Nietzsche: Philosophy and Transvaluation of Values
Nietzsche’s Philosophy: A Radical Critique
Nietzsche’s key works include: The Birth of Tragedy, Thus Spoke Zarathustra (subtitled “A book for everyone and no one”), Beyond Good and Evil, On the Genealogy of Morality, Twilight of the Idols, The Antichrist, Ecce Homo, and The Will to Power.
Nietzsche undertakes a profound critique of Western culture as a whole. He attacks metaphysics, religion, morality, art, science, politics, the educational system, the role played by women, and the intellectual crowd, holding them responsible for the path taken by Western civilization.
His philosophy is often described as “the philosophy of the hammer.” He aims to strike at established concepts and bring down Western cultural constructions to reveal their emptiness and refocus the project of human existence. He directs his hammer blows at metaphysics, morality, and the Judeo-Christian religion, taking the form of a “transvaluation of values.” He refers to the loss of those old, classic values as the “decline of values.”
Critique of Metaphysics
Nietzsche expresses admiration for pre-Socratic philosophers, who observed the world as it appears, embracing both reason and passion. He contrasts this with the critical approach that begins with Socrates, marking the formation of Western thought. He finds the Socratic equation of reason (knowledge) = virtue = happiness outrageous and contrary to life, arguing that happiness equates to instinct and a full life. He believes Socrates destroyed the balance between the Apollonian and the Dionysian, leading to the degradation of civilization.
Nietzsche also attacks Plato’s metaphysics, viewing it as a decay of Greek thought. Both Socrates and Plato, he argues, evade reality by inventing a fantastical world where suffering is absent and happiness reigns – the world of metaphysics. Man invents metaphysics to escape reality and give meaning to his existence. Nietzsche, in contrast, clings to the earthly realm, asserting that there is no other reality. He sees metaphysics as a falsification of things and proposes an “ontology of appearance,” where appearance *is* reality. What was previously considered true is merely Platonic fantasy and invention.
His critique includes:
- Denying the validity of concepts in knowing reality.
- Criticizing the mathematization of reality.
- Denying all value to truth itself.
- Asserting that there are no pure facts; every event is an interpretation.
- Criticizing the encroachment of science by the state.
- Denying value to the scientific notion of progress.
Critique of Morality
Nietzsche believes the main error of traditional morality is that it is unnatural, going against nature and life. Its philosophical basis is Platonism and its theory of two worlds: the world of ideas serves as a foundation for Christianity, transforming into Christian metaphysics.
Nietzsche distinguishes two types of morality:
- Master Morality: Originates from noble spirits. It is a chivalrous, creative morality that establishes its own values and is therefore active, characteristic of the Superman. It embraces life, power, grandeur, and pleasure, defending everything that ennobles life and rejecting what degrades it. The noble individual is proud, believing himself superior to others, domineering, and maintains full control over life. The hero and the warrior are moral prototypes, despising the rest of humanity.
- Slave Morality: Born out of fear and resentment. It inverts the values of master morality, inheriting from Judaism and Christianity values such as pain, smallness, humility, kindness, compassion, resignation, and patience. It does not actively create these values but reacts to the values of the masters. It is a morality of reaction, not action. The “good” are the poor, needy, helpless, sick, and ugly. It is an instinct of revenge against all forms of higher life, seeking equality among all. It is the morality of the mass, the herd, lacking aspirations to rise above the crowd. It defends equality and hierarchy, representing the morality of democracy and mediocrity, driven by the instinct for revenge. The slave is resentful, elevating weaknesses into virtues. He celebrates resignation to life and solidarity with the poor and sick. The force of the slave lies in the unity of the flock, all sharing the same enemy: the strong and powerful elites, representing ascending life. This is the increasing influence of the values of the weak against the strong – a morality of slave resentment.
Critique of Religion
Nietzsche is a staunch defender of atheism. He rejects religion, believing it originates from human anguish and fear. He specifically criticizes Christianity for:
- Suppressing the strongest instincts.
- Promoting narrow values and destroying fundamental ones.
Religions, he argues, invent sin, guilt, and punishment. Overcoming these can only be achieved by the Superman. The “death of God” signifies a radical critique of religion, morality, and metaphysics, releasing the great weight that overwhelms humanity. It represents the secularization of culture, replacing God as the source of meaning. There is no room for God in modern culture. After the disappearance of God, the world takes on a new focus: love for the earth, leading to the birth of the Superman.