- Born 1844, died 1900
- Experienced the rise of German nationalism and the unification of Germany (1866-71)
- It is difficult to have a naive opening to JGB as there are so many famous associations – the
erosion of faith culminating in the ‘God is dead’ statement, Darwinism, Marxism.
- Very much an Old Testament man
- Distinguishes between Northern and Southern cultures: Northern is metaphysical, cold,
plodding, empiricist, protestant. Southern is warm, understanding, open, catholic.
- JGB is notoriously hard to interpret and is often viewed as a series of rambling and
disconnected aphorisms
- Psychology is an important aspect of the text – humans are frequently discussed in relation
to their drives (Wille/Triebe)
- Puts forward a tripartite structure to human society with the philosophers, middle class and
plebians. However, movement is possible between them.
- Leiter argues that Nietzsche is an ‘esoteric moralist’, communicating his ideas about human
flourishing to a select few.
Truth
Begins the text with truth, personified as a woman. “Vorausgesetzt, dass die Wahrheit ein Weib ist –,
wie?”
- The question of ‘why pursue truth’ becomes ‘why do men pursue women?’ – because it is
necessary to continue life!
- Nietzsche makes truth the object of our desire. Love is not rational, our desire for the truth
even less so. He accuses the past philosophers of dogmatism plagued by moral prejudice
masquerading as objective truth.
- Sphinx comparison – female demands truth from the male to continue on his path
- Philosophers of the past have misunderstood women, they have tried to woo them with
rationality and seriousness. “alle Philosophen, sofern sie Dogmatiker waren, sich schlecht auf
Weiber verstanden? dass der schauerliche Ernst, die linkische Zudringlichkeit, mit der sie
bisher auf die Wahrheit zuzugehen pflegten, ungeschickte und unschickliche Mittel waren,
um gerade ein Frauenzimmer für sich einzunehmen?” Women wanted to be treated with
feeling and emotion, not seriousness and distance.
Yet after positioning truth as a fundamental human desire, Nietzsche questions our need to pursue
truth. Introduces “der Wille zur Wahrheit”. But why truth, why don’t we seek untruth? (“wir wollen
Wahrheit, warum nicht lieber Unwahrheit?”) (JGB 1) Nietzsche questions our reliance on such
arbitrary categories. His critique of Kant is such – “Kant war vor allem und zuerst stolz auf seine
Kategorientafel” (JGB 11) But Nietzsche goes on to discredit a need to discover such truths or
categories as in the search for synthetic a priori judgements.
The “Wille zur Wahrheit is actually revealed as just “der Wille zur Macht”.
, Nietzsche is suspicious of or even downright rejects Kant’s need to search for a priori truths. He
questions whether belief in such objective truth is possible or even necessary – “es ist endlich an der
Zeit, die Kantische Frage “Wie sind synthetische Urtheile a priori möglich?" durch eine andre Frage zu
ersetzen "warum ist der Glaube an solche Urtheile nöthig?" – they necessitate belief in order to be
true, so aren’t really true. It’s all just an appearance – “Nur ist allerdings der Glaube an ihre Wahrheit
nöthig, als ein Vordergrunds-Glaube und Augenschein.” (11)
Philosophy of the future
- The philosophers of the future will be transcendent, set apart, something higher
“sie freie, sehr freie Geister sein werden, diese Philosophen der Zukunft, - so gewiss sie auch nicht
bloss freie Geister sein werden, sondern etwas Mehreres, Höheres, Grösseres und
Gründlich-Anderes.” - 44
- Their responsibility will be the cultivation of human flourishing
“das Gewissen für die Gesammt-Entwicklung des Menschen hat” JGB 61
Religion
- The now famous announcement that God is dead is often misinterpreted – it is not
Nietzsche’s refutal of the existence of God but rather a denouncement of the Christian God –
the moralising, brooding, destructive force of personality who is positioned counter to
human flourishing.
- Eveything in Europe has been built on the belief of a christian God and in the path of
secularism it is doomed to collapse.
“Das grösste neuere Ereigniss, – dass "Gott todt ist", dass der Glaube an den christlichen Gott
unglaubwürdig geworden ist – [...] weil es auf ihm gebaut, an ihn gelehnt, in ihn hineingewachsen
war: zum Beispiel unsre ganze europäische Moral. Diese lange Fülle und Folge von Abbruch,
Zerstörung, Untergang, Umsturz, die nun bevorsteht…” (Die Froehliche Wissenschaft 343)
- Yet, despite Nietzsche’s distrust of the brooding, punishing God, he has more respect for the
Old Testament in which this version of God is more explicitly expressed. He finds it difficult to
reconcile it with the New Testament. Perhaps because the teachings of Jesus embody the
characteristics of slave morality which Nietzsche view as inherently weaker.
“Dieses neue Testament, eine Art Rokoko des Geschmacks in jedem Betrachte, mit dem alten
Testament zu Einem Buche zusammengeleimt zu haben, als "Bibel", als "das Buch an sich": das ist
vielleicht die grösste Verwegenheit und "Sünde wider den Geist"
- Religion is presented as a societal superstructure, joining rulers and subjects together
“Religion ein Mittelmehr, um Widerstände zu überwinden, um herrschen zu können: als ein Band,
das Herrscher und Unterthanen gemeinsam bindet” JGB 61
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