“There are no facts, only interpretations.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
He was the most controversial thinker in the entire history of philosophy …
I have never been a fan of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, or any part of his philosophy that I have ever heard about. He may be the most controversial person in the entire history of philosophy. He attacked virtually every aspect of the existing culture, and advocated disturbing ideas in their place. But there are still people today who believe in his ideas, so I thought that it would be worthwhile to know something about them. Thus, I listened to this audiobook (narrated by Charlton Heston), to learn about him. I was not disappointed, and learned much about him and his ideas – much of it disturbing, as you will see in this post.
Nietzsche’s views on religion, including his criticism of Christianity and Judaism
Nietzsche is far from the only atheist in the history of philosophy. The world of philosophy today is filled with agnostics and atheists. But few have attacked existing religion so vehemently as did Friedrich Nietzsche. He particularly attacked the Christian and Jewish religions, with his attacks on Judaism sometimes bordering on Antisemitism. This, indeed, may have been part of why his philosophy appealed to the Nazis, who cited him as one of their philosophical inspirations. I don’t want to talk much about his views on religion, since I want to save my firepower for another part of his philosophy. But suffice it to say that Nietzsche declared that “God is dead,” leading to the humorous bumper sticker quoting God as saying that “Nietzsche is dead.” Regardless of who spoke these words, it is clear that Nietzsche is indeed dead, since he passed away in 1900.
Nietzsche's grave at Röcken
Nietzsche’s views on the theory of knowledge, and of aesthetics and logic
Nietzsche was active in virtually all areas of philosophy, including epistemology – where he claimed that “There are no facts, only interpretations.” He was also active in the theory of aesthetics, since he was a great admirer of both art and music. He was once friends with the German composer Richard Wagner, but found his relationship with Wagner strained in later years. Nietzsche is often seen as the archetype of the “coldly rational” philosopher. But Nietzsche openly rejected rationality, viewing deep feeling as the greatest goal. He wished to be totally free of rationality, and what he viewed as its “constraints” on human feeling. Ironically, he got his wish when he went insane later in life, spending his later years in an insane asylum.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche’s rejection of traditional notions of ethics, and his “master-slave morality” (as it is sometimes called)
But the most notorious aspect of his work today is his political philosophy, where he rejected traditional notions of ethics. (Indeed, one of his works is entitled “Beyond Good and Evil,” suggesting that he viewed these words as “simplistic” notions.) He openly defended the exploitation of others, saying that there was a double standard of morality. One standard applied to the masters, in his view, while another standard applied to the slaves. Masters had a “duty” to secure their own interest, in his view, while slaves had a “duty” to obey. He believed that the master was a kind of superman, who was blissfully exempt from the traditional rules of ethics. These ethical rules applied only to the “peasants,” in Nietzsche’s view, and did not apply to those in power.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche’s effects on the character of “Voldemort,” in the Harry Potter series
As you might imagine, the Nazis liked these aspects of his arguments, citing them as “justification” for their oppression of conquered peoples. Small wonder, then, that Nietzsche is the most unpopular thinker in the history of philosophy. J. K. Rowling may well have had Nietzsche in mind, when she put these words into the mouth of her character “Voldemort” in Harry Potter (and I quote the first movie): “There is no good or evil – there is only power, and those too weak to use it.” This is a classic Nietzschean idea, sometimes known as the “will to power,” and it is another disturbing contribution to political theory.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche’s influence on the future course of fascism, including Nazi Germany’s Antisemitism
It is important to clarify that totalitarianism is not a particularly new phenomenon, with the roots of tyranny stretching back deep into antiquity. But Friedrich Nietzsche had a great influence on the future direction of fascism. The turn that it took in the twentieth century, as exemplified in people like Mussolini and Hitler, was much influenced by Nietzsche. Nietzsche did not originate its overt Antisemitism, since that has roots going back far before Friedrich Nietzsche. But he certainly gave the appearance – emphasis upon appearance – of “justification” to this gross Antisemitism. The Nazis appealed to these ideas in their persecutions of the Jews, which culminated in the infamous Holocaust. This shows just how far his madness could carry people, when they subscribed to his ideas.
Drawing of Friedrich Nietzsche
Conclusion: This is a fair presentation of Nietzsche’s ideas, and its verdict is ultimately negative (as is mine)
I do not often use such language to accuse philosophers, but I think that Nietzsche has some blood on his hands, because of what he influenced the Nazis to do. Some philosophers can at least say that they had good intentions; but to me, Nietzsche could not even say this. His intentions were ill, and his views were reprehensible. I find it difficult to understand why he is viewed as a great thinker, but I am glad that Knowledge Products decided to cover him in this “Giants of Philosophy” installment. They try hard (almost too hard) to give him a fair hearing. But their verdict on him is ultimately negative, and he richly deserves this condemnation from history. He is a scoundrel, and does not deserve to be remembered as anything more.
“I dislike Nietzsche because he likes the contemplation of pain, because he erects conceit into a duty, because the men whom he most admires are conquerors, whose glory is cleverness in causing men to die. But I think the ultimate argument against his philosophy, as against any unpleasant but internally self-consistent ethic, lies not in an appeal to facts, but in an appeal to emotions. Nietzsche despises universal love; I feel it the motive power to all that I desire as regards the world. His followers have had their innings, but we may hope that it is coming rapidly to an end.”
– Bertrand Russell, one of Nietzsche’s fellow atheist philosophers who vehemently disagreed with him
Audiobook at AudiobooksNow.com
If you liked this post, you might also like:
A review of Bettany Hughes’ “The Spartans”
A review of Niccolò Machiavelli’s “The Prince” (audiobook)
Actually, Machiavelli was pro-dictatorship (and Rousseau was wrong about him)
Machiavelli argued that Cesare Borgia was a good ruler. (Was he?)
A review of “The World at War” (World War Two series)
What fascism is (and why it stinks)
A review of “The Nazis: A Warning from History” (BBC)
A review of “Mussolini: The History of Italian Fascism”
A review of “Auschwitz: The Nazis and the ‘Final Solution’” (BBC)
The Nuremberg trials: A comparison of two movies
Part of an audiobook series
The Giants of Philosophy
Friedrich Nietzsche
Others to be covered later
See also the audiobook series
The World of Philosophy
Others to be covered later
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