Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Context, Thought, and Influence
Context of Nietzsche’s Thought
Context: Nietzsche’s thought is rooted in the second half of the nineteenth century, a period marked by colonial imperialism, the Industrial Revolution, and the tensions between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. This era witnessed the rise of nationalism, particularly with German unification, and the emergence of working-class ideologies like anarchism, socialism, and communism. Nietzsche criticized these ideologies for diminishing individual human potential. Culturally, it was a time of artistic movements such as Romanticism and the scientific philosophical Naturalism. Key developments included Darwin’s theory of evolution, Comte’s positivism, Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism, Marx’s historical materialism, and Schopenhauer’s voluntarism. Nietzsche critiqued the latter for stifling human creativity, viewing it as a symptom of “Western decadence.” He emphasized the importance of pre-Socratic Greek philosophy, contrasting it with the idealism of Socrates and Plato. He was also influenced by Enlightenment philosophers in his rejection of metaphysics and Kantian formal ethics. Goethe’s aesthetic conception of life, Darwin’s concept of natural selection, and other proponents of individual freedom were also significant influences. The irrationalism of Schopenhauer and Wagner had a particularly strong impact. In twentieth-century music, Nietzsche influenced philosophers like Heidegger. Nietzsche’s critique did not truly overcome nihilism. His thought remains relevant today through postmodern philosophy. In Spain, he has been influential from Pío Baroja and Blasco Ibáñez to contemporary thinkers like Fernando Savater.
Nietzsche’s Philosophy
Thought: Nietzsche’s philosophy is a critique of all Western philosophy and culture. This critique is based on the assertion that Western culture has developed in opposition to the instincts of individual life, preventing individuals from truly living. Western culture, identified with Judeo-Christian Platonism, has created entities like God and Reason and placed them above humanity, dictating how people should live. For Nietzsche, moral norms imposed by culture prevent genuine living. To live authentically, individuals must create their own values. According to Nietzsche, humanity is freed from this enslavement, culminating in the Übermensch (Superman). This process is described as a metamorphosis through three stages:
- The “camel,” capable of bearing everything (including imposed morality).
- The “lion,” in which the individual destroys imposed values.
- The “child,” in which the individual is capable of creating their own values.
Nietzsche not only criticizes Western culture but also its morality. In Western culture, truth is considered absolute. In contrast, Nietzsche argues that truth is not absolute but depends on us and is therefore relative. In Western culture, truth is seen as good and desirable, while falsehood is considered null. For Nietzsche, Reason and Ideas are flawed because they are human beliefs placed above humanity. He advocates returning to the origins, where individuals were free, realizing that there is no “pure knowledge” or truths outside of humanity. For Nietzsche, belief in God prevents individuals from living fully; therefore, for humanity to live, God must die. The world, reality, is reduced to an interpretation, as is science. Science is a human creation that depends on us, like language. Language determines our beliefs, trapping us in the belief in a real world in opposition to an apparent one. Consequently, we have forgotten the metaphorical origin of language. Concepts are merely metaphors whose origins we have forgotten and to which we have attributed reality. Postmodern philosophy links this critique to the Judeo-Christian Platonic theory of knowledge and defends relativism.