JULY 5, 2011 LECTURE 5

The Gay Science

o o

God is dead, and we have killed him. (1) How much of thought about the world, ourselves, morality presupposes God? (How much must we now give up?)

o o

(2) What do we do once we ve gotten rid of all that? How can our lives have any meaning? Nietzsche uses the words Knowledge & Truth in 2 ways:
  

(1) actual knowledge (TJB) and actual truth (2) what we think is knowledge and truth can be wrong 3 Reasons to think knowledge doesn t track reality
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(1) many mistakes are useful, persist because of this (2) persisting mistakes can set the norms we use to judge things true or false
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i.e. Christianity during the medieval era and how philosophy was made to fit Christianity (Earth is the center of the Universe)

(3) we don t directly access reality / things in themselves

o o o

All of our info comes to us in appearances So we don t get direct information, it s all about our interpretations There is no reality once you remove all of the appearances, conceptions etc. (all human contribution)

Science


The world is not an organism (109)

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The world as a whole doesn t have an order, it is not organized Because there is no God

Science can rest on a kind of faith (similar to religion and God)

y

Unconditional will to truth

truth may be the ultimate good

Ethical Theories


Common-good based moralities (i.e. utilitarianism) -- section 1.21

y y

The virtues that are good for others are usually bad for me They praise my selflessness in praising my virtues (because they benefit while I sacrifice myself)

Virtue is the health of the soul -- section 1.20

y y y

(1) No account of health on which this makes sense (2) We can t have an account of health on which it makes sense A certain one thing can t be healthy for everybody, every person is healthy in a different way because we all have different goals and projects

Even though we all have similar interests and may have similar accounts of health, there is no one norm for it

Categorical Imperative (Kant) -- 3.35

y

There are never actions that are the same because actions are performed by individuals and so are different even if both people are doing the same thing

You shouldn t deny your earthly passions and etc. because it is an important part of yourself

Wholism of the self

  

All of my properties are essential If any of my them were different, I would be a different person All the properties are understood in how they relate to each other as a whole, if you remove one or change it then the whole relation will change

Free will
     

There are ways in which we are free and ways in which we aren t (1.27) Since everything has a cause, will is also that way Determinism no spontaneous willing Autonomy I can will to be what I am I endorse what I am Most of us are unhappy because there are parts of ourselves we want to change (we don t endorse)
y y

We can t just get rid of it We can change the meaning of our properties and our past (interpret it differently)
o

Taking an artistic perspective on our life

You don t just sit and interpret shit the way you want, you have to do things now to help change your perspective on your past and your traits
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i.e. you failed, you learn from it and succeed in something else now you can interpret your past failure as a valuable learning experience

you can t however keep making the same mistake and view your failure as a learning experience

 

ETERNAL RECURRENCE TEST amor fati love of fate

JULY 5, 2011
SECTION
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Nietzsche (1844-1900)
o

Gay Science (1882)

o y

Genealogy of Morality (1887)

Gay Science
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Eternal return of the same (recurrence) section 4.340-4.342 (esp. 341)

  

What would we do if it were true? Which does Nietzsche subscribe to?

y y

It is a doctrine We should live as if it were

JULY 7, 2011 LECTURE 6

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Gay Science cntd.

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Endorse your life as one that you wouldn t mind living over and over 2 Questions about Eternal Recurrence
 

(1) How does each help one pass the test? (2) Is each valuable only infsofar as it helps are pass the test?

How to live well pass the ER test



Give style to one s life (artistic interpretation)

y

Find beauty in your life, even in those areas that you found to be repulsive

Amor fati love of fate

y

be a yes-sayer

Constraints in interpretation
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(1) can t change the facts themselves (if you did, it would change who you are because of his idea of wholism)

y y

(2) a single taste (3) brief habits are good

o o

Enduring habits are bad because they re going to cause you to get stuck Brief habits offer a limited amount of stability with the possibility of change

Pleasure & Pain

y

Can t have great pleasure without great pain (has to do with passion)

Boldness
y y

It s important to live dangerously Knowledge is valuable

more experience/knowledge

Genealogy of Morality
o o o

READ THE PREFACE

History of morality and psychology He wants to show that there is something wrong with our morality

o o o

morality turns will against life It prevents us from flourishing He offers us to look at the history of morality rather than just to look at the present situation so we can see the whole picture

Virtues good in themselves



In the beginning when I did something good, it was praised by the person who benefited because my action was useful

 

Then the origin of the usefulness was forgotten and good became known as good in itself Nietzsche says this explanation is bad because we couldn t have forgotten something like this

Nietzsche s Genealogy
 

He starts with etymology etymology - the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history

  

in most languages the word good has origins similar to the words noble & aristocratic while bad is with common vulgar & base Noble s Valuation (Good/Bad)
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Good - Powerful physicality, Activity, Cheerfulness, Passion, boldness, beasts of prey , overflowing health

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Bad whatever inhibits any of the good things bad was created after the good

Slave Revaluation (Good/Evil)

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New morality was created by the oppressed people by means of their priests Radical reevaluation of moral values to get spiritual revenge (for that s the only kind of revenge they can get due to their lack of power)

They invert all the aristocratic values

o o o o

i.e. the poor and the oppressed people are the good powerlessness that doesn t retaliate = kindness subjugation = obedience cowardice = patience

posits free will you get to choose to be weak or strong (so they re week by choice)
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i.e. the vultures can be lambs

y y

slave morality is negative, passive, derivative it defines evil first, evil is a negation of the noble s good

KEEP IN MIND: for whom exactly is the slave morality unhealthy? In what sense is it harmful for the common people or only for the nobles? Is there a sense in which it is unhealthy for humanity? If yes, to what extent should that affect us and our choosing of moral values.