Homer in Nietzsche’s Art of Interpretation

The main purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the relevance of the aesthetic understanding of the Western culture’s development in Nietzsche’s thought based on his artistic conception of interpretation.In order to accomplish this,his considerations on the figure of Homer in the production of the classical imaginary of Greek culture are taken as a discursive motif in the comparison between three distinct nuclei of his oeuvres,namely,his methodological discussions on philology,his theoretical analyses on the rhetorical nature of language-both from the time of his academic activity in Basel-and his philosophical reflections on creative interpretation in the 1880s.The fundamental premises raised by such comparison are the following:(a)interpretation as an art is a consequence of language as a pragmatically produced system of references;and(b)language is a practical aspect of the individual’s synthetic organic condition as a body in the world.As such,interpretation would be an aesthetic synthesis in Nietzsche’s philosophy.As a concluding remark,it should be demonstrated how the interpreter conceived as a creator is as worthwhile for understanding the historical processes of cultural transmission as it is for launching prospects for the future of cultural horizons.

Trope, Reason, and Affirmation in Nietzsche＇s and Novalis＇ Theories of Language

This paper analyzes the role of six tropes （metonymy, synecdoche, metaphor, analogy, allegory, and irony） in Nietzsche＇s and Novalis＇ writings on language and cognition, using the comparison to show how a negative element in Nietzsche＇s attitude towards the tropic nature of cognition underlies well-known problems in his response to nihilism. These problems include ambiguities in Nietzsche＇s attitude to truth, and the question of how well he can carry through his project of affirming the individual on the basis of a creative reinterpretation of experience. I maintain that Novalis understands language and cognition to be tropic in a similar way as Nietzsche does, and that these writers provide similar critiques of discursive reason on the basis of what they view as its stultifying rigidity and misleading claims to a ＂literal＂ form of objectivity. However, I argue that Novalis avoids Nietzsche＇s difficulties by maintaining that a creative element in cognition does not rule out a variant of a correspondence notion of truth. Although Novalis＇ account thus falls foul of Nietzsche＇s goal of providing an immanent affirmation of human experience, the comparison shows that a Nietzschean attempt to provide a convincing model of individual self-affirmation should integrate a more positive role for trope, which can support a satisfying conception of the value of human creativity.

The One Who Has Left the Bildung Friedrich Nietzsche＇s Philological Turn as a Catastrophe＊

Bildung, a western cultural ideal, which fundamentally can be traced back to biblical connotations, but is also rich in Platonic elements from the history of hermeneutics, reached its culmination point by the 19th century. As the vast superstructure of western erudition, it has acquired the rank of the sole discursive and epistemic normativity, which has defined not only its own system, i.e., education in its narrow sense, but also the criteria of scientific assertions. Since the basis of Bildung was formed by the variations of classical erudition changing by every era, so in the Age of Bildung the defining epistemological and methodological pattern, which determined it from a discursive, and at the same time, an epistemological point of view, was meant by classical philology. As a classical philologist Friedrich Nietzsche was among the first to point out the inseparable connection between rhetoric, interpretation, and epistemology. Nietzsche, as against the monolithic tradition of Bildung, developed a set of aspects of subversive criticism of science, so his surpassing of the nineteenth century academic philology and renewal of it as a kind of cultural hermeneutics walk hand in hand. Nietzschean philology, first and foremost, has to be adapted for revaluing its scientific statements from the aspect of art, i.e., aesthetical sensitivity, which has to be reassessed from viewpoint of effects on life as active potential. The claims of Nietzsche are so comprehensive that the notion of morality defined by Bildung, as well as the ethical system of Bildung, the sole sense of morality is questioned, and his issues are extended over the methodological basis of Bildung considered as normative. However, he does not use such a method of interpretation that, to a certain extent, would not have been known and used by the philology of the Bildung＇s scientific ideal. With the difference that the Nietzschean critical practice does not have respect for the borders defining homologous structures but, by implementing transgressive tactics, it claims the authority of these borders. In my article, I show how the Nietzschean propositions for the methodological reform of classical philology did set the stage for Nietzsche＇s later critical comments, now purely on the philosophy of science, and I analyse the multifold consequences of the concept of the Nietzschean philology as an ＂existential science,＂ which was aimed to de（con）struct the concept of Bildung.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s Homosexuality and Schizophrenia

This article proposes a new hypothesis about Nietzsche’s life and thought. It suggests that the repression of his homosexuality explains both his hatred of Christianity and his descent into insanity. His Biblical religiosity was a fundamental aspect of his essential self, like his homosexuality. He waged a relentless war against both. Yet one cannot be in a permanent battle with oneself without eventually becoming insane.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s Beatific Vision

It is perhaps the greatest paradox of western philosophy that Nietzsche, whose most famous sentence isundoubtedly “God is dead” (Nietzsche, 2012, p. 366;this and all the other translations are my own) should be theauthor of the only account of a Beatific Vision published in the nineteenth century. It can be found in Section 3 ofthe chapter on Also sprach Zarathustra in Ecce Homo. That God should choose to visit a man who once declaredthat He was dead will come as much of a surprise to Nietzsche’s readers as it did to him.

Nietzsche＇s Naturalistic Metaethics： In Defense of Privilege＊

In his essay ＂Nietzsche＇s Metaethics： Against the Privilege Readings,＂ Brian Leiter critically examines Richard Schacht＇s naturalistic interpretation of Nietzsche. Leiter focuses on the metaethical question： ＂What status--metaphysical, epistemological^o the values used to undertake [Nietzsche＇s] revaluation [of value] （the ＇assessing values＇） enjoy？＂ （2000, 277）. Are these values true or better justified？ Leiter describes Schacht＇s position as a ＂privilege reading＂ that holds that the perspective from which Nietzsche revaluates values is privileged on the basis of＂normative facts＂ which are constituted by certain ＂natural facts＂ （2000, 279）. Leiter attempts to outline and even enhance the argument he sees Schacht making for this position, which Leiter calls a naturalistic realism. Leiter however finds that the arguments for ＂privilege readings＂ are insufficient. He concludes that the perspective from which Nietzsche revaluates values is not privileged at all. It is simply the idiosyncratic perspective from which Nietzsche revaluates values. In this paper I argue that a version of Schacht＇s privilege reading can be supported using two fundamental components of Leiter＇s interpretation of Nietzsche： his methodological and substantive naturalism. When we use scientific methods and view social systems like other natural systems, we find that in contemporary science a privilege is given to the maximum power principle. This concept was initially conceived by the chemist and mathematician Alfred Lotka and further developed by the ecologist Howard Odum and it has a fundamental similarity to the will to power. This principle provides an empirical foundation for the will to power and Schacht＇s privilege reading of Nietzsche＇s metaethics. It provides further evidence that human life is ultimately part of a vast natural process and the growth of all natural systems is made possible by an increase in power.

The Development of Nietzsche’s Aesthetics

Aesthetics is an important part of F.Nietzsche’s ideological system.This paper is based on Nietzsche’s experience and masterpieces of different periods,reviewing the changes of his aesthetic idea,in order to grasp the development of Nietzsche’s Aesthetic theory,then we found that Nietzsche’s Aesthetics has a close relationship with the life,practice and politics.

The President Who Is Beyond Good and Evil:A Nietzschean Pantomime

This paper draws many parallels between Guy Debord‟s Society of the Spectacle and the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche particularly Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spake Zarathustra in anticipating and predicting the rise of the Superman,the 45th President of the United States Donald J.Trump.Debord identified the spectacle as“The moment when the commodity has achieved the total occupation of life”.What Debord didn‟t foresee is the rise of Donald J.Trump which Nietzsche would describe as the“noontide”or transcendence of the society of the spectacle,and indeed the eternal recurrence of the society of the spectacle.The spectacle is capable of regenerating itself in perpetuity through the essential slogan in Trumpism-make America great again!Nietzsche prophesizes that nihilism will be turned into the new religion where he predicts the rise of the Superman.Here it will be argued that Donald J.Trump is the nominal head of this new religion and may therefore be identified as the Anti-Christ.

The Beatific Vision as Described by Blaise Pascal, Friedrich Nietzsche and Carl Jung

Published accounts of beatific visions are extremely rare.However,three famous philosophers recorded their own experiences of this phenomenon.They were the Frenchman Blaise Pascal(1623-1662),the German Friedrich Nietzsche(1844-1900)and the Swiss Carl Jung(1875-1961).This article poses the question of whether such visions should be considered to be schizophrenic hallucinations.

An Interpretation of Nietzsche’s Will to Power Thought in The Razor’s Edge

The Razor’s Edge is one of the most important works of British postmodern novelist Somerset Maugham in his later years.It condenses Maugham’s thinking about the meaning of life.Maugham created three typical characters in his novel The Razor’s Edge.Larry is the incarnation of superman in Nietzsche’s theory of the will to power.He transcends himself,successfully fights for the old moral shackles,and pursues freedom on a transcendental pilgrimage.And the other kind of people in the works are the late man who represent the social celebrities such as Eliot and Isabel who pursue money and fame to satisfy their vanity.When the Western economy fell into crisis,the spiritual crisis of the last man also intensified,which led to the alienation of human nature.In the study of The Razor’s Edge,this paper tries to analyze the reasons why the different values of the protagonists,Eliot,Larry and Isabel,lead to their different endings through Nietzsche’s theory of the will to power.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s Glorification of War

In his writings,Friedrich Nietzsche repeatedly glorifies war.Yet throughout history men and women of good will have been horrified by war and have denounced it with passion.How could one of Europe’s most brilliant philosophers say that war is good when most people believe that it is bad?One hypothesis is that Nietzsche uses the word“war”as a metaphor for intellectual and spiritual battles and seems to think that it has nothing to do with real military warfare.This article offers a new hypothesis that claims that Nietzsche’s praise of war is simply a manifestation of his mental illness,which has been diagnosed as schizophrenia.

The Birth of Modern Poetry:Tradition and Individual Talent——An Understanding of T. S. Eliot's Critical Essay‘Tradition and Individual Talent'in comparison with Nietzsche's Spirits of Tragedy

As one of the most significant critical essays of T.S.Eliot,Tradition and Individual Talent has defined writing as a process during which the primitive oneness has seized the individual writer of figurative descriptions to help represent itself.This theory has latter been practiced in Eliot’s Wasteland,and shows its similarity with The Birth of Tragedy,written by Friedrick Nietzsche,the German philosopher.Eliot’s‘tradition’has been concluded by Nietzsche as‘Dionysian Spirit’,which represents oneness transcending good and evil,past and present,while‘individual talent’has resembled‘Apollonian Spirit’in the urge for original figuration as an apparatus.The paper aims to explain and compare the definitions of‘tradition’and‘individual talent’of Eliot’s work with that of‘Dionysian spirit’and‘Apollonian Spirit’in Nietzsche’s illustrations,so as to provide a deeper understanding of these two works by unveiling the individual and social sameness and difference of Eliot and Nietzsche.

Nietzsche＇ Self-Transcendence Theory From Three Metamorphoses of Spirit to Superman Philosophy

To solve the philosophical question of what is the human being's essence, Nietzsche gives his answer in late 19 th century that the essence of human being is self-transcendence. Human being is a bridge. One side is animal, and the other side is the higher level spices—superman. Nietzsche points out that people should finish their self-transcendence through the process of three metamorphoses of spirit and then to superman stage. During this process, Nietzsche compares three metamorphoses of spirit to camel, lion, and child. Child is the sign of arrival of superman. Superman is the symbol of ideal life, for which Nietzsche pursuits.

Nietzsche＇s Nihilism

Nietzsche＇s philosophical views have by now been superseded. He found the roots of nihilism in European society＇s traditionaI metaphysics and Christian morality, and he located nihilism specifically within the field of morality or value. He so urgently sought to resolve the problem of nihilism that he proposed extreme methods, such as the revaluation of all values. But he did not overcome nihilism completely, though he claimed that the Overman would replace the Christian God. Nihilism is not only a European phenomenon. As a historical process, nihilism may appear in different countries. We should take a positive attitude toward this phenomenon and guide it in the right direction. Nietzsche＇s ideas on nihilism are important contributions and an inspiring legacy that can help us confront contemporary phenomena.

To Preserve or Enhance Life?Nietzsche's Perspectivist Understanding of Life and Morality

Instead of denouncing sincere Christianity,as it is often assumed,Nietzsche inveighs vehemently against insincere Christianity that interpreters take as evidence for his nihilism.This essay argues that Nietzsche's perspectivism affirms the positive value of Christian morality as an instrument for life preservation,which is a relative standard for judging various perspectives on life.It also analyzes the negative value of Christian morality as the impediment to life enhancement,which is the absolute standard for evaluating those perspectives.As this study finally argues,it remains to the Overman to once and for all overcome the impediments to life brought on by Christian morality in the creation of a new morality,if in fact what the Overman creates is indeed a new morality.

Many Healths： Nietzsche and Phenomenologies of Illness

This paper considers phenomenological descriptions of health in Gadamer, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, and Svenaeus. In these phenomenologies of health, health is understood as a tacit, background state that permits not only normal functioning but also philosophical reflection. Nietzsche＇s model of health as a state of intensity that is intimately connected to illness and suffering is then offered as a rejoinder. Nietzsche＇s model includes a more complex view of suffering and pain as integrally tied to health, and its language opens up the possibility of many ＂healths,＂ providing important theoretical support to phenomenological accounts of the diversity and complexity of health and illness.

Dionysos and Apollo： Remediating Said＇s Orientalism with Metacritical Perspective

Geography is a kind of differential calculus in the sense that the three-dimensional, that is, the act of tangentially accessing things, is mapped on to the two-dimensional or the concrete. It is why we can say that the East-West or Occidental versus Oriental dichotomy is so limited in its binary dualism. We could easily criticize not only Said＇s Orientalism, but also in turn, a critical self-defense by turning itself upon its own head. It can indeed be said that the cross or cardinal directions run four different ways and not two. ＂The East＂ is not just Far Eastern, that is, the so-called ＂Asian,＂ but extends to the Far West or to California. Parts of Europe and the Dionysian are not simply limited to Central Europe and Southeastern Asia. We can see in Asia, that is, Eurasia and in North Africa, that 1-2% of non-Sub-saharan human DNA is genotypically Neanderthal in addition to being Homo Sapiens in DNA. 1 The task, it might be said, is to continually remediate binary directions and to reweave Apollo and Dionysos in Friedrich Nietzsche. We can see the limitations of Continentalism in categorizing the human.

The Dionysiac in The Birth of Tragedy

The Birth of Tragedy published by Nietzsche marks the origin of his philosophy. Dionysiac spirit and theaestheticism attitude toward life are the most discussed topics among scholars home and abroad. They are talkingabout the essence of Dionysiac spirit, its influence on literary works and critics, or its value in aestheticism and art.In one word, there are multiple critics about the metaphysical questions in The Birth of Tragedy. But what is thepsyche condition of a person who holds an aesthetic attitude toward life like？ Thus, this paper intends to analyzethe reflection of Dionysiac spirit in individual through means of dream interpretation, and then the authors try toreveal the position and proposition of Nietzsche related to the aesthetic attitude toward life in The Birth of Tragedy.The authors try to put forward that the Dionysiac in The Birth of Tragedy is the appreciation of music, Dionysiacfestival and tragedy. It is the abandon of individuality, becoming oneness with nature and fulfillment ofunconscious wish. Besides, the authors also point out that the aesthetic attitude toward life put forward byNietzsche is the condition when wish is fulfilled.

An Essay on Zarathustra’s “Of the Vision and the Riddle”

In this paper an extensive amount of evidence is presented that our genome,and in particular the DNA acts as a quantum computer.The human genome contains approximately 3 billion A-T and G-C base pairs,which reside in the 23 pairs of chromosomes within the nucleus of all our cells.And it estimated that only a fraction(about 4%)of these base pairs is involved in the synthesis of proteins.The prevailing scientific view is that the remainder of the DNA is just“junk”.Here is presented a great deal of evidence about the electronic as well as the quantum mechanical properties of DNA,and once it is accepted that the DNA is an electronic medium,which is operating over and above the mere synthesis of proteins,then it is but a short step to surmise that all that so-called junk DNA is actually capable of storing a sufficient amount of data to generate an entire universe.Given the fact then that our universe is computer generated and virtual,that makes us,indeed all living creatures,pseudophysical robots,and certain properties of our universe such as Gravity and Time purely fictitious.From this point of view then the famous discourse in Thus Spoke Zarathustra“Of the Vision and the Riddle”becomes readily explainable.Zarathustra talks about the Spirit of Gravity as a dwarf that has jumped on his back and is oppressing him.It then jumps off his back and he is able to see our supposedly physical life for what it is-a fiction,and illusion.Likewise the now,the current moment in time in which we are living is referred to as the“gateway”between a fictitious computer-generated past and a hypothetical,as yet undetermined future.An explanation is also given for“eternal recurrence”.Nietzsche is prophesizing that genetic technology will advance to the point where we humans will be cloned from our DNA when we die,and we will be able to live an infinite number of lifetimes.We will be reincarnated.