Humanity can only desperately suppress the irrational Dionysus in his body, wearing a mask of hypocrisy all day long.
Once Dionysus was exposed, people would always panic, blame themselves, be landless, be miserable and anxious, and even unable to live...
--Kun Peng Theory
In the process of studying and writing Nietzsche, with the continuous reflection on his ideas and writings, Kun Peng theory has become more and more aware of his greatness, the greatness of wisdom.
Therefore, at the end of the study and sharing of Nietzsche's philosophy, I once again slowed down the pace of writing, splitting the original articles in one article, so that I could savor Nietzsche's wisdom and thoughts like a peaceful thought walk.
Today, I would like to introduce Dionysus and Apollo, whose place in Nietzsche's philosophy is important.
First, the gods of ancient Greece were more human-like than man
Before we begin, let's talk about the gods of ancient Greece, who are quite different from the gods we now remember.
They are human-God-like-
That is to say, God and man, the same image and the same character, are the highest typical of man and the greatest magnification of personality.
Physically, they are more developed and more beautiful than humans.
The Greek god was worshipped not because of how noble morality or wisdom he or she was, but because he or she had a more muscular body.
That is to say, the male god is a male god because he has more male characteristics than men; the reason why the goddess is a goddess is also because she has more feminine characteristics than women.
It is precisely because of its beauty, more like people than people, with exemplary and exemplary nature, that people worship it as a god.
The famous 19th-century aesthetician Danner wrote in his Philosophy of Art:
"The Greeks tried so hard to model the beautiful human body, and as a result they were idolized, glorified as heroes on earth, and worshipped as gods in heaven."
Divinely, they are completely exaggerated and magnified by human nature.
They have love, they have hate, they have all kinds of passions and desires, they will be angry, they will be angry, they will be angry, they will make mistakes, they will lie, they will even be violent, lustful, jealous, and their behavior is often worse than that of people.
They were always in love, broke off, and quarreled with each other, and they often wore special costumes to seduce mortals in special circumstances and make them pregnant.
They also often persuaded their mortal subjects to go to war.
Of course, what sets them apart from humans is that they are immortal and possess mana.
From the gods of ancient Greece, we can see that the ancient Greeks advocated nature and believed that the human body was the most beautiful, and at the same time, the depiction of divinity showed their affirmation of themselves and human nature.
Nietzsche drew the soul of his own philosophy from it, and merged with the theory of evolution, such as the concept of the will to power, superman, etc., all of which shone with such brilliance.
Ii. Dionysus and Apollo
Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of wine, inventor of wine, was once appointed as the god of revelry.
Not only did he possess the intoxicating power of wine, but he also became a very appealing god at that time with his joy and love.
He promoted the civilization of ancient societies and established the laws to maintain world peace.
He also patronized the agricultural and theatrical culture of Greece and was a talented musician.
In the early Greek period, Dionysus was an admirer of countless people, and he had an important influence on the ideas of Pythagoras and Plato.
More importantly for Nietzsche, the Greek tragedy developed from the festivals of Dionysus.
Dionysus was taken from the womb of a dead mother and raised in the thigh bone of his father, Zeus, so his name means "Zeus's rotten leg".
He was once torn to shreds in anger by the Titans, then turned into a child and raised by the goddess of the mountains and rivers.
He represents the illogical flow of life, unconstrained and unhindered, regardless of all restrictions.
Nietzsche saw it as the essence of Dionysus's spirit, the will to live, and he believed that he gave value to the natural character of man, to coexist with and enjoy it.
In Nietzsche's mind, opposite Dionysus was Apollo, the god of light and prophecy.
He was also the son of Zeus.
If Dionysus represented chaos, Apollo was a symbol of order, moderation, and form.
He argues that aesthetic values arise from the fusion of order and chaos.
The truth here is like the edge of chaos that Kun Peng theory has talked about before, it is between order and chaos, it is the best performance of the complex system, stirring conflict, innovation, prosperity, emergence, development...
Dionysus symbolizes the unity of humanity and life, where individuality is absorbed into the greater reality of the life force, representing the negative and destructive dark forces of the soul, which, if unrestricted, is "absurd and brutal to the point of reaching the pinnacle, like the most ferocious beast." ”
Apollo, on the other hand, was the principle of individuality, a force that controlled and constrained the dynamic processes of life, regulating the surge of dionysus' life energy, harnessing destructive forces and transforming them into creative actions.
So, Nietzsche believed that ancient Greek tragedy was a great work of art that represented the outcome of the struggle between Apollo and Dionysus—the conquest of the former over the latter.
From this, Nietzsche concluded that human life necessarily consists of a dark, turbulent erotic force (the spirit of Dionysus), as well as a basic element of health (the spirit of Apollo), whether it is the formation of our own character through moderation, or the creation of literature or works of art, which are the answers of the spirit of Apollo to the pathological and obsessive challenge of the spirit of Dionysus.
That is to say, without the stimulation of Dionysus, there would be neither art nor great virtue.
However, if We regard Dionysus as the only factor or dominant factor in human nature, and indulge in it, we are likely to fall into despair and eventually become negative about life.
Therefore, Nietzsche believed that we should coordinate these two spiritual factors in life, one light and one dark, so that we can obtain the highest achievement in life - art.
19th-century European culture denies the Dionysian factor in life.
But the expression of life force can never be suppressed.
It's like asking, should life dominate knowledge or should knowledge dominate life?
In Nietzsche's eyes, it is clear that life is a higher, more decisive force.
However, the primitive life force is not controlled, and in the end it can only destroy life.
That's why he believes that art is the most promising alternative to religion and the new basis of values.
Because Nietzsche praised Dionysus, someone made up rumors that he was an alcoholic and a drug addict.
In fact, Nietzsche spent most of his adult life in pain, headaches and insomnia.
Even on good days, the time spent writing each day must be limited to a few hours.
He always had some powerful painkillers and sedatives by his side to ensure that he slept for hours without pain.
However, he never used drugs to refresh his mind, and he avoided exposure to alcohol, even a lifetime of alcohol.
As kunpeng said earlier, Nietzsche's self-discipline is extremely strong.
If you have been tormented by illness, you should understand even more how strong the willpower is required for him to be able to think and write non-stop.
In Nietzsche's view, self-domination is one of the most effective tactics employed by the will to power.
Self-domination includes self-discipline, self-criticism, and even self-denial.
Nietzsche's many examples show that self-domination is not a basic goal in itself, but self-discipline, and even self-denial is the basic goal.
Their purpose is a more far-reaching result, namely artistic accomplishment or virtue.
III. "The Birth of Tragedy"
In 1872, Nietzsche published his first book, The Birth of Tragedy.
The book presents speculative theories about the nature and purpose of Greek tragedies.
It is also in this book that Nietzsche analyzes the Athenian tragedy as a synthesis of two artistic principles.
These two principles were represented by Apollo and Dionysus, respectively.
Exquisite and perfect sculpture is an example of Apollo art, and the music that enchants the listener is typical of Dionysus art (think rock, think of discotheque, think of dance... the power of music on the human spirit can be seen).
Greek tragedy strikes a balance between these two principles of art, and the achievement it achieves is not only artistic, but also spiritual.
"It is only as an aesthetic phenomenon that existence and the world are eternally just."
Nietzsche argues that it is tragedy that makes people think about the ugly problems that exist in reality, as well as unworthy tribulations and deaths, which lead to reflection – how can life be meaningful?
Unfortunately, since Socrates, philosophers have chosen to blindfold themselves, to turn a blind eye to the ugliness that clearly exists in reality, to adhere to the order of Apollo, to insist on a consistent and comprehensible understanding of everything, and to spread a worldview that leaves no room for the experience of Dionysus.
The Birth of Tragedy is Nietzsche's first book to criticize traditional Western philosophy.
In the book, he accuses Socrates of rational optimism.
Rational optimism holds that all flaws in human experience can be corrected.
It is also it that stimulates a dangerous and wrong, psychologically unhealthy conception of life.
Nietzsche points out that even the modern scientific worldview is only the latest version of Socrates' rational omnipotence.
According to Kunpeng, Nietzsche reveals to us a fact that no one wants to admit—whoever it is, there is Apollo and Dionysus in human nature.
For more than 2,000 years, however, philosophy, religion, and culture have ignored dionysus as the source of all evil, or claimed that dionysus could be destroyed, either in this life, in heaven, or in the afterlife.
The result?
At least there has never been a true Apollo-like saint in the human world, and the so-called saints are basically so-called.
And human beings can only desperately suppress the irrational Dionysus in the body, wearing a mask of hypocrisy all day long.
Once Dionysus is exposed, people will always panic, feel ashamed, feel self-contained, be miserable and anxious, feel guilty, and even unable to live...
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