Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Philology, Nihilism, and the Superman

Nietzsche’s Philosophy: A Philological Approach

Understanding Nietzsche’s philosophy requires exploring its philological roots. For Nietzsche, philology transcends the mere study of language; it mirrors human reality by representing a specific time. He used Greek philology to uncover the forces behind the pre-classical tragic spirit: Apollo (god of sculpture and architecture) and Dionysus (god of dance and music).

Nietzsche’s Critique of Morality and Metaphysics

Nietzsche employed the genealogical method to critique morality, seeking the original meaning of terms like “good.” In pre-classical times, “good” signified nobility and distinction. Dionysian values embrace life as the foundation. Nietzsche championed the innocence of becoming, of tragedy and comedy, within a metaphorical, multifaceted reality.

Western morality, rooted in traditional metaphysics (starting with Parmenides), dismissed life’s transient nature as false. Nietzsche aimed to dismantle this metaphysics, famously declaring “God is dead,” thereby challenging the foundations of Christian morality and the concepts of truth, logic, and reason. He also critiqued Western science for its mathematical reduction of reality, seeing it as another form of submission, akin to religious dogma.

Nihilism: Devaluation and Overcoming

Nietzsche’s critical analysis led to nihilism, the devaluation of the real. He distinguished two forms:

• Negative Nihilism: Denial of vital (Dionysian) values, representing the West’s decline, inherent even in Christianity.
• Positive Nihilism: Rejection of false Platonic-Christian values, a necessary step to rebuild vital ones.

Nietzsche identified three stages in nihilism:

• Doubt: Destruction of Christian and Platonic values through the “death of God.”
• Reflection: Affirmation of the nihilistic process.
• The New Assessment: The advent of the Übermensch (superman), where moral transformation occurs, and nihilism is overcome by instinct and reason.

The Will to Power and Eternal Return

Recognizing the “death of God” is key to overcoming nihilism. It ends transcendence as a guiding principle and affirms life’s eternal development. The will to power, the desire to excel and enhance life, transcends truth and falsity. It drives becoming, which reason alone cannot grasp.

The eternal return, a cyclical concept of time where everything recurs infinitely, represents the highest affirmation of life. Only the Übermensch can fully embrace this concept, breaking free from traditional metaphysics to create new values.

The Übermensch: Embracing Dionysian Ecstasy

In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche outlines three transformations to reach the Übermensch:

• Camel: Represents negative nihilism, the West’s decline.
• Lion: Represents positive nihilism, rejecting Western values but lacking new ones.
• Child: The Übermensch, embracing becoming, playfulness, and the eternal meaninglessness of existence with Dionysian ecstasy, expressed through metaphor.

Nietzsche’s Legacy: Master of Suspicion

Nietzsche, alongside Marx and Freud, is considered a “master of suspicion” for his aim to dismantle the foundations of Western culture.