Nietzsche's Revaluation of the Body and Senses in Western Thought

Nietzsche's Revaluation of the Body and Senses

This text examines Nietzsche's profound critique of how the body and senses, which he argues have been despised and suppressed by the philosophical, moral, and religious traditions of Western culture.

The Philosophical Devaluation of the Body

Nietzsche attributes this decline to philosophers' denial of instincts and the body's senses. He argues that these thinkers reject what is inherently tied to change and plurality. This rejection stems from a static conception of being that, originating with Parmenides, Socrates, and Plato, subsequently dominated the Western philosophical tradition up to modern times.

The Static Conception of Being and Overestimated Reason

This static conception of being arises from an overestimation of reason, which is perceived as static, abstract, and purely ideal. Such a view leads to conclusions radically different from what the senses reveal. Nietzsche believed Parmenides' emphasis on reason, rather than the senses, was born of cowardice, resentment toward life, and a calumny of instinct, stemming from a desire to be weak and sick.

The "truth" that reason supposedly perceives, which we do not find in this world of change and plurality, Plato located in the afterlife, in the ideal world. This ideal world thus became the "real" world, while the present world was deemed false, bad, a mere appearance shown by deceptive senses.

Moral Consequences: Repression of Body and Senses

The most profound consequence of this purely rational philosophical conception is that the senses and the body, with which they are intertwined, would be considered misleading, bad, immoral, and a continuing source of sin. Thus began a long history of repression of the body and senses that has characterized Western culture.

Nietzsche's New Morality: Exalting Life and Instincts

For Nietzsche, however, the body is the only reality. He undertook the task of liberating the West from the outrage against the body perpetrated by the Platonic-Christian tradition.

He therefore proposed a new morality based on the exaltation of life, instincts, and senses. This stood in stark contrast to the morality of slaves, which he saw as composed of values born of weakness and resentment. Instead, he championed a master morality, founded on vital values such as:

• Greatness
• Power
• Strength
• Self-overcoming

In this sense, Nietzsche always saw himself as a champion of moral freedom.