Gates1

LauraGates

ProfessorVeenaRaman

CAS137H

November4,2014

FriedrichNietzscheandPhilosophyinthe20thcentury

FriedrichNietzsche,aGermanphilosopherbornin1844,hadalotofopinionsandperspectives

thatatthetimeseemedveryunpopular .Hewrotemultipletextsthattouchedontopicslikereligion,1

morality,culture,philosophy,andscience,andwasoftencriticizedfortheideashesuggestedabout

them.Infact,hisworkdidntseemtogainmuchpopularityuntilafterhisdeathin1900.Fordecades,

religiousandpoliticalgroupsalikehaveusedandfoundinspirationinhiswriting.Inhisoneparticular

book,TheGayScience,publishedin1882,heusedonephrasethatcompletelychangedsocietyspoint

ofviewonreligion:GodisDead.Therehavebeennumerousanalysesofthemeaningbehindthe

phrase,butregardlessithasbecomeoneofthemostinfluentialideasincontemporaryreligious

thought.Thisexpressionsetinmotionaparadigmshiftthathadbothpositiveandnegativeeffectson

oursociety,butneverthelessopenedoureyestonewperspectivesonreligion.

Paradigmshiftsoftendonttakeshapeunlessthereisaneedforone.Theyarefueledand

inspiredbyanagentforchange,whoseideasmayseemradicalbutsuggestanimprovedwayof

thinkingorliving.FriedrichNietzsche,asmentionedbefore,wasoneofthesepeople.Inthecaseofthis

particularparadigmshift,therewasdefinitelyawindowofopportunityforhisideas.Thequote:For

Nietzscheans,theirleaderdoesnthavetoresolveparadoxandconflict.Instead,hemustonlyraise

doubts,manifestcontingency,andcastsuspiciononmainstreamideas.Tofascinate,provoke,fragment,

anddeconstructbecomethecoreofthephilosopherofthefuturethephilosopherasperformative

1Wilkerson,Dale."FriedrichNietzsche(18441900)."InternetEncyclopediaofPhilosophy:APeerreviewedAcademicResource.UniversityofNorthTexas,1Jan.2009.Web.

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artist. canperfectlydescribehiseffectonpeople.UponwritingTheGayScience,hepredicteda2

gradualshiftingawayfromtheism.Thefinalbreakingpointwasinthemidstofthe20thcentury,

duringtheaftermathofWorldWarIandII.Atthistime,peoplewerelosingfaithinGodandfrustrated

withreligion.Atfirst,hisworkswerepopularamongpoliticalgroupsinEurope,butsoonbecame

popularamongthegeneralpopulationwhentheyweretranslatedintootherlanguages .3

GodisDead,thephrasethatultimatelyinspiredtheparadigmshift,ismentionedafewtimes

inNietzschesbookTheGayScienceandlaterinThusSpokeZarathustra.Itswrittensporadicallyin

differentsections,andatfirstitwasntevenvoicedbyNietzscheitwasspokenbyamentallyill

character,runningthroughamarketplaceandshouting:IseekGod!IseekGod!Hearousessome

amusementnoonetakeshimseriously.Maybehetookanoceanvoyage?Losthiswaylikealittle

child?Maybehe'safraidofus(nonbelievers)andishiding?muchlaughter.Frustrated,themadman

smasheshislanternontheground,cryingoutthatGodisdead,andwehavekilledhim,youandI! 4

Inthispassage,Nietzscheisexpressinghisideasthroughafictionalcharacter.Lateron,heelaborates

onthethoughtanddevelopshispointofview.Itisverymetaphoricalandshouldnotbetakenliterally

thereisnodiscussionofanactualphysicaldeath.

Essentially,heissayingthattheGodwefollowandworshiptodayisntthesameastheonewe

believedininthepastwehaveaffectedourreligiousbeliefswiththemoralsofmainstreamsociety.

OnecouldalmostgotosaythatitshypocriticaltofollowthewordofGodbecauseitsmeaninghas

changedovertime.WeturnedGodintosomethingthatfitsintothelimitationsofourcurrentsociety,

andwerehangingonanideathatnolongerhasanyrelativeapplicabilityormeaning.InNietzsches

perspective,hedescribesGodasacentralfigure:...TheideaofGodlikebeingwhosepowerinvolves

noexerciseofforcebutconsistssolelyinbeingacenteraroundwhomaworldfollowsofitsown

2Pp.55.Belliotti,RaymondA.JesusorNietzsche:Howshouldweliveourlives?.Amsterdam:EditionsRodopi,2013.3Wilkerson,Dale4Nietzsche,Friedrich,andWalterKaufmann.TheGayScience.Germany,1882.Sect.125.Print.

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accords. Today,Godnolongerfitsthisstandard.Instead,amajorityofpeoplegothroughthemotions5

setbyorganizedreligionasameansofmaintainingasenseofpersonalmorality.Thiscanbebetter

expressedinthequote:FaithinGodinearlierdecadeshadenergizedlife,butthatconvictionwas

weakeningandwasrapidlytransformingintomerelyaseriesofinstitutionalreligiousroutinesand

ritualsanimatedmorebyhabitthanbyferventhabit. Ofcourse,therehavealsobeenmanyother6

analysesofitsmeaning.Forexample,MartinHeideggerclaimedthatitsignifiedthedeathof

metaphysics,whichisabranchofphilosophythatexplainsthefundamentalnatureofbeingandthe

worldaroundit.Inthisway,hethoughtthatfieldofphilosophyhasreacheditspeak.Eitherway,itis

agreedthatNietzscheusesittogivesocietyawakeupcallabouttheircorruptbeliefsystem.

Nevertheless,itdidreceivealotofattention.Assaidbefore,Nietzschesideasdidntreally

pickupuntilafewdecadeslater,butwhentheydidtheygrewinpopularityfast.Hisviewswere

fulfilling,especiallytonontheists,becauseheofferedarationalexplanationforthechangesthathad

occurredbetweenreligionandsocietyatthetime.Allthewhile,hetriedtoputthewholesituation

underapositivelightbystatingthatmoralvaluescanstillberetainedwithoutreligion.Wecanstillgo

onwithoutGod.InBelliottisbook,hiswrote:Nietzscheisanunapologeticactivenihilist.Embracing

cosmicmeaninglessnessasthespringboardtocreativepossibilitiesrevelinginradicalcontingency

recreatingtheselfandrejoininginliberationfromimposedvaluesandmeaningsareattheheartof

activenihilism.Inthispassage,theauthordescribesNietzscheasanihilist,denyingtheimportanceof

religiousfaithandembracingamorehumanisticapproach.Hetriestopersuadehisreadersthatifwe

justacceptedourinsincerity,ourqualityoflifewouldimprove.Itwouldhelpusachievehigherlevels

ofcreativityandacknowledgetheworldweliveinbetter:WhenwillalltheseshadowsofGodno

longerdarkenus?Whenwillwehavecompletelydedeifiednature? Althoughhewasrather7

5Pp.150Belliotti,RaymondA.6Pp.67Belliotti,RaymondA.7Pp.256"TheGayScience."TheOxfordHandbookofNietzsche.Ed.KenGemesandJohnRichardson.1sted.Oxford,UK:OxfordUP,2013.Print.

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pessimistic,manyofhisreadersboughtintotheseideasandwereinspiredbythemtocreatetheirown

ideologies.

Nietzschesviewsonmoralsandreligionareofteninfluencedbyatheism,psychologism,and

historism,asalludedtobefore.Becausetheyweresoradicalanduniqueatthetime,hiswordshelped

formotherphilosophicalmovements:morespecificallyexistentialismandpoststructuralismbutalso

postmoderismandnihilisminsomerespects .Aparticularareaofthoughtwasactuallynamedafter8

Nietzschesphrase,DeathofGod,andwasinspiredbyhisworkrelatedtothetopic.Alsocalled

theothanatology,theDeathofGodmovementbelievedthattherewasatraditionaltheisticGod,butthat

itiscurrentlyabsentordead. Itsverysecularinthoughtaswellandisinspiredbynotonly9

Nietzsche,buttheworksofotherChristianphilosopherslikeGabrielVahanian,PaulVanBuren,

WilliamHamilton,JohnA.T.Robinson,ThomasJ.J.Altizer,JohnD.Caputo,andrabbiRichardL.

Rubenstein. 10

Althoughsomegoodhascomeoutofthis,therehasalsobeenalotofnegativeeffectsof

Nietzschesparadigmshift.Forexample,hisworksarehistoricallyknownforhelpingfuelthe

ideologiesbehindFascismandNazism.Hisworksappealedtothesepartiesbecausetheyofferedan

excusefortheirbehavior.Somewouldalsoarguethatitrationalizedtheirpointsofviewandgave

theiractionsandbeliefsapurposeandasenseofcogencytothepublic,becausehewishedto

transgressandtranscendallexistingtaboos. Infact,thisassociationreallywasntevenNietzsches11

fault,butinsteadhissisters,ElisabethFursterNietzsche,andotherswhotookcareofhiminhisold

age.FrsterNietzschepromotedherbrotherasaphilosopherofFascism,payinghomagetothe

movementinmanyways,fromcallingMussolinitheinspiredreawakenerofaristocraticvaluesin

Nietzschessense,andinvitingHitlertothearchivestoviewhiswork.Sheevensymbolicallygifted

8"FriedrichNietzsche."Wikipedia.WikimediaFoundation,11Mar.2014.Web.1Nov.2014.9"Theology:TheGodIsDeadMovement."Time.TimeInc.,22Oct.1965.Web.1Nov.2014.10"FriedrichNietzsche."Wikipedia.11Pp.542"WilltoPower."TheOxfordHandbookofNietzsche.

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theNazileaderherbrotherswalkingstickin1934 .ThetiesbetweenNietzscheandthesetwo12

politicalmovementsstrengthenedevenmoresowhenhissayingswerewrittenonNazipropaganda

pieces,truncatedtoadvocateformilitarismandGermanicvalues.Althoughitsurelywasnt

NietzschesintentiontosupportFascismandNazism,itwasoneoftheaftereffectsoftheparadigm

shifthecreatedsuresocietyneededachange,butitwasntnecessarilythechangeheenvisionedyears

before.

Inthisway,whenthestarsalignandanagentofchangecoincidesforasocietalneedfor

change,aparadigmshiftcanoccur.Nietzscheplayedaninfluentialroleinone,takingthespotlight

duringthegreatWorldWarsatimethatwaschangingquicklybothphilosophicallyandpolitically.

Althoughtheseareasofthoughthavebeendoingsograduallybefore,itwasonlyamatteroftime

beforeacompleteparadigmshiftoccurred.Asmentionedearlier,thisfinallyhappenedwiththe

growingpopularityofhistexts,TheGayScienceandThusSpokeZarathustra,inwhichhecoinedthe

termGodisDead.Thephraseisntsupposedtobetakenliterally,andinsteadrepresentsthe

metaphoricaldeathofGodandmorality.Insomeways,itmarkedatippingpointinthepopulations

shyingawayfromtheism.Heexpressedthatsocietywashangingontoourreligiousbeliefsinaway

thatitwasntproductiveorhelpful,andthatourvaluesandmoralstodayhavechangedfromthepast

fervencyoffaith.Hetriedtoconvincehisreadersthattheycouldmaintainmoralswithoutreligionif

wereevaluatethem.Thereasoningbehindthisphrasehadbothpositiveandnegativeresponses,but

neverthelesshadaninfluenceonnearlyeveryoneatthetimemakinghimanextremelyimpactful

person.Nietzsche'sphrase"GodisDead,"hadcausedoneofthemostimportantphilosophical

paradigmshiftsofthe20thcentury.

12Pp.543"WilltoPower."TheOxfordHandbookofNietzsche.

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Bibliography

Belliotti,RaymondA.JesusorNietzsche:Howshouldweliveourlives?.Amsterdam:EditionsRodopi,2013.Print.

Golomb,Jacob.WilltoPower.TheOxfordHandbookofNietzsche.Ed.KenGemesandJohnRichardson.1sted.Oxford,UK:OxfordUP,2013.Print

"FriedrichNietzsche."Wikipedia.WikimediaFoundation,11Mar.2014.Web.1Nov.2014.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Nietzsche

Janaway,Christopher."TheGayScience."TheOxfordHandbookofNietzsche.Ed.KenGemesandJohnRichardson.1sted.Oxford,UK:OxfordUP,2013.Print

Kettell,S2013.Faithless:Thepoliticsofnewatheism.SecularismandNonreligion2:6172,DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.5334/snr.al

"Theology:TheGodIsDeadMovement."Time.TimeInc.,22Oct.1965.Web.1Nov.2014.http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,941410,00.html

Nietzsche,Friedrich,andWalterKaufmann.TheGayScience.Germany,1882.Sect.125.Print.

Small,Robin.Nietzscheincontext.Aldershot,England:Ashgate,2001.Print.

Wilkerson,Dale."FriedrichNietzsche(18441900)."InternetEncyclopediaofPhilosophy:APeerreviewedAcademicResource.UniversityofNorthTexas,1Jan.2009.Web.http://www.iep.utm.edu/nietzsch/