The Splitting of Consciousness: Dostoevsky, Hegel and Nietzsche
While writing The Birth of Tragedy in 1872, Friedrich Nietzsche had been heavily influenced by the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, which led him to theorize that human nature was, at its core, “driven by the primitive forces of desire, violence, and fear” (Wallace 124). Further influenced by the works of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, Nietzsche speculated that there existed two worlds that coexist – one ruled by Apollo and one ruled by Dionysius. The Apollonian world translated into the world of representation, which was revealed through “order, individuality, reason, art, creativity, and the beautiful illusion of the inner fantasy world” (Wallace 127). On the other hand, …show more content…
In a series addressed to his brother, Dostoevsky claimed, “it is terrifying to think of the dissonance, the imbalance, which society represents for us. The outer must be balance with the inner. Otherwise, in the absence of outer phenomena, the inner will attain dangerous ascendancy” (Bird 29). According to Nietzsche, the dissonance that is created as a result of the clash of Apollonian and Dionysian worlds can only be restored through the “battle between the two,” which means that neither can exist without the other (Wallace 127). Following the logic of Hegel, it is comprehended that the realization of one’s own consciousness through the gaze of another is what creates self-consciousness (Trejo). The battle described by Nietzsche is one that takes place in the mind of Raskolnikov, as he is torn between the Apollonian side of representation and the Dionysian side of …show more content…
Following the logic of the Underground man, “a man takes revenge because…he’s found a primary cause, a foundation, namely, justice,” which suggests that, for Raskolnikov, the calculated nature of the murder is one that cycles through reason and logic (Dostoevsky 13). Furthermore, according to the young student the murder is “simple arithmetic” (Dostoevsky 56). It is as though Raskolnikov is trying to suppress the will of his Dionysian side, through the formulaic murder, however, with the unexpected appearance of Lizaveta Ivanovna, he is no longer able to find a logical justification. Unlike the previous murder, his Apollonian side is not “ready to distort the truth intentionally… deny everything…merely to justify his own logic,” and thus his Dionysian side takes control and commits the second murder (Dostoevsky 17). Despite Raskolnikov’s attempts to overcome his multiple consciousnesses, according to both Nietzsche and the Underground Man, it will be impossible for him to do so, as seen when the Underground Man states that “human nature acts as a whole, with all that it contains, consciously and unconsciously” (Dostoevsky
While writing The Birth of Tragedy in 1872, Friedrich Nietzsche had been heavily influenced by the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky, which led him to theorize that human nature was, at its core, “driven by the primitive forces of desire, violence, and fear” (Wallace 124). Further influenced by the works of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, Nietzsche speculated that there existed two worlds that coexist – one ruled by Apollo and one ruled by Dionysius. The Apollonian world translated into the world of representation, which was revealed through “order, individuality, reason, art, creativity, and the beautiful illusion of the inner fantasy world” (Wallace 127). On the other hand, …show more content…
In a series addressed to his brother, Dostoevsky claimed, “it is terrifying to think of the dissonance, the imbalance, which society represents for us. The outer must be balance with the inner. Otherwise, in the absence of outer phenomena, the inner will attain dangerous ascendancy” (Bird 29). According to Nietzsche, the dissonance that is created as a result of the clash of Apollonian and Dionysian worlds can only be restored through the “battle between the two,” which means that neither can exist without the other (Wallace 127). Following the logic of Hegel, it is comprehended that the realization of one’s own consciousness through the gaze of another is what creates self-consciousness (Trejo). The battle described by Nietzsche is one that takes place in the mind of Raskolnikov, as he is torn between the Apollonian side of representation and the Dionysian side of …show more content…
Following the logic of the Underground man, “a man takes revenge because…he’s found a primary cause, a foundation, namely, justice,” which suggests that, for Raskolnikov, the calculated nature of the murder is one that cycles through reason and logic (Dostoevsky 13). Furthermore, according to the young student the murder is “simple arithmetic” (Dostoevsky 56). It is as though Raskolnikov is trying to suppress the will of his Dionysian side, through the formulaic murder, however, with the unexpected appearance of Lizaveta Ivanovna, he is no longer able to find a logical justification. Unlike the previous murder, his Apollonian side is not “ready to distort the truth intentionally… deny everything…merely to justify his own logic,” and thus his Dionysian side takes control and commits the second murder (Dostoevsky 17). Despite Raskolnikov’s attempts to overcome his multiple consciousnesses, according to both Nietzsche and the Underground Man, it will be impossible for him to do so, as seen when the Underground Man states that “human nature acts as a whole, with all that it contains, consciously and unconsciously” (Dostoevsky