Nietzsche's View on Concepts and Reality

Nietzsche's Critique of Metaphysics and Language

Nietzsche's critique of metaphysics involves a static interpretation of being, which he argues strips away the essence of change and becoming. This criticism stems from the German philosopher's view on conceptual knowledge.

Critique of Conceptual Genesis

Platonism and Reification

Nietzsche's first complaint targets a certain Platonism in the genesis and formation of concepts. This has led to the reification and substantification of concepts. Concepts, once created to refer to original experiences or familiarity, have, over time, become substances themselves. They acquire independent life, surpassing the real life they initially attempted to reflect.

Abstraction and Universal Representation

Furthermore, the very genesis of concepts requires a process of abstraction (sensation -> intuitive imagination -> concept). This process arbitrarily ignores individual differences to achieve a universal representation. For example, the concept 'animal' refers to all animals but does not refer to any particular animal (like a dog, cat, or human). Consequently, it fails to allow us to know any existing animal. The concept, rather than reflecting reality, obscures it.

The Nature of Truth and Reality

Truth as Abstraction

Truth, in this context, is not merely a set of abstractions and generalizations devoid of concrete content, which custom and practice have eroded.

Becoming and Aesthetic Experience

If concepts fail to grasp the true reality of being—which is becoming and change—then we can only engage in creative aesthetics. This form of knowledge is ephemeral. Truth, therefore, occurs in each individual experience, characterized by authentic aesthetic experience: subjective and ephemeral creativity.

Language and Conceptualization

Language's Influence on Thought

Nietzsche also highlights the close relationship between metaphysical language and static conceptual knowledge. The grammatical structure of a language provides the framework for interpretation and the possibilities for conceptualizing the world. For instance, the subject-predicate grammatical structure particularly lends itself to conceptual construction. It assumes a subject of the claim that possesses certain qualities, even if that subject is our own construction. In Twilight of the Gods, Nietzsche questions whether we are not simply misled by language.

Metaphor and Overcoming Petrification

To avoid the petrification of becoming—being fixed in immutable, custom categories—Nietzsche exalts the human being's metaphorical imagination. Metaphor offers a real prospect, as it results in the integration of diversity through the interplay of interpretations.