Nietzsche: Decadence of Western Civilization

Nietzsche (1844-1900)

1. Critique of the Foundations of European Culture

Nietzsche's philosophy departs from the assertion that Western culture is fundamentally decadent. This decadence, he argues, stems from inherent flaws present from its inception. To address these problems, he proposes a critique of Platonic dogmatism and the elimination of the core error: the opposition of culture to life and instinct.

Western culture, according to Nietzsche, is built upon three inverted worlds, the values of which are symptoms of decadence. These are:

• Dogmatic Philosophy
• Christian Religion
• Traditional Morality and Science

1.1. Critique of Morality

Nietzsche's most profound critique targets Western morality, which he views as unnatural and opposed to life. He rejects the moral values stemming from Platonism, which places the center of gravity in the world of ideas, neglecting the lived reality of this world.

Morality, in Nietzsche's view, is a fiction that stifles life, the only true reality. He proposes an alternative: a *morality of life*, characterized by:

• Slave Morality: The prevailing Western morality, inverting true moral criteria. It originates with Judaism and is inherited by Christianity.
• Master Morality: The morality Nietzsche advocates, which embraces life, power, and greatness.

1.2. Critique of Christianity

Nietzsche argues that all religions arise from fear, anxiety, and need, and therefore, contain no truth. Christianity, in particular, has inverted the values of the classical world, which celebrated life, and has instead invented an ideal world that obscures the truth. This critique builds upon the ideas of Feuerbach and the Enlightenment.

Christianity, therefore, promotes a common morality that opposes true virtue, which is life itself. It is vulgar because it originates from a God who acts as a barrier to life.

1.3. Critique of Traditional Philosophy and Science

Morality, according to Nietzsche, finds its foundation in the philosophy of Plato, which he deems dogmatic. Platonic philosophy studies a static being that does not exist. Concepts cannot account for reality because they are static, while reality is dynamic. Only appearances exist, and that is all we can know.

1.4. The Death of God

Nietzsche's radical critique culminates in the declaration of the "Death of God." This is the logical conclusion of his critique of morality, religion, and traditional philosophy and science. These three pillars, which symbolize God, have collapsed, leading to the conclusion that God is dead.

The death of God represents liberation from a great burden. The idea of God, Nietzsche argues, prevents humanity from fully realizing itself. For humanity to live, God must die. The death of God signifies that God is no longer a relevant force or significant presence in modern culture.

Nietzsche introduces the "metaphor of the three transformations" to illustrate this process:

According to this metaphor, the human spirit undergoes three stages:

1. The Camel: Initially, the human spirit is like a camel, bearing the weight of unsuitable securities and the burdens of life.
2. The Lion: The spirit then transforms into a lion, representing the destruction of Western culture and its values.
3. The Child: Finally, the spirit becomes a child, symbolizing the birth of a new human being with a new hierarchy of values, arising after the destruction of the old.