Nietzsche’s Critique of Platonic Philosophy
Relationship with Other Philosophical Positions
Nietzsche’s philosophy is a critique of Western cultural tradition and philosophy, which stems from the ideas of Parmenides and reaches its finest expression in Platonic philosophy. Therefore, we will relate the ideas of the text with the Eastern Greek philosopher, Plato.
Plato (Athens, 4th century BC) develops a philosophy that aims at the achievement of justice in the state. This objective can only be achieved if wise men (philosophers) govern the *polis*. To justify the moral and intellectual superiority of the philosophers and the legitimacy of their government, Plato, inspired by the Socratic notion of the concept and Parmenidean rationalism, provides philosophy with the existence of two worlds:
- A material world, of constant evolution.
- A world of unchanging and perfect essences or ideas.
The material world consists of physical objects that are imperfect copies of intangible essences. Therefore, the world of essences is more perfect, true, and good than the physical world (the superiority of the cause over the effect). In this Platonic dualism, there is a clear rejection of the material world and sensitive knowledge, which shows us physical reality. The reason for rejection is the irrationality of diversity and change, which Parmenides had already announced.
Plato considered the material world deeply flawed, the knowledge that the senses give us of this world erroneous, and the enjoyment of sensual pleasures morally reprehensible. On the contrary, a life dedicated to rational knowledge provides the wise with the moral stature that demands a just government of the *polis*.
Nietzsche, as we see in this text, presents in his philosophy a clear rejection of Platonic ontology. Thus, rejecting evolution is to reject life itself. When interpreting evolution from rational concepts of origin, crystallized in language, mummifying becoming, life is destroyed by interpreting it as if it were immutable and static.
Nietzschean Moral Philosophy
Nietzsche’s moral philosophy involves the destruction of the idea of transcendence, which eliminates the dualistic ontology established by Plato, and overcomes the situation of nihilism and decadence that has been constant in the history of our culture.
Contemporary Relevance
Nietzsche’s ideas have exerted a profound influence on 20th-century philosophical creation. It should be noted, as philosophical evidence in Nietzsche’s trace, the current of *hermeneutics*, whose main representative is the French philosopher Gadamer. Hermeneutics considers that the concepts and ideas of our culture have a historical origin; they are, therefore, not fixed and immutable realities but respond to human concerns and interests. We must interpret the meaning of the ideas from the interests to which they respond.
Other influences include:
- Vitalist and existentialist thought of the 20th century.
- Ortega y Gasset’s ratiovitalism in Spain.
- The existentialism of Heidegger and Sartre in the rest of Europe.
- In the second half of the 20th century, the ideas of Nietzsche mark the critique of the Enlightenment developed by Foucault and Vattimo (Postmodern Thought).
Lasting Impact
All philosophy, to be so, is *introspective*, meaning that it transcends its time. No matter when it was conceived, it is valid at all times. Nietzsche is studied in philosophy schools and even high schools. His thinking influenced thinkers like Heidegger, Gilles Deleuze, Derrida, and Ortega, and poets such as Octavio Paz and Hermann Hesse. Today, many philosophers believe in Nietzsche’s criticism of temporal, moral, and epistemic conceptions. In art, his metaphysics of the artist and his concept of the game are still very relevant.