Nietzsche’s Perspectivism: Deconstructing Truth and Knowledge
Nietzsche’s Perspective on Truth and Lies
The Relationship Between Knower and Known
In On Truth and Lies in an Extramoral Sense, Nietzsche questions the relationship between the knower and the known. He argues these are distinct realities with no causal link, suggesting a translation into aesthetic language. Nietzsche criticizes the belief in the truth of language, particularly its conceptual use. Traditional philosophy posits truth as the correspondence between thought and reality. However, Nietzsche views truth as metaphorical and illusory. He emphasizes intuition as the most fundamental form of knowledge—a personal, direct, and immediate perceptual system. Language attempts to express thought and intuition, but Nietzsche questions its accuracy. Language creates metaphors to represent our relationship with things, as the “thing itself” remains inconceivable.
Distortions of Reality
The first distortion arises when metaphors are mistaken for reality. Socially accepted metaphors become “true,” while deviations are deemed “false.” Words become concepts for communication, shaping our understanding of the world. The second distortion occurs with concept development. Abstract metaphors remove the individual and instinctive elements, further distorting reality. Humanity forgets the origin of concepts, leading to distorted perceptions and the possibility of traditional metaphysics.
Perspectivism and the Critique of Philosophies
Knowledge becomes perspectival because “facts in themselves” are unknowable; only interpretations exist. Nietzsche critiques positivism for limiting knowledge to the phenomenal. He argues for knowledge from multiple perspectives. The world is not knowable, only interpretable. Nietzsche criticizes both idealism and realism. Idealism posits an unknowable world of essences and truths, which Nietzsche deems false. Realism, focusing on the phenomenal world, is also flawed because concepts distort phenomena. Knowledge, for Nietzsche, is a process of abstraction and simplification aimed at gaining power over things. The will to power is the source of knowledge. This theory of knowledge fuels Nietzsche’s criticism of philosophers, scientists, and theologians, whom he sees as intermediaries between the world and ourselves.
Critique of Philosophy and the Concept of Self
Nietzsche criticizes philosophy for viewing the “self” as static and immutable. He considers the metaphysical “being” absurd and fictitious, impossible to know or prove. Only becoming exists—the world bounded by space and time, experienced through the senses. The principle of becoming is the will to power.
Life, Instinct, and the Will to Power
For Nietzsche, life manifests in nature as instinct, strength, and a constant struggle for domination. Humanity is part of a tragic reality driven by the will to power. Affirming life means accepting its tragic, instinctive, and creative nature. This affirmation is a synthesis of opposing creative forces, reflecting the greatness of Greek tragedy. Socrates represents the first symptom of denial, opposing reason to instinct. Socratic thought negates life’s true values, transforming happiness and virtue into abstract ideas, inventing a world of ideas to escape reality.
The Reversal of Values and the Superman
The reversal of values begins with Socrates, a paradoxical situation. Traditional morality is unnatural, opposing life with rules and laws, focusing on a world beyond and denying the present. This leads to human alienation. The idea of God prevents humanity from becoming the Superman. The “death of God” signifies the collapse of Western civilization’s foundations and the destruction of absolute values. Overcoming nihilism requires creating values that give meaning to humanity and life, and re-evaluating the values that led to nothingness. This overcoming is not through reason but instinct—the “will to power.” The Superman is a new type of human who embraces the future and the will to power, going beyond good and evil, destroying and creating new values.