Nietzsche's Vitalism vs. Plato's Theory of Ideas
Nietzsche's Critique of Plato's Theory of Ideas
Nietzsche's philosophy is often compared to Plato's, whose ideas Nietzsche heavily criticized. The Theory of Ideas is the core of Platonic philosophy. Plato distinguishes between two modes of reality:
- Intelligible Reality: Consisting of Ideas, this represents the true self. It is immaterial and eternal, unlike things that change.
- Sensitive Reality: Consisting of what we ordinarily call things. This reality is material, corruptible, and subject to change (generation and destruction).
Plato's conception of reality is described as dualistic (ontological dualism: two realities), mirroring his view of knowledge (epistemological dualism: two forms of knowledge).
Plato's Ontological and Epistemological Dualism
The theory of recollection (anamnesis) appears in the Meno. According to this theory, the soul, being immortal, has known all things in its previous existence. When we know something, what really happens is that the soul remembers what it already knew. Learning is, therefore, remembering.
Plato posits two basic types of knowledge:
- Doxa (Sensitive Knowledge): Corresponds to the sensible world.
- Episteme (Intelligible Knowledge): Corresponds to the intelligible world.
Plato argues that the world we live in is a world of appearances, in which we cannot reach the truth. In contrast, Nietzsche asserts that this world of constant change and becoming is the only true and real world.
The Rejection of Platonic-Christian Morality
Another key difference is Plato's defense of a world of ideas—a world of supreme values—by which one reaches the Idea of the Good and can speak of truth. This is the opposite of what Nietzsche advocates, as he views the concept of a supersensible world as a way to get away from reality.
Nietzsche criticizes the Platonic-Christian morality, especially its reliance on a supersensible world. He argues that this morality is unnatural because it is transcendent, revolving around God rather than man, thereby imposing a rejection of human instincts. Furthermore, he claims that this morality is the product of resentment and hatred of life.
Nietzsche's Vitalism and the Rise of Existentialism
Referring to contemporary thought, how does Nietzsche's vitalism relate to existentialism? Existentialism is often seen as a radicalization of Nietzsche's philosophy of life. The German thinker does not recognize any inherent purpose to human life.
Characteristics of Existentialist Thought
Some characteristics shared by these authors include:
- Existence is understood from the concrete human individual, avoiding essentialist and universalist principles.
- Existence is never necessary.
- The human being creates himself through his freedom.
- The most coherent line of existentialism is atheistic, stemming from the death of God to leave man in absolute freedom.
Postmodernism and the Experience of Truth
The concept of the weak being becomes something present in each of the openings in history, resulting in weak thinking. Postmodernism has a Nietzschean and Heideggerian conception of the experience of truth.