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Before Jesus's crucifixion, he went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and took three of his disciples—Peter, James, and John—with him. Jesus felt deeply troubled and distressed about the impending events, and he asked his disciples to stay awake and keep watch while he prayed. However, each time he returned to them, he found them asleep. This led Jesus to say, "Could you not watch with me one hour?" expressing his disappointment and desire for companionship in his moment of deep sorrow and vulnerability. Using this imagery, Nietzsche presents a metaphorical situation between the thinker and the artists. Here's the breakdown: 1. **The Thinker's Solitude**: Much like Jesus in Gethsemane, the thinker may face profound existential, philosophical, or intellectual challenges that create feelings of isolation and distress. The thinker seeks understanding and companionship in these moments. 2. **Artists' Inability to Relate**: Nietzsche suggests that artists, despite their expressive abilities, might sometimes lack the depth or stamina to fully engage with the profound challenges faced by the thinker. They may not be able to "stay awake" or remain present during the thinker's deepest contemplative moments. 3. **Gap Between Thought and Art**: There's an implied tension between deep, rigorous thought and artistic expression. While artists might beautifully and movingly capture the human experience, they might not always grasp or engage with the profound philosophical struggles that thinkers grapple with. In essence, Nietzsche is commenting on the potential disconnect between deep intellectual contemplation and artistic expression, highlighting the loneliness or isolation thinkers might feel, even in the company of artists.

The tragic poet has just as little desire to take sides against life with his images of life! He cries rather: ‘it is the stimulant of stimulants, this exciting, changing, dangerous, gloomy and often sun-drenched existence! It is an adventure to live – espouse what party in it you will, it will always retain this character!’ – He speaks thus out of a restless, vigorous age which is half-drunk and stupefied by its excess of blood and energy – out of a wickeder age than ours is: which is why we need first to adjust and justify the goal of a Shakespearean drama, that is to say, not to understand it.

CHATGPT In essence, Nietzsche’s exploration of tragedy here underscores his broader philosophy that life is not about adhering to prescribed moral standards but about fully experiencing and embracing the entirety of human emotion and experience.

The good and the beautiful. – Artists continually glorify

Our ultimate reason for gratitude towards art. – If we had not approved of the arts and invented this kind of cult of the untrue, the insight into universal untruth and mendaciousness now provided to us by science – the insight into illusion and error as a condition of knowing and feeling existence – could in no way be endured.

What is romantic?

The psychology of the orgy as an overflowing feeling of life and energy within which even pain acts as a stimulus provided me with the key to the concept of the tragic feeling, which was misunderstood as much by Aristotle as it especially was by our pessimists. Tragedy is so far from providing evidence for pessimism among the Hellenes in Schopenhauer’s sense that it has to be considered the decisive repudiation of that idea and the counter-verdict to it. Affirmation of life even in its strangest and sternest problems, the will to life rejoicing in its own inexhaustibility through the sacrifice of its highest types – that is what I called Dionysian, that is what I recognized as the bridge to the psychology of the tragic poet. Not so as to get rid of pity and terror, not so as to purify oneself of a dangerous emotion through its vehement discharge – it was thus’ Aristotle understood it – : but, beyond pity and terror, to realize in oneself the eternal joy of becoming – that joy which also encompasses joy in destruction. […]

Life is worth celebrating despite its hardships. That is what the tragedies of Greek literature want to convey CHATGPT Friedrich Nietzsche's musings on tragedy and its implications for the human condition are intricate and profoundly interwoven with his philosophical concepts. Let's break down the passage you provided: 1. **Psychology of the Orgy**: Nietzsche starts by referring to the "orgy" as a powerful overflow of life and energy. The orgy represents an ecstatic, primal state of being where even pain can be exhilarating. This is tied to his concept of the Dionysian, which he contrasts with the Apollonian. While the Dionysian is about chaotic, passionate abandon, the Apollonian is about structure, order, and form. 2. **Tragedy Misunderstood**: Nietzsche claims that tragedy, particularly Greek tragedy, has been misunderstood, even by Aristotle. Whereas many see tragedy as an exploration of suffering and the darker sides of existence, Nietzsche sees it as an affirmation of life in all its complexities. 3. **Repudiation of Pessimism**: He suggests that Greek tragedy does not indicate a pessimistic worldview, as proposed by philosophers like Schopenhauer. Instead, tragedy is a rejection of this pessimism. 4. **Affirmation of Life**: The "Dionysian" for Nietzsche is about embracing life in its totality, including its chaos, pain, and suffering. The "will to life" he talks about suggests that life's value isn't diminished by its challenges or the sacrifices it demands. In fact, these challenges make life's affirmation even more profound. 5. **Beyond Pity and Terror**: Nietzsche acknowledges Aristotle's claim that tragedy purifies the soul by evoking feelings of pity and terror, leading to catharsis. However, Nietzsche believes the purpose of tragedy goes beyond this cathartic effect. Instead of merely discharging emotions, tragedy helps us transcend them to grasp a joy that accepts even destruction as a part of existence. In essence, Nietzsche is suggesting that Greek tragedy, particularly through its Dionysian elements, is a celebration of life in all its tumultuousness, not a pessimistic resignation to suffering. It's about embracing existence in all its rawness and finding joy even in the darkest facets of the human experience.

hypocrite

priests,

father

If someone obstinately and for a long time wants to appear something it is in the end hard for him to be anything else.

So true

He who is always wearing the mask of a friendly countenance must finally acquire a power over benevolent moods without which the impression of friendliness cannot be obtained – and finally these acquire power over him, he is benevolent.

So true

The founders of religions are distinguished from these great deceivers by the fact that they never emerge from this state of self-deception […] Self-deception has to exist if a grand effect is to be produced. For men believe in the truth of that which is plainly strongly believed.

Nietzsche portrays religious men as self-deceived individuals

The injustice of the powerful which arouses most indignation in history is not nearly as great as it seems. The inherited sense of being a higher type of creature with higher claims already makes such a man fairly cold and leaves his conscience at rest

one cannot be surprised if whenever something sudden and unexpected in word and deed happens without occasioning danger or injury man becomes wanton, passes over into the opposite of fear: the anxious, crouching creature springs up, greatly expands – man laughs. This transition from momentary anxiety to short-lived exuberance is called the comic.

Origin of the Comic

The overturning of experience into its opposite, of the purposive into the purposeless, of the necessary into the arbitrary, but in such a way that this event causes no harm and is imagined as occasioned by high spirits, delights us, for it momentarily liberates us from the constraint of the necessary, the purposive and that which corresponds to our experience which we usually see as our inexorable masters;

Why man finds pleasure in nonsense

The danger in our own voice. – Sometimes in the course of conversation the sound of our own voice disconcerts us and misleads us into making assertions which in no way correspond to our opinions.

So true!

[…] You want if possible – and there is no madder ‘if possible’ – to abolish suffering; and we? – it really does seem that we would rather increase it and make it worse than it has ever been! Well-being as you understand it