Soren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche were two of the most prominent philosophers in the period following the enlightenment. Kierkegaard was from Denmark, and skillfully used pseudonyms and fictional characters to present his work. Nietzsche was from Germany, and was a ruthless critic of morality, Christianity, and many other aspects of the society he lived in. In Kierkegaard’s first work Either/Or, he uses fictional characters by the names of A and Judge William to preach the aesthetic and ethical mode of life. “A” is driven by boredom. All his actions are driven by the need to stimulate pleasure and avoid monotony. Ethics and consistency drive the philosophy of Judge William. These ways of life couldn’t be anymore different. However,
…show more content…
First he would say “when a people approaches destruction, when it degenerates physiologically, then license and luxury follow from this”(493). A thinks Danish society will flourish if money is diverted towards aesthetics and luxury. However, Nietzsche would say A’s society is on the brink of collapse. When people avoid struggle and replace it with stimulation they become weak. In the mind of Nietzsche, focusing on others accomplishments, not your own is a disgraceful way to live.
Nietzsche would then attack A because his lack of will would lead to decay. If Nietzsche heard A mention that resiliency is in forgetting, he would be disgusted. Nietzsche said that “wherever the will to power declines in any form, there is invariably also a physiological retrogression, decadence”(584). A has no will to power, only a will to consume. To Nietzsche, A would be a leach, a parasite, because he does not achieve or create anything himself. A’s best ability is to forget, not to fight and achieve. For this reason, Nietzsche would believe A’s philosophy would be a source of decay. There would be no struggle, advancement or achievement, only …show more content…
Nietzsche compares the idea of improving men through morality as to “the taming of an animal” and “ its improvement sounds like a joke to our ears”. To Nietzsche, morality and ethics block the natural spirit and will of human nature. If spirit and will are blocked, achievement and greatness will never occur. Also, one of Nietzsche’s four great errors in Twilight of the Idols is the error of free will. In this error he describes that “the doctrine of the will has been invented essentially for the purpose of punishment…and the priests at the head of ancient communities, wanted to create for themselves the right to punish- or wanted to create this right for God”(499). Nietzsche would say that Judge William would be trying to suppress will by focusing on ethics as a means to punish. Nietzsche’s ideal would be a world where the will to power is practiced, not punished. By punishing free will, it works as another form of decadence. If achievement and progress do not occur society will fill with last men and
First he would say “when a people approaches destruction, when it degenerates physiologically, then license and luxury follow from this”(493). A thinks Danish society will flourish if money is diverted towards aesthetics and luxury. However, Nietzsche would say A’s society is on the brink of collapse. When people avoid struggle and replace it with stimulation they become weak. In the mind of Nietzsche, focusing on others accomplishments, not your own is a disgraceful way to live.
Nietzsche would then attack A because his lack of will would lead to decay. If Nietzsche heard A mention that resiliency is in forgetting, he would be disgusted. Nietzsche said that “wherever the will to power declines in any form, there is invariably also a physiological retrogression, decadence”(584). A has no will to power, only a will to consume. To Nietzsche, A would be a leach, a parasite, because he does not achieve or create anything himself. A’s best ability is to forget, not to fight and achieve. For this reason, Nietzsche would believe A’s philosophy would be a source of decay. There would be no struggle, advancement or achievement, only …show more content…
Nietzsche compares the idea of improving men through morality as to “the taming of an animal” and “ its improvement sounds like a joke to our ears”. To Nietzsche, morality and ethics block the natural spirit and will of human nature. If spirit and will are blocked, achievement and greatness will never occur. Also, one of Nietzsche’s four great errors in Twilight of the Idols is the error of free will. In this error he describes that “the doctrine of the will has been invented essentially for the purpose of punishment…and the priests at the head of ancient communities, wanted to create for themselves the right to punish- or wanted to create this right for God”(499). Nietzsche would say that Judge William would be trying to suppress will by focusing on ethics as a means to punish. Nietzsche’s ideal would be a world where the will to power is practiced, not punished. By punishing free will, it works as another form of decadence. If achievement and progress do not occur society will fill with last men and