After enjoying the lectures on philosophers last year, I wanted to know more about these clever guys, so over the summer I thought I'd give myself somewhat of an education in philosophy. Naturally I began this education with the keystone readings to any philosophical adventure; personified in this case by the works of Socrates and Plato. These guys know there stuff! But it was the teaching's of Nietzsche in "Beyond Good and Evil" which really intrigued me, with his flawless wisdom and insight.
However, I would be foolish to whole-heartedly agree with every utterance communicated through his fluid, lyrical lexis. Two main issues I have with Nietzsche is that he rebukes any sort of organised religion, and secondly he hates moralists.
I am, by no means, a religious man. However, I was brought up from a young age in a Roman Catholic School thus I sympathise with them a great deal(Nietzsche has a real distaste to Christianity in particular). Call it indoctrination or naivety, but I like to refer to it as being agnostic. To denounce religion would be to deprive hope and inspiration for millions the world over. Whether or not there is indeed a God, religion serves its purpose; for the most part it has a positive influence.
Secondly, a human race without morals is, in my mind, a most dreadful and freightning comprehension. Neitzsche argues that morals are drummed into us and that we should ignore them, but surely to ignore them would make us no better than any other beast on this earth. I for one pride myself on my morals as they not only give me a sense of self-worth but they also resonate individuality.
Despite the above deviations in opinion, Nietzsche's controversial views make for great reading and I do agree with an awful lot of what he says. Below are a few sound bites from Chapter IV, which represent Nietzsche in all his glory
79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.
88. One begins to distrust very clever persons when they become embarrassed.
94. The maturity of man - that means, to have reacquired the seriousness that one had as a child at play.
97. What? A great man? I always see merely the play-actor of his own ideal.
fantastic!
ReplyDeleteReligion might once have played the positive role you describe, but surely not any longer -
ReplyDeleteVery good exposition on Nietzsche by Stanley Kubrick: see - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML1OZCHixR0&NR=1
Very good non-religious exposition on the nature of the unviersity (and also the need in Nietzschean term to become 'post human' by growing out of religion and becoming space explorers. In Nietszche's view science renders religion not so much 'wrong' as a mental straight-jacket.
The best popular exposition on the centrality of science and the vast cultural/intellectual impact of recent discoveries in pure science and space exploration is I think COSMOS by Carl Sagan. Watch the TV series and read the book - science is more useful than either religion or philosophy - the dominant trend in contemporary philosophy has declared philosophy a waste of time except in so far as it is used to clarify the terms used in understanding science (logical positivism).
COSMOS is easy to understand - it was made fo the average intelligent TV viewer in the 70s - an age when intelligent people still watched prime time television which I am sure they no longer do. So it would be impossible to have a series like COSMOS now unfortunate;y, becausde it is very good I think (it was also satirised as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).
COSMOS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3NAW1U-swc