Nietzsche on Appearance, Reason, and the Illusions of Language
Nietzsche’s Critique of Metaphysics
Appearance
Traditional philosophers believed that what we perceive through our senses is mere appearance, a source of error. They argued that the changing reality our senses show us points to the impossibility of a truly stable world. Therefore, these philosophers sought truth in a world beyond our immediate perception, a “real” world as opposed to the apparent one. This denial of appearance as real is what Nietzsche criticizes.
Prejudice of Reason
Nietzsche refers to the “prejudice of reason” as “Egyptianism,” a hatred of change and becoming. This prejudice leads to the search for stability in an imaginary world created from empty concepts, a world where there is only chaos and evolution. Even though we know this is an error, we are bound to it because it is already part of the linguistic concepts with which we speak and think.
Nietzsche’s Critique of Language
Substance
The concept of substance is somewhat obscure (that which exists in itself and not in another) and has varying interpretations. Empiricists, including Locke, criticized the rationalists for abusing this concept. For empiricists, substance was something of which we have no direct impression, apart from certain features that we perceive. To some extent, Nietzsche seems to agree with Locke in his criticism of substance.
The “I”
The “I” is another concept created by reason, but in reality, it is totally empty since there is no thinking substance that remains unchanged over time. The metaphysics of language and its fetishism lead us to the erroneous assumption of the self as a substance.
Further Critique of Language
Concept of Being
For Nietzsche, concepts are the result of an abstraction process that ignores the peculiarities of what it seeks to describe. In this context, he specifically refers to the concept of “being,” which pretends to refer to reality as a whole and turns itself into an entity where change and individuality have no place.
Reason
Reason, the human faculty that distinguishes us from animals and is so praised by rationalists, is for Nietzsche a “female deceiver.” It has no innate ideas; it deceives us, reinterpreting the evidence of the senses and creating worlds devoid of truth.
Critique of Metaphysics
Apparent World vs. Real World
For Nietzsche, the apparent world is the world perceived by the senses, the only real world. However, traditional metaphysics has posited another world, which it calls “true,” immutable, and perfect. But these characteristics do not correspond to anything real. The reason for creating this world is resentment toward life, decadence, and contempt for the values of this world.
Decadent or Descending Life
A hallmark of Western culture is the defense of values antithetical to life and the belief in a “real” world as the basis of these values. This decline has been followed by several periods, from the harmony between the Dionysian and the Apollonian in the ancient Greek world to the present, which gives us the opportunity to overcome Platonism.