RE: The emergence of postmodernism
Nietzsche thought there is no meaning out there, nothing outside Plato’s cave. The crisis of the “death of God” – we killed God. Meaning has no support and romanticism was presented as an alternative to scientific disenchantment with nature and the world. Art and creativity were placed against science. But the romantic became jaded.
The “Over (new) man” or “last man”: Existentialism, deconstructionism, and pragmatism emerged from the ruins. The crisis was that reason no longer exists. Nietzche was interested in philology and culture.
From “Beyond Good and Evil”
This work is aphoristic and poetic, not systematic, but colorful.
1. – The will to truth and the will to untruth.
Why do we want truth? We live by falsifying the world. Man creates fictions. Fictions can have good consequences, such as generated in great architecture.
– The will to truth and the will to power.
The philosopher tells a story and wants to persuade others by it. To Nietzsche, Plato has the “most dangerous” purveyor of errors and inventions. The world of Plato distracts. Instead we have nihilism, nothing. Christianity is Platonism for the people. Heaven does not exist and desire is what we are left with. There is a complex interplay with “how do we live in this world?”
2. Naturalism / autonomy.
Freud described our basic thoughts. Nietsche made reality. He believed the ultimate philosophical activity is the creation of values. All morality is a fight against reality.
The poet takes language and through controlled form creates a sonnet. He unleashes beauty and power. We are autonomous value creators. Value of the Good is something out there outside of us.
3. Subjective values and firm value judgements.
The Master morality seeks suffering and a natural awareness of death; a man who creates new values.
The Slave morality involves fear of suffering and growth. Dogs don’t worry. You too can escape and prevent suffering and never worry about death by becoming animals. The “Last man” has only basic biology needs.
4. The misanthrope and the humanist.
Nietzsche “defended humanity” against mediocre and sickly Europeans. It was a warning to them. (See WWII.)