Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Tragedy, Morality, Nihilism

Nietzsche’s Philosophy: Tragedy, Morality, and Nihilism

*The Birth of Tragedy*: Apollonian and Dionysian Forces

In Nietzsche’s The Birth of Tragedy, Apollo symbolizes the principle of individuation, characterized by finished forms and rational limits. Dionysus, conversely, represents the force of life, the incomplete, and the strength of irrational life instincts. In nature and life, both spirits exist in a balance of forces, drawing humans to confront the tragedy and suffering inherent in existence. This suffering, the very essence of a tragic life, is what Nietzsche initially terms the Dionysian instinct. It connects with the anonymous will to live. The Apollonian instinct, on the other hand, arises when one accepts individual life as a beautiful and exciting illusion.

Critique of Moral Values

Nietzsche criticizes traditional moral values, arguing that Platonism inverted the moral values of the Greek world. The Greeks were governed by a *master morality*, loving the earth, looking down on the values of a supersensible world, and affirming life. With Judaism and Christianity, this was reversed. Nietzsche championed those who seek their will to power above all else. He saw Christians as slaves, unable to be masters, and thus weakened. Christianity, for Nietzsche, was the religion of the resentful, requiring a waiver of powerful instincts. He believed it was necessary to rise above all moral judgments, viewing morality as a fiction hindering the growth of vital, creative forces.

Critique of Language and the Concept of Truth

Nietzsche viewed words as mere phonetic reproductions of nerve impulses. Language, he argued, is a system of crystallized metaphors indicating the relationship of things to humans. We mistakenly believe that concepts identify with the original, when they merely generalize different impressions through metaphors. Therefore, he asserts, there is no ultimate truth, only concepts invented by philosophers dissatisfied with the world’s becoming, yearning for a static world of being. Humans can escape the lie of language by forgetting themselves and becoming intuitive, aesthetic beings, developing their artistic creativity.

Nihilism

The moral interpretation of the world, according to Nietzsche, has culminated in nihilism. The categories of purpose, truth, and a “real world,” with which we have given meaning to existence, have proven false. This leads to a sense of loss and hatred towards life. With the loss of all values, Nietzsche’s announcement of the “death of God” signifies the recognition of the falsity of these securities. He contrasts *passive nihilism* with *active nihilism*, the latter affirming all that strengthens and is capable of transmuting values. Overcoming nihilism must be done through the will to power, preparing for the arrival of the Superman.

The Will to Power, the Superman, and the Eternal Return

Life, for Nietzsche, is a constant struggle between forces. Where there is life, there is will to power. In the vacuum left by the death of God and the decline of values, the will to power emerges as the creator of new values. In this sense, the will to power is hermeneutic. To perform the transmutation of values, humanity must be overcome, leading to the Superman. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, the child represents the Superman, aware of God’s death. The new values do not follow any pre-existing standard; they are rooted in the sense of the earth, loving life and despising otherworldly hopes, accepting that life has no inherent ease. The Superman faces life in all its facets, accepting the suffering of the world as the price of a short life without interior compensation. The notion of good and bad changes; only the Superman, as a creator of values, can define what is good, as it is always good for the one who imposes power.